Caffeinated Reviewer

He is the most powerful man to ever live, and therefore doomed to misery.
Sherlock Holmes meets House for a combination that makes for a brilliant anti-hero.

Ren Lewis was born with the power to control minds, hypnotize others, and read thoughts. Therefore he is certain of one thing.

God made a mistake. No one should be born with so much power.

A monster awoke in Ren the same year he received his gifts. At 10 years old. A prepubescent boy with the ability to control others might merely abuse this power, but Ren allowed it to corrupt him. And since he can have and do anything he wants, Ren should be happy. However, his journey teaches him that harboring so much power doesn't bring happiness, it steals it. Once this realization sets in, Ren makes up his mind to do the one thing that can bring his tortured soul some peace.

He must kill the monster.

Ren is an addictive story of an anti-villain. This spellbinding supernatural fantasy is a must-listen for anyone looking for the untraditional hero

Ren, the first in the Dream Traveler series by Sarah Noffke and I crossed paths as I was working. I was lucky enough to receive a code by the author. The idea of an anti-hero with powers intrigued me.

Ren was born half Dream Traveler. His mother was human, but his father was a special race of humans who can travel through time and space in their dreams. They also have an ability. Some if they are lucky have more than one. Ren can control people using his mind. He hypnotizes people with movements, and if he touches someone he can hear their thoughts. 

These dream travelers also live longer than average humans, and because of his skill set has considerable wealth. Poor fellow. He will tell you how awesome he is, and how the ladies love him…but like the rest of us Ren is flawed and has his own insecurities and emotional issues.

Ren isn’t really evil, but he does get into mischief and isn’t all together nice. We witness him after he leaves the family home and sets up on his own in London. Here he suffers loss, finds love and makes a fatal error which haunts him. His actions open a new world to Ren, one he embraces until he doesn’t.

I liked and loathed Ren. He is the perfect anti-hero. He has power, so he abuses. However, he has good qualities too. Lord, please don’t tell him that. He is also flawed, selfish and perhaps lonely is a good word. He has a sharp tongue, and I laughed aloud more than once. I think it’s a defense mechanism and I am curious to see more growth in Ren as the author peels back his layers.

Outside threats bigger than Ren exist for the world and I am curious to see what role he will play.

Tim Campbell was the perfect choice for narration and captured Ren brilliantly. He did a great job with secondary characters, snark, and enhancing moments.

After finishing I explored the authors worked and saw mention that this is a companion series to the Lucidites Trilogy and the Reverians Trilogy. Both young adult fantasies, which explains why some shelved this as a young adult series on Goodreads. Ren begins as a teen here, but 98% of the story takes place when he is an adult in his twenties and forties. I didn’t feel like I missed anything and do not feel it is necessary to have read the back-matter.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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