The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters

The Cure For Dreaming
Author: Cat Winters
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: October 14, 2014
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Review:
In the Shadow of Blackbirds was one of my favorite reads of 2013 so I went in to The Cure for Dreaming with a lot of expectations. I expected a story similar to Blackbirds but The Cure for Dreaming was truly it’s own story with a different sort of heroine and a completely different set of problems.

Olivia Mead’s life changes when she is pulled on stage by the young hypnotist Henri Reverie. After that night her father gets the idea that he can “cure” Olivia’s wayward thoughts and suffragist leanings by hypnotizing them out of her. Luckily the young Henri is sympathetic toward Olivia and instead allows her to see people’s true natures, but unable to speak her true thoughts aloud Olivia tries to make him cure her all the while discovering herself and fighting for the rights of women.

I liked Olivia she was determined, feisty, and a go-getter at a time when women were relegated to the background. I admired that she fought for what she believed in even when it meant pitting herself against her father, the only family she has.

While I liked Olivia I loved the young hypnotist Henri Reverie. He was a fun character, and I enjoyed learning how he became a hypnotist and what his hopes and dreams were. I loved the little moments between Henri and Olivia and wished there had been more of them.

My favorite thing about The Cure for Dreaming was the setting in Portland, Oregon. I lived in Portland during undergrad and still visit often. It’s one of my favorite cities and it was so fun to read about the familiar streets and how they differed during the 1900’s. What was really cool was that in this novel Olivia lived only a few blocks from one of the downtown apartments I lived in!

Overall, The Cure for Dreaming was a very different book from In the Shadow of Blackbirds but I still enjoyed it. The characters were dynamic and the setting sparkled. I can’t wait for whatever Winters has in store for readers next!

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The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters