Review of Lost in Dreams

Lost in Dreams by Roger Bruner with Kristi Rae Bruner is the second book in the Altered Hearts Series. (Read my review for the first book here) Kim is on a spiritual high after her mission trip to Mexico. She is a new, changed person, and she can't wait to share her experiences with her parents. But then tragedy strikes. On the way to pick up Kim from the airport, Kim's mother dies in a car accident. Kim is left feeling lost, depressed, and guilty that everything was her fault. To help her heal, Kim's father and two best friends accompany Kim to help revive a prison ministry.

But will she be able to find true healing in the midst of a feud between her two best friends, feelings of guilt in her mother's death, and corruption in the prison ministry?

As I said in the last book, I love Kim's character. She is truly a well-written character. This book deals with issues like God's plan, guilt, death, divorce, depression, and serving others. I loved the dynamics of the prison ministry. It was actually quite charming. I was also a huge fan of Kim's dad. He was a caring father who wanted to do what was best for his daughter and in God's will. One of Kim's best friends, Jo, is also well-written. Kim's love for her moody and difficult friend is heartwarming, and I loved how she guided Jo to healing and she searched for it herself.

So there were good characters and just plain strange characters. One such character is Aleesha. This girl also struck me as odd in the last book, but it seemed that she got weirder in this one. Aleesha seemed to love bringing up racial difference and making fun of it (Aleesha is African American and Kim is not). Her sometimes obnoxious behavior was downright irritating at times. She seemed judgmental and huffy, and she blames another character of being racially prejudiced when nothing of the sort is happening. Yes, there were funny moments, but it was just too strange. I felt like this character botched the book. Also, the ending was great, but there was an epilogue that was just too unbelievable. It also seemed to harm the book's good points.

All in all, I rate this book three out of five stars.

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~ Paperback: 368 pages
~ Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc. (July 1, 2011)

Note: Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,