Once upon a dream
When dreams become real: through portals into dream dimensions, through nightmares escaping into the waking world, or by any other means the author can imagine. Includes books of all genres; suggestions always welcome!
created by ayzrules
last updated August, 2026
Comments
HELLO? I love this so much???
The Stravaganza series was one of the ones that held my heart back in my teen years and wow I should revisit them. They (or at least the first) should definitely be here.
Oh my god I was about to comment this too the Stravaganza series was my shit as a teen (although I don't think I ever finished it)
itâs so cool? idt i finished it either but my friend was fully obsessed.
From what I remember the books kinda get worse as the series progresses but also I do occasionally still think about those first 3 books
The version I had also had these gorgeous covers where there was a cutout in the dust cover with super pretty artwork underneath they're so pretty
I read what my high school library had and I think I read the second and third books? Pretty sure I didnât do the rest. Couldnât tell you what the plot was but the worldbuilding was super Italian and that really stood out to me. Also getting to visit some other world in your sleep is just such a great idea for a teenager. Honestly donât think I would revisit it tho
Yeah the worldbuilding was super fun, but idk if I'd go back to it now either
WOW i haven't heard the name Stravaganza in years and my memories are very foggy but I remember liking that book as a teen! Wait was this the world where very random small things were different from ours, like silver being more valuable than gold? đ€
Glad to bring you a blast from the past. And YEP. There were city states and they were ruled by princesses (my first exposure to Italian was the word principessa iâm sure)
the pomegranate gate by Ariel kaplan, if you're taking suggestions
ayzrulesOP
thanks so much maggie!! it sounds like such a cool book? the premise is blowing my mind haha, i just added it!
it was a good book! it's the first in a trilogy
Oh i have this list too! Itâs such a fun niche
ayzrulesOP
OMG we're twinning!!! it's twin day at pagebound academy!! đŻââïž
(so sorry, i searched "dream" and didn't find anything in this vein but probably should have been a bit more broad in my initial list search ahaha)
Hehhehe! And no worries, there is a bit of difference with our lists anyway, like they overlap but they each have their own angle! But thank you for checking before, i do the same đ«¶đ«¶đ«¶ love u
YES. i love dreams, dream worlds, dream logic. may i rec Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murakami (dreams are held in unicorn skulls, extracted and interpreted by a Librarian - and, without spoiling anything, a key part of the narrative)
Yoink!!âĄ
ayzrulesOP
THIS SOUNDS SO RAD thank you thank you!! Iâve added it đ
love this list ayz!!! so glad to see lathe of heaven on here đââïžđââïž
ayzrulesOP
Gotta make sure I include the queen ofc đ«Ą haha thank you!!
dreams lie beneath by rebecca ross! nightmares come to life on new moons and magicians are specially trained to fight them
ayzrulesOP
Whaaaaat thatâs such a cool concept!! TYSM, Iâve added it
What a great list. Dreamhunter and Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox would fit in perfectly!
ayzrulesOP
Ahhhhh thank you so much! Iâve added â€ïž
What a fun list! I'll have to try some of these. Thanks!
ayzrulesOP
Ahhh glad you like it! I hope you enjoy whichever title you pick up đ«¶đ«¶đ«¶
I love this list so much! Dream-magic is so good when done well đ I started The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemisin recently and I think it fits (so far, or based on the blurbâthings are a little political and obscured as they tend to be in her books)!
ayzrulesOP
Ooooo omg thank you so much for the suggestion, Iâve added it! The premise of it sounds SO cool đ€©đ€©đ€©
