Review: Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Book Description via Goodreads:

Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her....

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Source: Delacorte Press (Thanks!)

My Thoughts:

This was the first time that I have read about Sandmen in YA. I really liked it. Sleepless has shown that Sandmen not only put sand on you for you to fall asleep. They also do this because they have a great sense of responsibility that it was almost impossible for them to ignore it. They have taken their duty to continue their lives as humans after some time. It shows that even creatures that are not human, have duties fulfill.

Told in alternating perspectives, Sleepless was revealed in alternating voices from dream and reality. In the first few pages, I found myself struggling a bit. But after a few chapters, I was sucked in. The writing was good. It was humorous, witty and it lightened up the mood of the story despite the sad and tragic scenes found in it.

Julia was a diverse character. She went from being a sad, terrified girl to a carefree, boy-admiring type to freaked out and hesitant to humorous and witty. Her fast changing personas filled her current situation with the right kind of reaction. Aside from serving at the Sweetie Pi and running, Julia was good at coping.

Eron really represented his time. The manners, the talking and the ideas were completely from a different time. It was so funny because it was so different from Julia’s time. Girl shy, responsible and caring, he rivalled Griffin, Julia’s dead boyfriend. While transitioning to human, he found a way to risk Julia in the past. He broke the rules for her. Now that she needs him more, will he risk his second chance to save her again?

I found the characters easy to like. Griffin and Bret, the pranksters and jokers, were what I would imagine a teen guy might be – having fun. Griffin still hasn’t accepted his death. Being a Sandman gave him more than his share of pleasure by giving him control. In some ways, I was a bit confused with him. Before he died, he hadn't really expressed his love and attachment. But after his death, he seemed so desperate. I wished there was something - a scene, a flashback from his "before" with Julia that paralleled the "after."

The story got plus points for the uniqueness, the twist in the Sandmen mythology and the jaw dropping revelations. Sleepless was a dreamy read filled with just the right amount of suspicion, awkwardness and romance. It was a tale of letting go and learning that dreams can turn into reality.

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