This book was a lot better than I expected...and a lot less creepy considering the book flap blurb.

I was disheartened to realize that it was a trilogy, until I saw that the subsequent books are already written and published in German. We are just waiting on English translations...or at least, the rest of you are. I speak and read fluent German, and am going to try to get ebook versions or something from amazon.de.

Speaking of it being a German translation...
Without giving spoilers, there are a couple of minor plot points that hinge on an English speaking character researching a German language phrase. I am very curious about how these were handled in the original German version. (Another reason to track down ebook versions in German).

That being said, this book had a good pace, although the plot had some confusion and lack of clarity. I am willing to write this off because the protagonist herself was confused about what was going on. The characters were mostly fleshed out and believable. There were a couple who were fairly flat stereotypes, but in YA fiction I am also a little more willing to let it slide. The handling of dreams was unique and interesting. It held my attention and made me want to read the rest of the trilogy.

Is it the best YA fantasy I have read this year? No. Was it better than a lot of the things I have been reading? Yes. My rating scale for YA books is relative to other YA books. I don't use the same scale for them that I do for my adult or non-fiction reading.