Her only solution is to go looking for the hypnotist in the hopes that he will help her, but Mr Reverie has motives of his own: his sister is incredibly sick and he desperately needs the money Olivia’s father has offered for his services. Her father becomes a monster before her very eyes, oppressed women become shadowy figures and to make matters worse, she can’t even voice her anger as every time she opens her mouth when enraged, the only words that come out are: “all is well.” The hypnosis allows Olivia to not only see clearly the roles of men and women which are evidently, completely opposed to what her father believes them to be, but to also see people’s true natures. Instead of getting angry, you will say ‘All is well.’” The roles of men and women will be clearer than they have ever been before.

You will see the world the way it truly is. To her dismay, her anti-suffragist controlling father seizes this opportunity to rid her of her uncouth dreams and thoughts: he hires Mr Reverie to hypnotise the rebellion out of Olivia with a prompt that, in theory, sounds as though it will solve all of his problems:

After attending a stage production featuring a young mesmeriser called Henri Reverie who hypnotises her thoroughly on stage, she – embarrassingly – becomes the talk of the town. It’s 1900 in Oregon and Olivia Mead is a young suffragist who dreams about going to college one day. Why did I read this book: Ever since first hearing about the book, I’ve wanted to read it: suffragettes! Gothic fiction! that cover! Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her.

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl-a suffragist-in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. Genre: Speculative Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

The cure for dreaming by cat winters