Review: The Place Beyond Her Dreams by Oby Aligwekwe

 

THE PLACE BEYOND HER DREAMS

by Oby Aligwekwe

Coming of Age Fantasy

At the sudden death of her grandfather, Ona’s pain drives her to mystical Luenah—a place of infinite possibilities. There, she discovers she is an Eri, chosen to accomplish a special purpose on earth, and is handed a box in exchange for what she desires the most.

Burdened by her quest, Ona learns that dreams carry a hefty price, and no one is who they seem. As evil looms, she must unmask the villain and save the one she loves, even at the risk of losing everything she holds dear.

Set against the backdrop of two warring towns, The Place Beyond Her Dreams delivers life lessons using a powerful fable. This coming-of-age fantasy takes the reader on the path to self-discovery and demonstrates the transformation one must go through to realize and eventually occupy their purpose. 

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MY TIDBITS

I found the cover on this one amazing...and of course, the blurb really drew in as well. While it's sold as a young adult novel, it spans to even a slightly older age group and hits the 'coming-of-age' category very nicely.

Ona's had a very happy life and isn't sure what to think of her very short, occasional glimpses into the future...which sometimes come true and sometimes don't. When her beloved grandfather passes away, her quick dreams pull her into another world, Luenah—a place of peace and calm. But she quickly returns to reality only to be pulled back and meet her grandfather there at her eighteenth birthday. Now, she discovers that she has a responsibility toward reality and Luenah, and a task she must learn to fulfill. And this is where her true journey begins.

This is a rich story with many wonderful aspects. It follows Ona from her happy life as a young girl and through her path to becoming an adult. Her love for her family and friends is inspiring. Plus, her desire to do what is right makes her a character to simply enjoy. The addition of this peaceful, alternate world opens up the door to imagination and adds just the right dash of fantasy. It adds an interesting twist as Ona struggles to find her purpose and way, while overcoming more threatening obstacles and even love. In other words, it's a well-rounded tale from beginning to end.

The writing flows smoothly and switches between a narration about Ona's life to more showing scenes, where the reader experiences the events with Ona (like a usual story). The narrative telling wasn't quite my thing, and I often found myself distracted, since this did keep Ona an arm's length away. But just as I was about to lay the book down, an interesting twist would come and draw me back in. This seemed to be a constant pattern the entire way through. The back and forth forms an intriguing style, which will grab the right reader from start to finish. With a touch of fairy tale magic along with a flair of real life struggles and a dash of tension, it's a unique tale which does leave an impression after the last page.