Review: Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

Insomnia (The Night Walkers #1) by J.R. Johansson

It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.
Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

Publishes in US: June 8th 2013 by Flux
Genre: Ya paranormal
Source: netgalley via flux
Series? Yes. The Night Walkers series. No info on the next ones

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   Insomnia brings something new and original to the table, and it is an addicting read. I didn't want to put it down and wanted to know what would happen next. 

   I chose to read Insomnia because I was intrigued by the concept, and jumped at the chance to review an arc ebook. I was very into this story, but its very dark. I like male pov and it was done well through Parker. It was quite an adventure being in Parker's head, and I, like him, didn't know the truth of what was going on in several instances. I didn't know if he was somehow responsible, or what was going on in those missing times. I def sympathized with him, and was confused right along with him. I think that even though insomnia brings out a darker part of his mind, good still wins out with him, even when bad things happen, he has regret, and that is the important thing for me. 

   His friendship with Finn was a high point in this story for me. I love to read about male friendships, listening to their banter, and ragging on each other. I appreciate the support and how he believed the unbelievable for his best friend. That he fought for his life and that he wanted to get to the bottom of things. 

   I also liked Finn's sister, Addie. She appeared to be a strong character, and I liked the interactions with him and Parker. 

   Mia was a mystery to me, and I wanted to know what made her dreams different from others, and what exactly was going on between her and Parker, and the secrets from her past.

    The love in this one was subtleish, and even though I thought there was going to be a love triangle, there ended up not being one. I liked that it distinguished immediate attraction with deep feelings that develop over time. 

   The world building felt well done to me, I get the information I need when I need it and the pacing was good. I was never bored, and there was always something happening to keep things going.

   The ending was an explosion of action and emotion. It caught me completely by surprise but it somehow was most of the things that I wanted, just not in the way I thought they would happen. It wrapped up the plot lines of this one very well, but threw in something that I know will be the focus of the sequel. 

Bottom Line: Dark mystery with original concept from a well done male POV.

My question to you, my lovely readers: Would you want to know the dreams of others?