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Dreamwood
Lucy Darrington has no choice but to run away from boarding school. Her father, an expert on the supernatural, has been away for too long while doing research in Saarthe, a remote territory in the Pacific Northwest populated by towering redwoods, timber barons, and the Lupine people. But upon arriving, she learns her father is missing: Rumor has it he’s gone in search of dreamwood, a rare tree with magical properties that just might hold the cure for the blight that’s ravaging the forests of Saarthe.
Determined to find her father (and possibly save Saarthe), Lucy and her vexingly stubborn friend Pete follow William Darrington’s trail to the deadly woods on Devil’s Thumb. As they encounter Lupine princesses, giant sea serpents, and all manner of terrifying creatures, Lucy hasn’t reckoned that the dreamwood itself might be the greatest threat of all.
Determined to find her father (and possibly save Saarthe), Lucy and her vexingly stubborn friend Pete follow William Darrington’s trail to the deadly woods on Devil’s Thumb. As they encounter Lupine princesses, giant sea serpents, and all manner of terrifying creatures, Lucy hasn’t reckoned that the dreamwood itself might be the greatest threat of all.
333 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
August 25, 2014
This book was definitely just ok for me. I don't know if it's the writing style, or just the sheer predictability of the story, but I just never got invested. I never felt any real sense of danger or mystery or awe or anything, and more often than not I neded up frustrated with Lucy who, while presented as being a strong and intelligent character, often misses that which is in front of her face. Also, all of the obstacles and whatnot just seemed too easy, ultimately - and I was disappointed in the ending, which I thought might be
I will say I can see younger readers enjoying the story more, and there are some lessons woven into the story from the environmental to the personal, as Lucy learns to trust others and not always think she's right.
Anyway - can't say much about this one because, frankly, it didn't leave a strong enough impression for me to even recall that much about it not even two weeks later.
I will say I can see younger readers enjoying the story more, and there are some lessons woven into the story from the environmental to the personal, as Lucy learns to trust others and not always think she's right.
Anyway - can't say much about this one because, frankly, it didn't leave a strong enough impression for me to even recall that much about it not even two weeks later.
June 16, 2014
I just finished this book this morning, two days after buying it, and I absolutely love it! I love the characters and especially all that was put into the world; the First People, the dreamwood, the little cottage with the toy maker. I also loved the feelings and the writing and everything- so much so that I stayed up quite a bit later than I should have to finish it. When I finished, I had this sort of energy that made me want to jump and smile. That's the energy you get from finishing a good book, and this, for one, was a good book.
October 25, 2014
This book was phenomenal! I picked it for the cover, and wow, the story inside was amazing. Lucy runs away from the boarding school her father left her in, and takes a train up the coast to find him. When she arrives at the tiny town he was staying at, however, she is told he disappeared weeks back. Together with a boy named Pete, she must travel into a forest that many consider cursed or evil to find him. Not only must she save her father, but she must save the town and forest from Rust, a mysterious disease that infects the trees.
The writing, setting, and pace in this novel are magnificent. It's set in a small fictional town in the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the century. The expressions, metaphors, style, etc. are really well-done and I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through. As far as action and excitement blended with quality writing, I would *almost* put this on par with Kenneth Oppel. It's a little spooky, what with the girl and her dad being seasoned ghost-hunters, and several characters die in rather gruesome ways (carnivorous trees, etc.), so it's not particularly light-hearted. But I would definitely recommend this book to people.
- Kelsey
The writing, setting, and pace in this novel are magnificent. It's set in a small fictional town in the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the century. The expressions, metaphors, style, etc. are really well-done and I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through. As far as action and excitement blended with quality writing, I would *almost* put this on par with Kenneth Oppel. It's a little spooky, what with the girl and her dad being seasoned ghost-hunters, and several characters die in rather gruesome ways (carnivorous trees, etc.), so it's not particularly light-hearted. But I would definitely recommend this book to people.
- Kelsey
December 15, 2017
I loved every second of this book until it got to the resolution of the climax. Personally, it just fell a little flat, but I cared so much for the characters at that point that I merely shrugged a bit and continued onwards. I'm not a huge reader of such fantastical stories, but this one made me fall in love.
August 28, 2014
Another great middle grade fantasy, Dreamwood takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the heart of a most unusual forest. Lucy makes for quite a character, she's strong-willed, courageous, and loyal. She's also a bit of a know-it-all and her pride and impulsivity causes problems all over the place. Once Lucy determines where her father has gone, she will stop at nothing to get him back, even facing the unknown terrors of Devil's Thumb, a peninsula that no one has come back from in years. But Lucy refuses to accept that her father might be gone for good and an encounter with a local eccentric leads her to believe that dreamwood might be the cure to the blight destroying the local forests. With the help of her father's inventions and her new found friend Peter, she sets out to determine her destiny.
The intensity and mystery of this story make it a compelling read. The character interactions were fascinating and enjoyable with plenty of tension. They felt very real. All the characters had mixed motivations for doing what they did and it all came together in a believable way, very important in a book with fantastic elements like this one. The world building that the author does comes together is some very intriguing ways, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the world the characters live in with each of their actions leading to future events. With themes of friendship, greed, nature, and morality all playing a strong role, Dreamwood is a wonderful addition to middle grade speculative fiction. However, there is enough violence (including several deaths) that make it more appropriate for slightly older readers. I look forward to reading more from this author.
The intensity and mystery of this story make it a compelling read. The character interactions were fascinating and enjoyable with plenty of tension. They felt very real. All the characters had mixed motivations for doing what they did and it all came together in a believable way, very important in a book with fantastic elements like this one. The world building that the author does comes together is some very intriguing ways, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the world the characters live in with each of their actions leading to future events. With themes of friendship, greed, nature, and morality all playing a strong role, Dreamwood is a wonderful addition to middle grade speculative fiction. However, there is enough violence (including several deaths) that make it more appropriate for slightly older readers. I look forward to reading more from this author.
September 7, 2018
I enjoyed reading Dreamwood. Lucy was believable, if a little slow on the uptake in some things, for all her cleverness. She had a little bit of the Hermione Granger about her, without the understanding of people. The characters and communities were well put together, ranging from outback towns, through native people’s communities (more ‘modern’ than the settler’s outpost), to wild woods and plains.
I felt the plot held up most of the time, although I was distracted by the scale of the forest she was in. From the description of the place when she looked at the map, I had imagined a much smaller area of land; this one took days, if not weeks to travel through – and it didn’t seem to be because of a need to hack one’s way through jungle. I was also distracted by being on open fields surrounded by trees, heading towards some hilly woods, yet guided all the while by the line of the ocean in the distance. Something wrong with the sightlines in that, I thought.
Technicalities apart, this was a good scary story for middle grade (older kids) readers. Some of it was very scary. The first dream sequence was brilliantly written, and had me completely involved. Mechanical inventions generally worked well. The author did a good bit of world-building here, even if I could be a bit fussy over details.
A good story with plenty of twists and surprises. I could class it as mild horror for MG, but nothing worse than Disney put us oldies through.
I felt the plot held up most of the time, although I was distracted by the scale of the forest she was in. From the description of the place when she looked at the map, I had imagined a much smaller area of land; this one took days, if not weeks to travel through – and it didn’t seem to be because of a need to hack one’s way through jungle. I was also distracted by being on open fields surrounded by trees, heading towards some hilly woods, yet guided all the while by the line of the ocean in the distance. Something wrong with the sightlines in that, I thought.
Technicalities apart, this was a good scary story for middle grade (older kids) readers. Some of it was very scary. The first dream sequence was brilliantly written, and had me completely involved. Mechanical inventions generally worked well. The author did a good bit of world-building here, even if I could be a bit fussy over details.
A good story with plenty of twists and surprises. I could class it as mild horror for MG, but nothing worse than Disney put us oldies through.
March 22, 2016
This author has great storytelling abilities and great ideas, but something about the execution of Dreamwood left me underwhelmed. I just didn't care about anything. About the characters, about Rust, about what would happen to the town. It was missing a sense of urgency, missing the emotion I need to REALLY make it a memorable book. It wasn't the worst thing I have ever read, and yet, I know I will forget it very soon.
That's a shame as the cover is one of the most stunning I have EVER seen.
