Review ♦ The Dreaming - Complete Series

About The Series

	Volume 1
	When twin sisters Amber and Jeanie are accepted into an exclusive Australian boarding school, their future looks bright. But the school's halls harbor a terrible secret: students have been known to wander into the surrounding bushlands and vanish...without a trace! No one knows where they went--or why. But as Amber and Jeanie are about to learn, the key to the school's dark past may lie in the world of their dreams...
	Volume 2
	Greenwich Private College grinds to a complete halt after the discovery of Millie’s body. As gloom and despair sets in, most of the students leave the school. But Jeanie’s curiosity keeps her on campus, and when she’s led down the path of Greenwich’s dark history, has she awakened a ghostly curse?
	Volume 3
	Where dreams turn into living nightmares… Where did the ghostly girls come from? And what do they want? Before the students know it, the missing girls enter the school, where Amber spots Millie, who speaks to her almost as if to warn her of something. Is there more to this supernatural mystery than just the school itself? The answers to why these girls have come back and what caused their deaths are revealed in this haunting series finale.

My Thoughts  
The Dreaming is a short (compared to most manga I’ve seen) series about twin sisters Amber and Jeanie who are starting out as new students at a very secluded boarding school in Australia. Once there the girls begin experiencing some very spooky things. While one sister becomes cut-off, depressed, and totally out of it, the other twin begins snooping around and investigating the mysterious and possibly dangerous history of the school.

These three volumes make up the entire Dreaming series and they are very hard to put down – I read all three books in one day! The twin sisters were great main characters, both had their own individual personality and there was enough chemistry, as well as conflict, between the two girls to make for an interesting relationship. The supporting characters were also very well presented, my favorite was Ms. Catherine Anu – one of the school’s teachers – she doesn’t make a major impact until later in the story, but when she does come in her involvement is really fascinating.

But the best part of this story for me, was the artwork, specifically the paintings that play a big part in bringing the story together. Throughout the halls and rooms of the school are strange artwork, and they are also mentioned in a book the girls borrow about historic art. The paintings are creepy and I love how they are right there in the open, presenting their secrets if only a person were to look closer. Reminds me a lot about how people say some answers are so obvious because most of the time they are right in front of you. 

 

About The Author

Queenie Chan was born in 1980 in Hong Kong and migrated to Australia when she was six years old. As a child she read a lot of manga and watched a lot of anime, which was as popular in Hong Kong then as it is now. This bred in her a love of the medium from an early age.

After high school she enrolled in a 4-year Information Systems degree program—but the workload wasn't heavy, so she started drawing manga on the side. Still, she never considered it as a career until 2002, when she graduated right at the nadir of the dot-com bust and no companies were hiring. Her "big break" came in 2004, when TOKYOPOP began accepting international artists. (Tokyopop.com)

*** To read the The Dreaming Volumes 1-3 online click on the titles below ***

Book Title:	The Dreaming Volume 1	The Dreaming Volume 2	The Dreaming Volume 3
Author:	Queenie Chan	Queenie Chan	Queenie Chan
Book Genre:	Young Adult Manga (13+)	Young Adult Manga (13+)	Young Adult Manga (13+)
Book Type:	Paperback 192 pages	Paperback 192 pages	Paperback 192
Publisher:	TokyoPop	TokyoPop	TokyoPop
Published:	December 2005	October 2006	December 2007

Other Reviews The Written World – Volumes 1, 2, 3  Rhinoa's Ramblings – Volume 1  Rhinoa's Ramblings – Volume 2 Rhinoa's Ramblings – Volume 3

Have you reviewed this book too? Let me know and I’ll add your link to the list :)

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