Dream Hunters by Nazima Pathan

“Open your eyes, For this world is only a dream.” ~ Rumi.

Fans of Vashti Hardy’s epic traveling adventures will be swept away by Dream Hunters. In a complex world of stunning settings, bottled dreams and apprentices who learn to retrieve them in the night, Mimi and Rafi strive to prevent treason and bring true villains to light.

In the vibrant Citadel, Mimi is a grade two dream hunter – only two more levels until she can apply to be an apprentice at the Library of Forgotten Dreams. Ever since her parents were imprisoned for treason, she has been under the care of her Aunt Moyna. Training to be a dream hunter alongside her friend Rafi, a former street child who is somewhat of a magnet for trouble and danger, life is full of magic (and a bit of mischief). This all changes when Mimi discovers her aunt’s partnership with Prince Sakim of Ratnager – a city to the north. It appears more treason is afoot and everything is not as it seems. Plans to auction off powerful nightmares and a plot to kill the king leave Mimi and Rafi with no choice but to set off on a quest to reveal the truth.

Along the way, Mimi and Rafi are supported by a strong, tenacious group of street children who demonstrate the power of friendship, loyalty and using your wits. This delightful band of characters highlight that every dream has a value and the importance of a community you can trust.

“May your dreams shine ever brightly.“

Author Nazima Pathan has created a captivating new world of magic, adventure and peril where friendship and loyalty prove to be the source of all strength. Find out more about the glorious setting of this brilliant story as Nazima answers my question below:

The setting of Dream Hunters is so vivid. Which real-life locations inspired your writing?

This is a great question because the world building in the novel had so much to draw on, from both my own personal history as well as the rich history and architecture across the length and breadth of India.

The Citadel is a centuries old construction sitting above a town called Songra in the alternate India I created. It is inspired by an abandoned hilltop fort built in the 1600’s that sits on a hill above my father’s home town of Songadh. The thick stone walls and old wooden gateways still have a magical memory for me.

Other places such as Jaisalmer Fort and Udaipur Palace were the inspiration behind the Kingdom of Ratnagar, where Mimi and her friends must venture to in order to save the life of the King.

India is a vast country, and an important part of the narrative is the train journey, over the course of which there is great change. Not just scenery but in Mimi herself – her courage, determination and the very friendships that will make or break her attempts to save the King and the Citadel itself from the curse of nightmares.

~ Nazima Pathan

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