I'm giving this book 3 stars for entertaining me enough to say I "liked" it. I will say I thought the treatment of indigenous peoples was lovely and hopeful. So it's not all bad. It's just not all good either.
That's a shame as the cover is one of the most stunning I have EVER seen.
I'm giving this book 3 stars for entertaining me enough to say I "liked" it. I will say I thought the treatment of indigenous peoples was lovely and hopeful. So it's not all bad. It's just not all good either.
July 17, 2014
If are between 8 and 13 and related to me, guess what you are getting for Christmas?
Heather Mackey hit this one, her first, out of the park, with a beautifully realized fictional setting, characters with grit and spunk, and an ecological/environmental mystery/problem to solve.
On top of that, she writes some really lovely sentences.
Heather Mackey hit this one, her first, out of the park, with a beautifully realized fictional setting, characters with grit and spunk, and an ecological/environmental mystery/problem to solve.
On top of that, she writes some really lovely sentences.
September 13, 2014
Primero que nada, cuando vi la portada fue como *-* OMG me encantaaaaa. Una hermosa ilustracion, con colores verdosos con una tipografía que inmediatamente te llama la atención.
Es un libro de fantasiosas aventuras muy entretenido
Es un libro de fantasiosas aventuras muy entretenido
December 16, 2019
Realistically it should be three stars BUT I'm feeling generous so here's four stars to a book that was genuinely fun from start to finish.
I loved the setting this story was placed in. Old Western settlement, seeking wisdom from First Nations people, and entering a magical forest with a set of commandments to follow to avoid death? It was the perfect blend of unusual, classic, and original that I didn't know I needed. It starts out as whimsical, but as the story moves on it takes a sinister and almost horror-like genre. Set in an almost fantasy-style forest. Heck yes.
All that to say, the world-building was the absolute best part of the story. The characters weren't as great, but it didn't really bother me for some reason. Lucy is the headstrong 12-year-old I would've admired when I was twelve. Since it's a middle grade book and the story's gotta progress somehow, adults are unrealistically hopeful to the beliefs of this little girl and willingly equip her for this journey that almost means certain death XDDD Lucy isn't really unique in her own right, but her background makes her capable of carrying the story through without me disliking her. There was character development, though, which helped things a lot.
There were real risks in the story that kept me reading. It's not just a journey. It's a booby-trapped forest, and in the heart of it is a tree that may or may not kill everyone and everything. Lucy needs to get her father back, and there's a good chance that he's not alive.
If you want a chill break from broody teen dystopian and don't mind a couple things that don't make sense, you'd enjoy this.
I loved the setting this story was placed in. Old Western settlement, seeking wisdom from First Nations people, and entering a magical forest with a set of commandments to follow to avoid death? It was the perfect blend of unusual, classic, and original that I didn't know I needed. It starts out as whimsical, but as the story moves on it takes a sinister and almost horror-like genre. Set in an almost fantasy-style forest. Heck yes.
All that to say, the world-building was the absolute best part of the story. The characters weren't as great, but it didn't really bother me for some reason. Lucy is the headstrong 12-year-old I would've admired when I was twelve. Since it's a middle grade book and the story's gotta progress somehow, adults are unrealistically hopeful to the beliefs of this little girl and willingly equip her for this journey that almost means certain death XDDD Lucy isn't really unique in her own right, but her background makes her capable of carrying the story through without me disliking her. There was character development, though, which helped things a lot.
There were real risks in the story that kept me reading. It's not just a journey. It's a booby-trapped forest, and in the heart of it is a tree that may or may not kill everyone and everything. Lucy needs to get her father back, and there's a good chance that he's not alive.
If you want a chill break from broody teen dystopian and don't mind a couple things that don't make sense, you'd enjoy this.
May 20, 2018
This book was the May choice for the Great Middle Grade Reads group. I probably wouldn't have chosen it on my own and I was a little disappointed with the choice and started it reluctantly. My usual problem with fantasy is the intense investment that must be made at the beginning of a book to figure out how the fantastical world is arranged and works. Some fantasy novels have elaborate geographies and societal structures that make it difficult for me to get immersed in a story. I think this is why fantasy series are so popular. After the first one, there isn't the investment for the rest of the series. This book is the type of fantasy I love-- the setting and time period are real with some fantastical elements added in. This makes it easy to get started! The northwest coast of the U.S. around the turn of the century is a setting I can identify with and the extra elements are woven into the story smoothly without a lot of exposition needed. I appreciate that in a book. The protagonist isn't perfect and super-powerful and gets help from all sorts as she solves her mystery. I thought this book was great and a real page-turner.
