About The Author

Linda Cleary is an American mixed-race writer who grew up on U.S. military bases across Asia with her single father, where escape plans and gas masks were just part of daily life.

Now settled in the Bay Area with her husband, daughter, and dogs, she writes fantastical stories—often set in space or alternate realities—that explore identity, belonging, and the meaning of home. She's also a voice actor, artist, and musician.

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The Dreamer

By Linda Patricia Cleary

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Overview

Ash is over it—life on the run with her genius parents, endless space jumps, and zero real friends. All she wants is a place to belong… and maybe a date that doesn't happen through a glitchy chatter bubble. But when a pit stop on a Martian moon turns into a full-on disaster, Ash finds herself stranded and forced to team up with a crew of chaotic teen outcasts just to survive.

Between telepathic super soldiers, a blue alien boy from her dreams who might actually be real, and a strange prophecy that seems to have her name all over it, Ash quickly learns that some destinies can't be outrun—and the future of the galaxy might just depend on her figuring out who she really is.

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Description

The year is 2347, and Ash Bennett has had enough. Life with her brilliant, secretive parents means constant running—new colonies, new rules, and strangers who never become friends. She dreams of settling somewhere she might actually fit in, maybe even scoring a date that doesn't involve a glitchy chatter bubble.

But when a quick stop on Phobos goes from routine to disaster, Ash's fragile world implodes. Stranded and hunted by enemies she doesn't understand, she's thrown together with a ragtag crew of teens just as lost as she is.

There's Isaac and Isabel, telepathic twins caught between uncovering the truth about their missing parents and outrunning the Mind Squad agents they once thought were a myth; Edan, a street-smart survivor who just happens to be the prince of the space pirates; Moon, a savant who speaks code more fluently than feelings; and Xai, a mysterious blue alien boy who lingers in Ash's dreams—and who might be far more real than she wants to believe.

As Ash wrestles with grief, trust, and the colossal power flickering to life inside her, she stumbles into a prophecy that feels way too personal. Being the "chosen one" isn't what Ash signed up for. All she's ever wanted was a chance to stop running and just be a regular teenager on some boring moon colony.

With telepathic super soldiers closing in, betrayals around every corner, and a galaxy-shaking secret in her hands. Ash must decide whether to keep running—or finally stand and fight. Because some destinies can't be outrun.

The Dreamer is the first book in The Black Stone Cycle, a thrilling YA sci-fi saga about found family, hidden legacies, and the messy, exhilarating journey of discovering who you really are. Fans of Firefly, Skyward, and The Expanse will feel right at home among the stars.

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Book details

  • Genre:young adult fiction
  • Sub-genre:Science Fiction / Space Opera
  • Age Range (years):13 and up
  • Language:English
  • Series Title:The Black Stone Cycle
  • Series Number:1
  • Pages:328
  • eBook ISBN:9798317820923
  • Paperback ISBN:9798317820916

Book Reviews

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Matt
Kids in space! The Dreamer is the kind of character-driven science fiction that I've craved since I was a kid. It delivers the emotional depth, richness of character development, and wonder of alien environments and heady ideas that mark the best in the genre. The story follows Ash, an archetypal reluctant hero, on her hero's journey to find her place in ways big and small: as a daughter, as a friend, as a leader and hero, and...something more, which is wonderfully teased in this book, and will no doubt be fully explained through the course of the planned series. As a character, Ash is intelligent, outwardly self-confident, and determined. Her journey to overcome her inner self-doubt is told in a way that makes everything feel earned along the way. We also get access to the inner thoughts of a handful of the other companions, who have equally rich inner lives, and their own emotional arcs that will need to be delivered on through the course of the series. To the book's great credit, I was consistently bummed to leave one point of view and go to another, because the pacing and choices around which POV to be in was always adding to the story. I loved that the author didn't use this as a way to hide necessary detail from the reader in an effort to create suspense and tension--which in other books so often reads as constructed, rather than natural--but instead used each POV shift to bring us deeper into the characters and the world of the story. This confidence from the storyteller communicates loud and clear that there are even deeper revelations beneath the surface than what the characters are prepared to understand so early in the series. And the effect of that is sincere trust from this reader. The plot unspools with excellent pacing, with the characters moving between memorable locations, exciting adventure set pieces, with each event bringing the characters closer to each other as a team, and deeper into their own capabilities. You can tell that by the end of the series, these characters will be a seasoned group of adventurers that have developed into a position to effect change at a large scale, and I left this book confident that this will all feel true to the characters and their deeply-considered inner development. I was happy we start with them in this state of nascent powers and abilities. It will make it all the more rewarding as they grow into themselves. This is a strong story, made memorable by the authenticity of the characters, told thoughtfully, and with humor, and care. Looking forward to the rest of the series. Read more