Dreams of the Queen

Book One of the Brajj

By: Jacqueline Patricks

Narrated by: Skyler Morgan

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

A Wormhole to Another World

A Team of Scientists and Soldiers

Unimaginable Evil, Unexpected Mysteries, Unending Destiny

An Epic Adventure Across Time and Space

Listen to the science fiction trilogy from the nominee for Top Female Author of 2017 by The Author Show. Awarded the IndiePENdent’s Seal of Good Writing, Dreams of the Queen is the first book in The Brajj Trilogy, a multi-genre, sci-fi thriller.

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Dr. Cass Baros is haunted by dreams of an alien world and will do anything to find it.

Relentlessly, she works her science team and her fiancé, Dr. Julian Saunders. Captain Lewis’ military Spec Op team joins the scientists. Egos clash and agendas cross. Trapped, the team is plunged into a dangerous adventure beyond their control. They struggle to unravel millennia old secrets in an alien world where nothing is what it seems, especially the aliens.

Dr. Baros and her team are tossed between allies and enemies, genius and madness, and a betrayal frightening enough to cause the destruction of worlds.

©2012 Heather Mewis (P)2021 Heather Mewis

Critic reviews

"Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of Dr. Who or Stargate." (Readers Favorite)

"Dreams of the Queen is one of the most unique "other world" books I've read." (Pavarti Tyler, best-selling author of Chalk)

"I was addicted from start to finish." (Bibliophile Ramblings)

Something different

Ok so where do I start.... for scientist these two aren’t the brightest. Cass does the unthinkable when reaching a new world....where as I’d think 99.99% of the scientific community would not..... I can’t give it away but I thought damn she is stupid. Of course it worked out to her favor.... could have killed her. Her fiancé is like a 12 year old jealous hormonal boy. At times both main characters are not likable but other times they are. It was more of the characters from the new world that really kept me going. It’s very interesting and I was happy with how things played out and more was explained. I would definitely read book 2.
Narrations by Skyler Morgan was exceptional.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Standout Indie Sci-Fi with a great story

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author to review. Usually when I do these types of reviews, I try to leave a fair and detailed review. Most of the time when I get free audiobooks from authors, it is invariably some indie author just looking to get exposure, which is fine. I don't expect much out of those types of stories, most of the ones like that that I read (or listen to) range from mediocre bordering on bad to good, but forgettable. A lot of indie sci-fi feels like it is just a mad-lib of sci-fi tropes with predictable themes.

Let's talk about Dreams of the Queen though. I saw the blurb that said it felt like a mixture of Stargate and Doctor Who, that got me interested since I enjoy both of those things. No spoilers here, but I really enjoyed this story, and will look forward to listening to the sequels to see what happens next. The main characters had some thought and character put into them, and I enjoyed the writing style. The story and plot were fantastic. It will be recognizable to fans of sci-fi, but is original enough to be a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by overused plot devices. This story gave me vibes akin to Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Expert-Systems Brother, with the whole "lost technology" theme. You could even think of this story like a sci-fi horror Wizard of Oz. the lost or secret technology and man-behind-the-curtain tropes are two of my favorites!

While there is a lot I love about this book, there's a few things I didn't care for about it, I am still going to give it the full five dstars becauise it exceeded my expectations. First, I felt the pacing was a little slow in the early parts of the book, or if not slow, than at least slower than how it feels in the latter part of the book. The biggest problem that I had with the book is how it handles sex. Anyone who has read enough sci-fi knows that the genre had an odd fascination with sex scenes. To the point where countless authors just shove in sex scenes for who knows why, to create drama? To be edgy? Who knows? Oddly the sex in this story does relate to the plot, so that's good, the problem is significantly more violent and rapey than I have usually read in the genre. That may put off some reads and prevent the book from being more popular, which is a shame, because I look at it as being a depiction of how violent and traumatizing rape and sexual assault is. If a reader is sensitive to that sort of depiction, this book could be hard to finish, which is a shame because the rest of the book holds up well, but is understandable.

In regards to the audiobook version. There were definitely a couple of editing glitches along the way. A couple spots where there were unnaturally long pauses (presumably due to editing multiple recording sessions together), and a couple of spots where a sentence was repeated (presumably due to the same). So, not perfect, but something that would take away from the experience. In regards to the narration, I initially did not think I woudl like the narrator, but got used to him, and in the end he did a decent job. Keeping the characters voices separate and consist is difficult work, but it was handled professionally and accurately.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the tropes found in Stargate or Doctor Who, but who can also handle a couple violent sexual assault scenes.

Science Fiction that Sizzles!

Nothing is as it seems in this tight, fast paced, beautifully written science fiction other world thriller! The action is nonstop and fast moving with no shortage of battles, betrayals, twists, turns and surprises! The characters are imaginative and beautifully defined, some so likable you’ll want to cuddle with them, some so loathsome you’ll want to send them to a never ending gnarly wormhole! No spoilers, I’ll leave it up to the listener to sort out the whose who! The narration is astounding, truly breathing life into every character and setting every scene perfectly! This is a stunning five star way to begin a trilogy! I can’t wait more!

welcome to a whole new world!

narrator was excellent. story was interesting and drew you in, suspenseful, with romance and action all combined for a well rounded story. Story about a scientist, parallel universes, love, lust, and lies with 2 worlds and civilizations in the balance.

Slow beginning

I wasn’t sure if I liked this book to begin with. It has a slow beginning but when it gets going I couldn’t stop listening. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Slow at first, but quickly sucked me in!

The book started a little slow at first, but quickly picked up both speed and interest!  I began getting invested in not only the main character, but the side and background characters too.  Mysteries, twists, and twists upon twists made this an exciting book that ends with me eagerly awaiting the next installment!

Stargate-esque

I would describe this book at a romantic star gate with a twist. The sci-if world was really well done and very interesting. The characters, for supposedly being very intelligent people, are really stupid and way over the top. So there was a lot of drama but it helped lead to an unexpected climax within the story. The narration was very well done.

Different but interesting!

The story is definitely different than what I am use to listen to. It definitely unique storyline, one I haven’t listen to before. At first I was wondering where this story was leading to but finally started to get it.
The narrator does a great job with the characters and the voices of each character making it easy to distinguish between the characters. The narrator put just the right amount of emotion into the telling of the story.
This was my first time listening to this author and narrator and I would say that I would definitely listen to this narrator again.

Sadistic Mastermind

I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
If there were warnings about the sexual abuse content in this story, I wouldn't have listened to it.
Having said that, I found the storyline interesting. Dr. Cass Baros and her team travel through a worm hole and find the answers to her dreams in the world of the Brajj. The sadistic scenes came out of the blue and revealed the true character of Cass's longtime boyfriend. That says something about her. The narration was excellent and carried the story.

An immersive experience with the Brajj

4.5 stars

This is the first book I have heard by the author and it is an interesting whirlwind of complex characters who are looking to make their way in uncharted territory. Dr. Baros, along with her team, are striving to survive in an alien world where things are not as they appear. The plot is engaging and for those who enjoy science fiction, this is right up their alley. As the story moves from beginning to end, narrator Skyler Morgan does an admirable job bringing the situations and characters alive but there were times where it was challenging to follow along and one may need to use the playback function. Overall, this is one immersive experience with a surprise ending and I look forward to the next audiobook to see where this journey continues.

Dreams

The narration of Skyler Morgan , was perfect. Loved listening .

You will find this is a fun science fiction, with a mix of horror, military adventure and a touch of erotic romance.

Throughout her life, Cass has had strange dreams; a strange cave, mysterious chanting in a language she doesn't know, and a beautiful yet strange man who insists she is his queen.
The story twists in several ways, keeping interest and excitement throughout.
All of the characters had their own strengths and weaknesses, giving a realistic feeling in their imperfections.

A mixed bag, some good some down right distressing

To be honest I found the first third of the book disinteresting. It was hard for me to pay attention to the story because it was slow and focused mainly on the couples relationship dynamics, with lots of arguing about their science project. I dreaded having to slog through 12.5 hours of this narrative just to get to the end.

However this soon changed once it turned a bit 'Stargatey', when a crew of scientists and solders were put together like the 'A Team' to investigate the newly discovered portal. Immediately thereafter we are introduced to sexy aliens and zombie like creatures which made the storyline much more interesting. However this book is marred by the over the top, seriously violent rape and murder scenes of women, which were totally unnecessary and did not add in any way, anything to the story. Warning: this may be very triggering for some people.

Another negative is that something would happen and the author would write narrative from the perspective and thought process of two or three different people one after the other. This was not necessary as he could have easily just written one person's perspective and briefly described other people's reactions. This doubling and tripling up of narrative happened frequently enough for me to become weary of it. It is partly why the book is so long. Much of the narrative could have been cut out without taking away from the main story. It ends on an interesting note, there's even some action thrown in, with it obviously leading to book 2.

The narrator did a good job at capturing the voices of the various different characters. Morgan is able to perform both male and female seamlessly.

I was given a copy of this book for free of my own choosing and have voluntarily left this review.

Love the first part

I Dont know if it is personal preference or not, But I felt like the sudden sexuality even though I did understand its part, I just dont think it was needed. Actually rather the other way around.

I very much enjoy the the whole first half of the book. For the it was garder to get through the second half because of the whole time travel thing. It kind of put me off. However it was an intresting story and I can understand why the write är wanted it to go down that path. I am just extremley put off by time travel stories. Because they usually become very predictable suddenly. Also in this book. Once again personal opinon. However I did enjoy the overall listen, and I would go back for the authors next book.