April 29, 2022
the me of eight years ago had truly iconic taste
March 7, 2018
It was a great book. There was a lot of suspense and plot twists. I wish there was more lupine action in the book. The book is about a girl named Lucy Darrington whose father has disappeared. He went into a forest called the devil’s thumb to find dreamwood. The dreamwood would cure a sickness on the trees of the town near the devil’s thumb called rust.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2016
I ended up bailing on this book, mostly because I didn't have enough interest in continuing to read. I really feel that Mackey really missed the mark on a lot of things with this book.
Mackey I think was really trying to appeal to a pleathora of different young readers, which made the book far too scattered. There was a mix of historical fiction, fantasy, and pacific northwest. That being said I think she fell short. There were so many things that she could have picked up on in each of these categories, but I feel like she was far too scattered in approaching any of these subjects. If she had chosen one topic, stuck with it and full steamed ahead with much of the information with it, I think the book would have held my interest far more.
I really feel like she did a dis-service to the pacific northwest region in this regard as well. As a former scientist writing a book, why is she inventing trees and things that kill trees when there's so much bio-diversity in the pacific northwest? While I understand that there is an appeal to not ruin the beauty of the current trees, however, if we want to start instilling some overall desire to want to improve or protect our forests, I think she lost out on a valuable teacheable moment here. Even if she felt the diseases would be cooler if she had invented them, there are just so many majestic things going on with the trees that are there. What's the appeal of inventing things to benefit your story when there is already so much to go on in that area? On the same note, Why did she also have to create her own folklore for this region as well? There is so much going on with the First Nations tribes, I feel like these would have been far more interesting to add to her stories. In that respect, she may have felt that she could not do right by the First Nations people and their stories, there's just so much there I think she lost out on. There's the whole lumberjack culture that she hints at as well, in the beginning and then digresses. I'm not suggesting that she only fictionalize reality of that region, I just don't think a few pages in a chapter of a variety of things made for a good book, or really a readable one. Science and native peoples don't have to be boring, and if you are going to take advantage of a certain setting, it's worth the extra investment of time to properly do the research. I can understand why people would like this book, but between the predictable story lines, a female protagonist she wants to be strong who really isn't, and overly fictionalized concepts, it just didn't do it for me.
Mackey I think was really trying to appeal to a pleathora of different young readers, which made the book far too scattered. There was a mix of historical fiction, fantasy, and pacific northwest. That being said I think she fell short. There were so many things that she could have picked up on in each of these categories, but I feel like she was far too scattered in approaching any of these subjects. If she had chosen one topic, stuck with it and full steamed ahead with much of the information with it, I think the book would have held my interest far more.
I really feel like she did a dis-service to the pacific northwest region in this regard as well. As a former scientist writing a book, why is she inventing trees and things that kill trees when there's so much bio-diversity in the pacific northwest? While I understand that there is an appeal to not ruin the beauty of the current trees, however, if we want to start instilling some overall desire to want to improve or protect our forests, I think she lost out on a valuable teacheable moment here. Even if she felt the diseases would be cooler if she had invented them, there are just so many majestic things going on with the trees that are there. What's the appeal of inventing things to benefit your story when there is already so much to go on in that area? On the same note, Why did she also have to create her own folklore for this region as well? There is so much going on with the First Nations tribes, I feel like these would have been far more interesting to add to her stories. In that respect, she may have felt that she could not do right by the First Nations people and their stories, there's just so much there I think she lost out on. There's the whole lumberjack culture that she hints at as well, in the beginning and then digresses. I'm not suggesting that she only fictionalize reality of that region, I just don't think a few pages in a chapter of a variety of things made for a good book, or really a readable one. Science and native peoples don't have to be boring, and if you are going to take advantage of a certain setting, it's worth the extra investment of time to properly do the research. I can understand why people would like this book, but between the predictable story lines, a female protagonist she wants to be strong who really isn't, and overly fictionalized concepts, it just didn't do it for me.
