Dream Life

by Lauren Mechling

After Claire Voyante's "interesting" first semester at Henry Hudson High School, Claire starts the second semester with a few important secrets, like her onyx and ivory cameo necklace (which has been sending her prophetic dreams). Things are also changing at school - Claire's best friend Becca has been acting weird, and Claire discovers that her friend is part of a secret society of girls with mysterious missions and mysterious enemies. Claire finds herself right in the middle of all the danger and excitement as major conflicts arise in the secret society, and she's determined to get to the bottom of several mysteries once and for all.

Dream Life is the sequel to Dream Girl, but I found it quite easy to understand even though I hadn't read the first book. One thing I really enjoyed about the story was the complex, suspenseful, and intriguing plot. I was completely hooked - not only was the premise interesting, but the story was action-packed and the tone was terrific. The characters were wonderful as well; there were no major cliches and there was a great variety of personalities, from secretive to stupid to confident. The writing was light yet totally engrossing, and the story flowed together very well.

If you're a fan of Kiki Strike and other similar novels, then you'll definitely love Dream Life!