Tree of Dreams

Coco’s mother’s chocolate shop is failing as is Coco’s relationship with her once best friend, Leo. Her wise older neighbor and friend is acting both mysterious and ill, but will a group adventure to the Amazon rain forest and a magical jaguar leading them to a magnificent old tree be just the thing to set things right?

Starting in a hot spring in Colorado and ending up in the rain forests of the Amazon, Tree of Dreams covers a lot of ground! I loved some elements of the story. The descriptions of the chocolates made my mouth water and the awkward relationship with Leo was written very realistically. But ultimately I felt this book tried to do too much. It was at times a science lesson in chocolate production, a coming of age story, an adventure tale, and a story about colonialism and environmental activism. My biggest issues were the chapters written by the “mother” tree and that the situations felt contrived and the resolutions forced.

Tree of Dreams is probably going to be an interesting and enjoyable read for those willing to look past some improbable events. But if you believe in the power of chocolate, shared dreams, and interconnected world forests, you will have an interesting tale to add to your bookshelves with lots of food for thought.