September 3, 2014
genre: fantasy
summary: Lucy Darrington has been left at a finishing school for girl in San Francisco. She hates it and she doesn't fit in. She wants to be with her father helping him with Ghost Clearing. She sneaks away and takes a train to the small town of Petland where her father is working on his latest case...only to find that he has disappeared. A small but prosperous lumber town, Petland is under the grip of a new disease called Rust. It's destroying the trees. Lucy discovers that her father was studying Rust and that he may have found a cure in Dreamwood. Dreamwood is a mythical plant that hasnt been seen it years. The natives of the region and the old settlers remember it as both a blessing and a curse. Now extinct, the last dreamwood was rumored to be found on the Devil's Thumb and area of wilderness avoided and feared. Lucy bravely journeys into the Devil's Thumb in the hopes of finding her father and the Dreamwood. She joined on her journey by a boy named Pete. Pete's family is all but bankrupt due to the detrimental toll the rust has taken on their business. He goes with Lucy in order to restore his family's honor.
notes: a little creepy (may get to younger children or those who are easily scared)
for kids who like: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy....basically any fantasy with a female heroine
age group: age 9+
my review: I wanted to like this so much but I just couldn't get into it. The "Dreamwood" is supposed to have all these amazing qualities and properties and my interest was peaked when Lucy visited the toy maker but really that was pretty much the only glimpse we have of it's power. I also loved the Lupine but I felt there presence was too brief. Meanwhile, the Lumber Barron, his character was totally transparent. You could sense it from the beginning and I felt insulted that Lucy (renowned for her brilliance/resourcefulness) didn't see it.
For me this was a lot like my experience reading "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy"; I heard good things. I wanted to love it but it fell short. It lack the imagination/originality I was looking for...hopefully I will find that somewhere this year.
summary: Lucy Darrington has been left at a finishing school for girl in San Francisco. She hates it and she doesn't fit in. She wants to be with her father helping him with Ghost Clearing. She sneaks away and takes a train to the small town of Petland where her father is working on his latest case...only to find that he has disappeared. A small but prosperous lumber town, Petland is under the grip of a new disease called Rust. It's destroying the trees. Lucy discovers that her father was studying Rust and that he may have found a cure in Dreamwood. Dreamwood is a mythical plant that hasnt been seen it years. The natives of the region and the old settlers remember it as both a blessing and a curse. Now extinct, the last dreamwood was rumored to be found on the Devil's Thumb and area of wilderness avoided and feared. Lucy bravely journeys into the Devil's Thumb in the hopes of finding her father and the Dreamwood. She joined on her journey by a boy named Pete. Pete's family is all but bankrupt due to the detrimental toll the rust has taken on their business. He goes with Lucy in order to restore his family's honor.
notes: a little creepy (may get to younger children or those who are easily scared)
for kids who like: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy....basically any fantasy with a female heroine
age group: age 9+
my review: I wanted to like this so much but I just couldn't get into it. The "Dreamwood" is supposed to have all these amazing qualities and properties and my interest was peaked when Lucy visited the toy maker but really that was pretty much the only glimpse we have of it's power. I also loved the Lupine but I felt there presence was too brief. Meanwhile, the Lumber Barron, his character was totally transparent. You could sense it from the beginning and I felt insulted that Lucy (renowned for her brilliance/resourcefulness) didn't see it.
For me this was a lot like my experience reading "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy"; I heard good things. I wanted to love it but it fell short. It lack the imagination/originality I was looking for...hopefully I will find that somewhere this year.
June 27, 2014
From the first scene on a train when we meet Lucy Darrington, we can tell she's made of stern stuff, determined to find her missing father in the deeps woods of Sadaarthe. At every step of the way Lucy encounters great obstacles -- giant sea snakes, native people who zealously guard the land, animals with dangerous magical powers. The closer Lucy gets to her goal the more dangerous and complicated her world gets. Will she find her father? Will she survive even as grown men are dying on this expedition? What exactly happened to the settlement of people on Devil's Thumb, the haunted outcropping of land where Lucy seeks her father? As the story expands, so do the plot twists and mysteries.
