Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mystery and romance in charming Sleeping Beauty update.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
OF DREAMS AND DESTINY begins with a broken heart. After a nasty breakup, DE's made the decision she's finished with dating. But her best friend Jaya thinks she knows exactly how to help her "get back on the horse" -- a visit to see a psychic. A visit that doesn't go anything like DE expects. Instead of predictions about meeting the perfect boy, the psychic tells her a storm is coming, that "souls will slumber in perpetual twilight… and one will perish" and that DE holds the key to quieting the storm if she'll look into the past and her heart. None of this makes any sense until DE meets Xander, the new boy at school. It's a mystery to DE and her friends why Xander would transfer to a new school in the last semester of his senior year. Could he be a government assassin sent to kill a politician's kid, be from a family with mob connections, or maybe an adult escort posing as a student? Xander is there on a mission, but it's to solve the mysterious death of his great-great-great uncle Atticus who boarded at the school in 1873. Xander's search and the psychic's prophecy come together when a huge snow storm arrives trapping everyone inside the school and students begin to suddenly fall into a mysterious sleep. As DE and Xander look for clues to what happened to Atticus (and begin a tentative romance), they discover a hidden staircase, Atticus' journal, and a link to a long ago murder. But will any of this this be enough to help wake their friends?
Is It Any Good?
This winning combination of a budding romance and twisty mystery should delight teens who've read the series and make fans of new readers. While the characters in Of Dreams and Destiny are incredibly privileged, they still face many of the same challenges as readers—feeling sad, working through a bad breakup, and dealing with complicated family relationships.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the role friendship played in Of Dreams and Destiny. What's the most important thing you can do to help a friend who's going through a tough time?
What made Xander and DE such a good team? Have you ever been on a team with someone you'd just met? Was it easy or hard to learn how to work together?
Why do fairy tales written generations ago still captivate readers?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Fantasy ( Fairy Tales ) , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 19, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 16
- Number of pages : 261
- Available on : Paperback, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate