This is a really intriguing magical realism novel with some pretty interesting worldbuilding that leans towards urban fantasy. Esta has lucid dreams and one night she comes across something new: a black lake. After immersing herself in the lake, she wakes up to find she can see magical beings who've been living among us, hiding under glamours to make them appear human. Now that Esta can see through their spells, what will she do with the information?
A group of magical beings, terrified of the power this new knowledge lends her, take over her dreams and turn them into nightmares. While in the waking realm, Esta makes new friends despite her social ineptitude and strives to find a way to appease the creatures who conjure her nightmares and won't let her sleep.
This novel reads like the gentle swell of the ocean tide. It's slow paced and very dreamlike, lending itself well to the subject matter. There's also a lot of focus on the foundation underlying humanism, that openness, tolerance and the attempt to understand the other is better than intolerance, segregation and "othering". It's a worthy message packaged into an interesting read.
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