This is a rollicking adventure with a lovable heroine who is both prickly and serious, not afraid to push for what she wants.
Both boys and girls will enjoy this adventure story as will the parents lucky enough to spend their time reading this story aloud. I loved it and recommend it for all ages.
This is a rollicking adventure with a lovable heroine who is both prickly and serious, not afraid to push for what she wants.
Both boys and girls will enjoy this adventure story as will the parents lucky enough to spend their time reading this story aloud. I loved it and recommend it for all ages.
July 27, 2014
This book is a fun, intelligent, adventurous read. The heroine, Lucy, is a spunky young girl in search of her scientist/inventor father on the dangerous "Devil's Thumb" amidst the Saarthe territory in the Pacific Northwest. Lucy encounters many mythical beings along the way with her willful sidekick Peter. I especially loved hearing Jennifer Grace's perfectly cued narration of Lucy's logical, rational, scientific thoughts throughout this story and Heather Mackey's rich, vivid descriptions of the physical environment. The result is a magical world that feels detailed and real with a fast-paced adventure that many middle school boys and girls alike will love. Also, the cover is gorgeous!
July 23, 2014
Heather Mackey weaves a wonderful tale with Dreamwood. Imaginative and beautifully written, the characters and story line are engaging. I found the book a refreshing change from insta-action books such as The Hunger Games. I liked how the pace of Dreamwood mirrored the pace of Lucy’s journey to find her father, increasing in suspense and making the story ever-more engrossing. I also loved some of the lessons that Lucy learns along the way—lessons valuable at any age. Beware of those who flatter you; they rarely have your best interests at heart. No one’s perfect; you don’t have to be right all the time. It’s OK to be vulnerable and admit when you’re afraid. It is truly a delightful book—one I look forward to reading and gifting again and again.
August 23, 2014
This review is by my daughter, Zoe (age 13):
Dreamwood was a remarkable book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters were much more developed than those in many other similar books. The relationship between Lucy and Pete was very complex. Also, there were a number of twists and turns in the plot. This was not a predictable book. Dreamwood was fascinating from start to finish.
Dreamwood was a remarkable book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters were much more developed than those in many other similar books. The relationship between Lucy and Pete was very complex. Also, there were a number of twists and turns in the plot. This was not a predictable book. Dreamwood was fascinating from start to finish.
October 7, 2015
This is quite a good book. Not on par with The Chronicles of Narnia (but then again, what is?), it's still refreshing, set in a world that's both believable and otherworldly. I rated it a 3, not because it's mediocre, but because I'm dreadfully picky about rating books highly. 3, to me, means " it was a good, enjoyable read. Check it out if you get the chance."
July 3, 2014
As Stephen Colbert said, 'A young adult novel is a regular novel that people actually read' ! This is a book for any age to read and savor! Original, sweet, funny, exciting - and excellently crafted, everything anyone wants in a book. Perfect!
June 15, 2015
Amazing story that draws you in and keeps you there the entire time. Compelling characters and a wild, wholly original world you won't forget.
May 21, 2015
LOVED it! I'll be coming back for another read in the actual book. So lovely!
April 3, 2015
Sorry it took so long. Really just got into the book in March. It is a great young reader's book. I really enjoyed it. This book is good reading, with some scary parts, and with lots of mystery.
January 3, 2015
Great book; nice twists and turns.
March 27, 2015
This is a great fantasy book with a little bit mystery and adventures. A girl, Lucy, escaped school and goes on a complicated adventure to find her father.
May 20, 2015
A spellbinding ecological tale steeped in lush prose and teeming with atmosphere and suspense. Gorgeously written with characters that seep humor and heart, grounding the fantastical.
January 1, 2016
This is a great book with a sweet and satisfactory ending. It is a page-turner and I am definitely hoping for a sequel!!
March 27, 2016
Meh. Too slow, very predictable, and I never felt like I cared for the characters. Big plus for the environmental message.
June 25, 2016
Amazing book! I picked it because of the cover and title. It is an awesome choice of book if you love action, adventure, and suspense.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews