Reviews for Sachael Dreams
Alythia Brown rated it 5 out of 5 stars
But the prologue for SACHAEL DREAMS actually made sense (huzzah!). Not only that, it made me more intrigued by the characters introduced later on. We know these sachael men impregnate human women and then make off with their babies. The savior figure from the prologue listed the symptoms of the sachael’s deception—the meeting according to the moon, the gift they give human women, the dream communication—and now Estelle is experiencing this with a stranger she met from the sea. Immediately, I was rooting for Estelle to either get her act together and push this creeper away or be the first woman to find a sachael who genuinely loved her.
As we get to know the sachael, Azariah, and the human, Estelle, their relationship deepens. He even confesses to her what his kind does to humans—they only breed males and need women to host their offspring to keep the race alive. But always in the back of your mind you’re wondering if this isn’t all just part of Azariah’s ploy… [SIDE NOTE: I laughed out loud when Azariah confessed to ‘observing’ Estelle for four months before he finally approached her because Estelle’s first response was ‘That’s weird.’ Can I get an Amen! for a female character who isn’t swooning over stalker behavior???]
Turmoil brews when the tension from the prologue comes to fruition. There are those who have developed a fully-fledged hatred for these creatures of the sea—these men who entrance and impregnate women, only to return on the night of their delivery to steal their babies. The Sect—a human organization—and the oceanids (the technical name for merpeople in this tale) have waged war with sachaels. And Estelle is the pawn…
I loved how everything in this story wrapped together—the prologue foreshadowing was perfect in hindsight, but veiled with mystery until the end. And all of the characters—even Estelle’s abusive ex-boyfriend—tie back tightly into the twist ending with their own purpose. My only qualm was that a ton of men seem to fall for Estelle in this story (Azariah, Orontes, Michael, Daniel). They talk about her like property, are clearly smitten, or have plans to make a life with her. SPOILER ALERT (kinda): There is a reason why men are hopelessly attracted to Estelle, so on that end it makes sense. But up until we meet Azariah, Estelle’s a bit of a loner and people in her town thought she was strange. You’d think she would have noticed this man-snaring talent a little sooner. But, overall, Winter’s writing is beautiful and crisp with flawless editing (way to go, Reuts team!). At first, I thought I found a typo. I just need everyone to know right now that the word ‘encyclopedia’ is spelled ‘encyclopaedia’ twice. But this is not—I repeat not—incorrect. I Googled it.
Bravo and congratulations to Miss Melody Winter on her fun debut novel, SACHAEL DREAMS! This fresh and original story, woven with ancient legends, is a must-read!
I flew through the second half of the book, unable to put it down until I finished. I want the second one to be out already!
If you love romance and a character with flaws and strengths trying to figure out life and wounds and love, then this book is a must read! Oh yeah, and hot ocean guys.
Even at the end, I found myself questioning what was real and what wasn't. And characters you want to hate, you don't. I want to know more, and find out what's really true and what's all a lie.
So now, I'll have to fall asleep with a sea shell on my bedside table.
And when Estelle gets caught!! Oh my. I felt her heartache and fear. She goes through so much when she’s locked up, but are her captures helping her or just using her? I kept guessing who was telling the truth, and who was lying. Were they using her, or were they really concerned? I was so lost in the story it kept me turning page after page to get to the answers.
I loved Sacheal Dreams so much I know it will be a story I will read over and over, and I can’t wait to see what Winter has in store for her characters in the next book, Sachael Desires.
I normally don’t read prologues, but I was hooked! (Fishing pun-intended.) Melody Winter executed the prologue like a champ; kudos to her! The way she used the prologue to later include more information was a brilliant thing to do.
So, from the prologue, we know that the Sachael men just use women to have their children. We saw this with Lilith. Seventeen and pregnant, goes into early labor, then the child is practically ripped from the womb by Kaimi. With this information going into the main story, it left me wary to trust Azariah. He claims love, but is that truly all it is? Or does he want a child?
What I liked the most about Sachael Dreams was that there were little bits and pieces that add to the mystery. E.g. : Estelle feeling like she’s being watched, the man on the train who was a little too interested in Estelle’s life, the woman in the town where Estelle was walking, etc. It really set up the story for me.
The plot was conducted very well, in my opinion. Normally, I would say that the pacing was off, but considering that the Sachael are seduction masters… that’s not the case. The instant relationship between Estelle and Azariah was okay for this book; the pacing worked.
There were some parts of the book (that I will not go into detail, for the sake of spoilers), that were really enthralling. Estelle ends up having two groups of people who she is torn between. She doesn’t know if she can trust her possible true-love (and his people), or if she can trust the people that are set out to destroy Azariah’s world.
I would definitely recommend reading Sachael Dreams if you’re a fan of romance with a touch of mystery, and fantasy.
Kathy rated it 4 out of 5 stars
We begin with a prologue. Lilith. Some people don’t like prologues, but this one was perfect. Her story stays with us after we move on… to Estelle. What happened to Lilith… will it happen to Estelle?
That kept me reading, the mystery, the questions.
For it starts with a shell. And continues with a voice, one that haunts her dreams. Azariah. But who is this stranger? Can we trust him?
Azariah, a sachael, a creature from the sea, seems very nice. A little too nice for me, but Estelle begins to fall for him. The first half of the book did, I admit, have me rolling my eyes at all the so much in love parts, the so happy parts, the sappy stuff, the I-want-him-SO-MUCH-but-I-just-don’t-know parts.
It’s a romance and the entire book is extremely well-written.
I like Estelle, there is something to this girl. And the mystery of her family is fascinating.
Azariah bores me a bit, falling a little flat, BUT he is not just some flirty fish-man, he has hidden sides, I glimpsed them.
Michael is a nice guy, just mixed up with the bad crowd.
Which brings us to Orontes… who is awesome. Sure he’s bad, but so powerful, and knows what he wants. Bad boys for the win!
Last but not least the setting. Ravenscar is a character in itself. And someday, I’m going, cause it’s real and sounds like heaven!
Once the story gets going, and it does, the action pulled me right along. The mysteries kept my mind spinning with ideas. The answers satisfied and intrigued me. And the ending put a smile on my face, even though a battle would have been very cool. (I expect a big fight later in the series… yup)
But the story isn’t finished. Will I, the non-romance reader, read the rest of the series? Yup.
For one, I need to see the underwater world! NEED! This is what I live for… fantasy!
Two, I want to know the other sides of Azariah, looking forward to him developing.
Three, I want to meet Lilith (she’s still around!), to see how she has been affected by her past.
Four, the mystery of Estelle. HOW… WHY DOES SHE EXIST?
Five, Orontes… I like him. There must be a bit more to his story.
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