Sleepless by Cyn Balog
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Pages: 215
Source: Library

Rating: 3.5 stars

Eron DeMarchelle isn’t supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn’t encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human’s life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.



But he can’t deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can’t reach her. Eron’s time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn’t seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn’t recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .
Even once they’ve become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won’t be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?
Sleepless was a book I enjoyed just as much as I had enjoyed Balog’s first novel, Fairy Tale. It was a refreshing story, unlike anything I had read before. While I wasn’t completely enthralled with it, I really enjoyed it.

The story line was very original, something I really appreciated. I found the lives of the sandmen extremely interesting, and the whole plot tying them together and offering people the chance to serve as a sandman for 100 years was really neat. All the characters were very well written. I think they were my favorite aspect of Sleepless. Eron was such a gentleman, and Julia was very intelligent.

Sleepless is a great read. The life of a sandman was very interesting and the plot just captivated me. While Sleepless didn’t live 100% up to my expectations, it was still a really good read.