A Dream of Stewards: 4 Stars

I received early access to A Dream of Stewards, by Yohann Martin through Reedsy Discovery. Yohann Martin is a talented author who can make a story about time travel and alternative timelines feel real. Below I'll give a brief summary of Martin's novel followed by my overall thoughts and recommendation.

Summary

From the age of 18, Reuben Greyson has been left with lots of questions and very few answers. Over 10 years later, following the death of his father, Reuben is forcefully plunged into a world he never knew existed.

It seems like every time he finds an answer, five more questions take its place. Who was his father? Is he the right man to lead this dangerous mission? Can Reuben save what his father was trying so desperately to protect? Will he choose the right people to trust? Most importantly is he strong enough to forfeit control of unyielding power? Find out all this and more in Yohann Martin's novel, A Dream of Stewards.

My thoughts

Three words that immediately came to mind when finishing A Dream of Stewards by Yohann Martin were, I. Want. More. This book had a little bit of everything, mystery, time travel, romance, and family. One of the aspects I really enjoyed while reading was Martin's ability to make this story feel so real. He gave the characters working at the AIC (Archive Initiative Center) real stories, and families.

The characters weren't superhuman like I was expecting. They were instead, thoughtfully chosen by the AIC based on skills that couldn't be reached like leadership, effort, and the willingness to learn. Fighting, navigating, and using weapons can be taught. The earlier skills listed cannot.

Another thing that stood out to me while reading the novel was the characters' eventual acceptance of not needing to know everything. There were several instances where the Stewards explanations were sparse, or elusive. They never gave the whole story which left the characters with more unanswered questions and the belief that they would eventually know the truth.

Lastly, one of the main lessons I came away with was the effect power can have on a person. Many of the characters throughout the novel were presented with the power to change life-altering events, go back in time to fix mistakes, stop wars, and prevent hardship and ruin. There is an internal and external struggle between these characters as they make their choices. It leaves the reader with the question, what would you do with the same opportunity? Would you change the world? If you did, would that power consume you? Could you stop yourself from abusing the power of knowledge and change?

My only reason for four stars instead of five is the storytelling. With so many side stories intertwining with the main story, I would have liked to see a bit more clarification. Some of the chapters started out describing a scene using "she" or "he." The character's name sometimes didn't appear until a few paragraphs down or on the next page. Additionally, some of the chapters jumped back in time or were memories. I understand that some of those sections were meant to demonstrate the confusion that was also being felt by the character, but I found it to be a little much at times.

Other than that small issue, I did very much enjoy A Dream of Stewards by Yohann Martin and I'd highly recommend giving it a read.

Thank you for reading my review of A Dream of Stewards by Yohann Martin. For more book reviews visit my profile below.

Thank you,

Leah Lawrence