Review - "Dreams Unleashed"

Dreams Unleashed by Linda Hawley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Dystopian

Description from Goodreads: It’s the near-future year of 2015, where technology governs life. In this dystopian world, governments control their citizens by tracking them with RFID. The right to personal privacy does not exist. The heroine, Ann Torgeson, having been trained by the CIA as a paranormal spy at nineteen years old, has enhanced abilities. Twenty-five years later, she lives a double life: first, as a technical writer for a tidal energy company in the Pacific Northwest, and second, as a member of the worldwide anti-government subversive organization, called GOG. When Ann’s vivid dreams turn real, she questions whether the doorway between her subconscious and reality has been permanently altered. When she starts to dig into her past, her present begins to unravel, leading the reader through events that twist and turn everything upside down. Question everything you know is essential in this trilogy.

My thoughts: I'm reeling from the books ending. I'm just grateful that the second book is due to be released this summer. Linda has definitely left me wanting more.

This book is set in 2015 in the state of Washington. Ann is in her mid 40's. She is a widow and the mother of one daughter. The story deals with a US Government that has taken away the right of privacy. Ann is part of a group that is fighting to regain the privacy of the citizens of the US. You never know who she can trust in this book.  There are so many secrets.  Sometimes I wish I could just get into the mind of some of her associates and see if they are helping her or opposing her.

Through flashbacks we are able to view her life and the events that lead her to the present. We learn that she was involved with the CIA in 1988 and the skills they honed that make her a valuable freedom fighter.

Whether you agree or not with some of the political statements in the book I think you would enjoy the story. I see this as a cautionary tale about the checks and balances set up in the US Constitution and that the people need to make sure we retain our right to privacy.

To me Linda has proven her ability to write a compelling story without the use of sex and foul language.  If you are wondering why I am mentioning that, see the post before this one.  Thank you Linda for giving me a story that I can share with my kids.