The Dream and the Muse

by Jake Burnett

Overview

A cosmic adventure about the boundless power of a young woman's potential.

When Madarena first meets the old rogue Apophax, she assumes she's dreaming. After all, he wears a coat made of hedgehog quills, changes size at will, and treats the laws of physics as merely suggested guidelines. Very quickly, she learns she's stepped into a world where dreams and reality intersect. Dangerously.

Now, she's an accomplice in the wily thief's master plan to rescue a Muse from one of the most powerful beings in existence. The unlikely duo schemes their way from a town made of moonbeams to the fog-shrouded land of the dead. They fence with nightmares and bargain with witches amid the asteroid remains of a shattered planet. Along the way, Madarena learns that potential is more than a word. Rescuing the Muse-and Madarena's own survival-depend on harnessing all the women she can be.

Fans of Heidi Heilig's The Girl from Everywhere and Matt Haig's The Midnight Library will enjoy this dazzling, imaginative adventure from the author of The Chaos Court.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734664232
Publisher:	South Window Press
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	234 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jake Burnett grew up on four continents and now lives in North Carolina with his wife, a one-eyed cat, and two very wiggly dogs. His first novel, The Chaos Court, was one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020.

Editorial Reviews

Burnett's fast-paced novel is imaginative, unique, and well written. Readers who enjoy adventurous fantasies will appreciate the echoes of Greek mythology and such literary classics as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. This creative novel will boost readers' vocabulary and appeal to those looking for a quirky, fun adventure.

-School Library Journal

Burnett harbors a deep love for the absurd, using his imaginative skills to the hilt, as did L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz... unexpected cleverness continues to gush like a geyser as the tale proceeds... A bonkers fantasy that retains a sweetly human center.

-Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/14/2021

Gr 7 Up—Madarena Rua is a sullen teen, content to remain solitary, reading her dictionary late at night. A sleepless night provides an unexpected cosmic adventure when she happens upon Apophax, a rogue thief known for his coat of hedgehog quills and his knack for defying the laws of physics. Believing she's dreaming, Madarena quickly discovers she has stepped into a dangerous place where reality and dreams collide. As Apophax's accomplice, she must assist him in rescuing his love Aoede, a Muse, from the clutches of the Night Mayor. Throughout their adventures battling nightmares, bargaining with witches, and tempting the Fates, Madarena discovers a multitude of worlds filled with sights beyond her wildest imagination. She must harness her potential to ensure her own survival and to return Aoede to her home. This is a story about acknowledging one's possibility and finding one's identity. Madarena must learn that words have more meaning and power than just text in a dictionary. Burnett's fast-paced novel is imaginative, unique, and well written. Readers who enjoy adventurous fantasies will appreciate the echoes of Greek mythology and such literary classics as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. VERDICT This creative novel will boost readers' vocabulary and appeal to those looking for a quirky, fun adventure.—Linsey Milillo, Lane P.L., Fairfield, OH

School Library Journal

2021-03-22
In this fantasy adventure, a young woman explores her true potential while aiding a thief with otherworldly powers.

Madarena Rua, who is “young enough to be tried as a juvenile,” can’t sleep. Despite her father’s snoring, she hears flower pots breaking in the garden. From the doorway, she sees what must be a cat—yet it’s walking on hind legs. She chases it into the bushes only to discover that her quarry is a small, bald man. His name is Apophax, and he seems grateful for help getting out of the bushes. Madarena assumes she’s dreaming. When Apophax asks where a nearby cemetery is, she walks him there. He lends her his coat of hedgehog quills to keep her warm. Even more strangely, he then begins to fade away into the moonlight. As she tries to remove the coat, a creature that looks like a living statue of Anubis approaches. It says: “Apophax. You have broken the laws of Triskadeka Fair.” The dog-headed enforcer then takes her up a stairway of light to a court that’s bound to find her guilty. So begins Madarena’s entanglement with the trickster Apophax, who has a plan to steal the Aoede statuette from the Night Mayor of Triskadeka Fair. Once the Moirai Sisters Clothiers dresses Madarena in “Potential,” her real adventure kicks into gear. Burnett harbors a deep love for the absurd, using his imaginative skills to the hilt, as did L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Madarena’s ability to drive her own story begins when she’s in prison and draws a face in chalk on the floor. She then convinces the talking cell to release her. Such unexpected cleverness continues to gush like a geyser as the tale proceeds. The author’s appealing hero loves the dictionary and has a “deep fear of ennui,” which produces lots of wordplay. The Thanatons, for example—named after the Greek god of death—are a race of monsters that includes zombies and wights. Trying to find the person or thing that is named Aoede gives emotional stakes to a narrative that might have easily drowned in silliness. Madarena’s hatred of boredom could provide fuel for a sequel exploring the “quaquaverse.”

A bonkers fantasy that retains a sweetly human center.

Kirkus Reviews