Dreamslinger: a thrilling new fantasy series

By Author / Illustrator

Graci Kim

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Piccadilly Press

ISBN

9781835870587

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

29-04-2025

Synopsis

Amari and the Night Brothers meets Pokemon in this thrilling start to Graci Kim's brand-new fantasy series where dragons and phoenixes roam the skies of Seoul, meals magically appear based on your mood and dreams literally come to life! Dare to enter a world of secrets and spells, where dragons and phoenixes roam the skies, and your wildest dreams - or your darkest nightmares - come to life before your eyes. . . .

14-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a refuge for children born with genetic mutations that transport them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep. But this magic can be unpredictable - even deadly. After all, it was only ten years ago when members of the Royal League of Dreamslingers caused the Great Outburst - a tragedy that killed hundreds of people, including Aria's mum.

Since then, Aria's dad has become the leading expert on dreamslinger welfare, which means Aria knows exactly what it takes to keep society (and slingers) safe: separation, identification, and most importantly, power suppression. So when the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk - home of the Royal League - opens their dreamslinger trials to teenage slingers from around the world, Aria knows what she must do: join the Trials and take down the League from the inside.

But the Trials introduce Aria to a world of wondrous magic and friendship, a world where she finally feels like she belongs. And as dark secrets from the past are revealed - ones that make Aria question her very identity - she becomes even more determined to discover the truth for herself. She just has to survive the Trials first.

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Reviews

Sue

Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a refuge for children born with genetic mutations that transport them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep. Since the Great Outburst, a tragedy which killed her mother, she believes that her powers - and those of others like her - are too dangerous not to be controlled. However, when the Royal Dreamslinger League of South Korea announces the opening of trials for teenage slingers, Aria is determined to go and spy on them. Once there, she is exposed to wonderful experiences, where her powers are celebrated and each Dreamslinger grows a Dreampanion, leading her to question everything she thought she knew.

Dreamslinger is a brilliant mix of fantasy, adventure and Korean culture, offering an absorbing and exciting read. Aria is a very engaging and likeable character. Her father's pioneering research has led to the establishing of the home where she lives and she is understandably proud of the work he has done is promoting understanding and acceptance of Dreamslingers. But finding herself away from the restrictions imposed on her talents and offered guidance on how to use and develop her gifts, Aria quickly becomes conflicted between a feeling of belonging with her new friends and the pull of loyalty to her father and home. She has to learn to control her emotions and her powers, making her own decisions.

The world-building in the story is quite wonderful, rich in description and imagination, with the addition of Korean history and cultural details woven throughout. It would make an excellent class story and with Dreamslingers being a marginalised group in society, who are misunderstood and treated with suspicion, offers plenty to discuss and explore.

The pacy plot with plenty of action will keep readers engaged - and looking forward to Aria's next adventure.

304 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher