Sleepless by Cyn Balog Review

Title: Sleepless

Author: Cyn Balog

Genre: YA

Page Count: 215

Book Type: Library Hardcover

Publisher: Delacorte Press--Random House, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-385-73848-4

Picture from www.amazon.com

From Goodreads: Eron De Marchelle isn't supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to--after all, getting too involved in one human's life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest. 

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her 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. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't seem to reach her . . . 

Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?

My Review: The cover is beautifully simple. The flower is repeated at the beginning of each chapter, which I thought was a nice touch. It’s just really pretty!

The first thing that drew me into this book was the concept. I have not read a story about sandmen yet, so it was a fun, new YA read. Plus, I have been suffering from insomnia, so the idea of my own personal sandman was quite intriguing. Obviously I have done something to make my sandman mad since I can never sleep. 

Running at just over 200 pages, the book is very short and I think it could have been a bit longer. It seemed to end abruptly. The characters were interesting and I really did like both Eron and Julia. The alternating viewpoints was nice because they both had a good voice. I felt like I got to know both of them throughout the book. Eron’s devotion to Julia is something I think we all wish we would experience. He was very caring and attentive without being creepy and borderline stalker. 

Overall, this was a short, but entertaining read. I would give it an average rating--it could have been higher if it was a bit longer and the story was a little meatier. I would definitely read another book by Balog, which is a good sign. 

Have you read Sleepless yet? Do you have any more suggestions for Sandmen related stories? I would really appreciate them!