A Lot Like Dreaming

Insomnia is a creative story that most people wished were true. Hell, I wish I could be a Night Walker and know what some people dream about! That sounds pretty cool, right? Right? Anyway, the story follows Parker, who has been dealing with this gift/curse for four years now without sleeping a wink until he meets Mia who changes his life forever. The story starts out with a little too much information before most of the characters or past events are introduced. And speaking of the characters, only the main and strong secondary ones really stand out for me. The rest of them are very stiff and choppy, like unfinished thoughts. This makes if hard to give the book a better rating. Still, not a bad start to a series or a bad début either. Nice job, J. R. Johansson.While reading this, a few things become apparent to readers. First, there are not very many clues to keep us reading. It's as if the author is relying mostly only on the dark, crazy actions of what Parker does to keep the book interesting and mysterious. Second, the novel moves pretty quickly with the more important details and events being rushed or skimmed. I get irritated every time this happens because the important parts happen too quick while the less important fillers are played a lot more slowly. Third, it's apparent that there are a lot of unanswered questions by the end of this. How did Parker become a Night Walker? How come his mom doesn't know/isn't one too? Can anyone become a Night Walker? Although we get some information regarding these questions, I think that there should have been more to keep readers a little more satisfied. Parker is a crazy, sleep deprived character who I really enjoyed reading about. His creepy, stalker-like tactics to see Mia are wacky and very frightening. Especially when his inner demons take hold and show just how desperate he can be to get what he needs and wants. He's a realistic and unpredictable, I felt like a stalker just reading this! The idea for this is refreshing and new, I love it! Even though the ending is pretty transparent, I wasn't exactly expecting that person to be that person. It's a nice twist to a great book that I recommend to readers who are looking for books that involve dreams and stalker with funny, sarcastic characters you just can't get enough of.