Title: Dreams Come to Life (Bendy & the Ink Machine #1)
Author: Adrienne Kress
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 304
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Seventeen-year-old Buddy has spent most of his life trying to escape the Lower East Side slums of New York City. Working as a delivery boy to support his family, Buddy wants to become an artist, a dream he’s sure will never be realized. But that all changes when a delivery job puts him face-to-face with Mister Joey Drew, the eccentric owner of an animation studio.
Mister Drew takes Buddy under his wing as an apprentice, thrusting him into a world unlike anything Buddy has ever seen before. There’s the colorful cast of the studio, from the cranky, yet driven composer Sammy Lawrence to Dot, the writing intern and Buddy’s counterpart. Working for Mister Drew, Buddy starts to think that maybe it’s really as simple as Mister Drew says: Dreams do come true. But not everything at the studio is as picture-perfect as it seems . . .
Something is going bump in the night at Joey Drew Studios, something that leaves behind trails of thick, dark ink. While the studio frantically works toward their latest deadline, Buddy and Dot team up to find out just what is tormenting the studio after-hours, even if it means tracking the trail to Mister Drew himself.
Don’t miss this official, original, pulse-pounding story from award-winning author Adrienne Kress, developed with theMeatly, Mike Mood, and Bookpast!
I first saw Bendy and the Ink machine at Target. It was a Bendy doll and I had no idea what it was, but I had a hunch that he was from a video game. I googled it and ended up watching a full playthrough on YouTube, which is my preferred method of (not) gaming. I love seeing the story and gameplay, but I suck at playing the games myself. Bendy quickly became one of my favorites of all time so I couldn’t wait to read this book!
Dreams Come to Life is a prequel to the game and revolves around Buddy. Buddy hates his job as a delivery boy but desperately needs the money, so when he’s given the opportunity to work for Joey Drew Studios for double the salary he jumps at the chance. It doesn’t take long before things start to seem a little off and continue to spiral from there.
I really enjoyed Buddy’s character and experiencing the studio through his eyes before its demise. I also loved his relationship with Dot and found her to be a fun original character. Joey Drew was also a lot like how I imagined him from the video game, although a bit less sinister than I expected. Honestly, everyone in the studio made me feel just the right amount of uneasy, sometimes for no reason I could put my finger on.
Obviously, the best part of this book was seeing the studio from a different angle before it was covered in ink. I loved following Buddy around as he found each location from the game and figured out what was really happening. Dreams Come to Life definitely maintains the same creepy atmosphere you’d expect from Bendy and the Ink Machine.
Although this is a media tie in I do think it could be enjoyed by someone who’s never played (or watched) the game. This is a super creepy mystery set in an animation studio that’s reminiscent of Walt Disney Studios and anyone who is into horror or mystery would be able to enjoy it for those elements. It could also be a really fun introduction to the world for someone who might decide to delve deeper later. I’m not sure if more books are planned in this series but I really hope there are!
