Quick Thoughts: The Nightmare Charade

The Nightmare Charade

by Mindee Arnett
Book 3 (final) of The Arkwell Academy
audio book narrated by Cassandra Morris

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars

It’s her junior year at Arkwell Academy, and Dusty Everhart just wants to be alone with her boyfriend, Eli Booker.  But fate is literally keeping them apart.  See, Dusty is a Nightmare, who can enter Eli’s dreams to find clues to the future, but an ancient curse predicts that any romance between them is doomed to end in tragedy.  Dusty and Eli are willing to take that risk, but the authorities disagree—and have assigned a chaperone to make sure their relationship is strictly platonic.

As if that’s not bad enough, they’ve been recruited by the Department of Intelligence for Magickind Secrecy (D.I.M.S.) to use their dream-seer bond to help recover the most powerful object of black magic known to magickind.  The Animus Mortem can raise the dead by stealing the souls of the living…which makes tracking it down a genuine matter of life and death.

To make matters worse, one of Dusty’s friends is accused of murder and is counting on her to clear his name.

Dusty has too many dreams, too many commitments, and too many people looking over her shoulder, but a Nightmare seldom plays by the rules.  Curse or no curse, chaperone or not, she has to go deep into Eli’s dreams if she’s going to find the truth—and discover a way for them to truly be together at last!

The concluding book of this young adult Arkwell Academy is a pretty great round up of the trilogy altogether.  My thoughts about this last book is really no different than what I'd thought of the first two books:  The Nightmare Charade is very enjoyable, and it has a lot of great potential to expand upon its world.  I still feel like it's missing something to make it rank more in the awesome category, but I DO have to give the book props for managing to keep my attention so well.  Whether that's because it's a mystery, or simply because of how easy it is to read, I'm not sure; however, I DO know that I gleaned a good amount of entertainment from it, and even got some feels wrenched out of me towards the end.

The truth, though, is that there is little about this book I can think of to complain about.  Maybe that Dusty still seems so easy to push around by her teachers and her ex-boyfriend.  Or maybe that there were some moments wherein I got a little lost as to what was going on (although that could have been because I was listening to the audio book and lost focus at some points).  The ending certainly felt a little more angst-ridden than I would have liked, but I sort of saw it coming miles away.

The main villain--the guy who killed the previous book's villain, as well as kidnaps two Nightmares--was a bit of a surprise to me, however, and I DID find myself a bit blindsided; though whether this was in a good way, or a bad way... I'm really not sure.

Once again, the characters, our kids, are great when they get together to investigate the murder and kidnappings--Dream Team, indeed.  I'm just glad there's so much camaraderie between our main couple and their "side-kick" best friends.

And maybe I've thought of one more thing to quibble about:  Our two main characters kind of fall flat compared to the two "side-kicks," if I were really to be honest with myself.  Dusty has a way of sounding kind of dull in her narration, and aside from the fact that Eli isn't a typical, young adult novel broody teenage boy, he's actually a bit ordinary and boring.  While it's true that I like that he's not the standard YA main male character, I also wish there was more to him in this book--he feels less interesting than he did in previous books.

In contrast, Lance and Selene are both pretty awesome and cool, especially Selene with her badassery, trying out for the Gladiator team and flying around with her Siren wings, owning the battle with just her badass, badassery alone...  Selene was always a great character from the beginning, and I love that she stays true, as the supportive best friend throughout.

Note to author:  Selene needs her own book.

As far as the romance between Eli and Dusty is concerned, while I'm glad that the two of them never faltered in their feelings or their determination to be together in spite of the Dream Seer Curse, I DID feel like Dusty dwelt a little too much on Eli and their love and their entire "Fated to be Torn Apart" scenario.

Otherwise, The Nightmare Charade is still a readily enjoyable book that doesn't have all those over-exhausted YA cliches to bog it down.  I'm certainly content with what I got out of it, book, series, and all!


***

Halloween Bingo 2017

This book may also work for these other squares:

• Murder Most Foul:  The murder actually happens off-stage, and only mentioned at the beginning of the book, so this might be a stretch.
• Amateur Sleuth:  Dusty, Eli, Selene, and Lance are definitely not law enforcement, as young teenage students investigating a murder, a kidnapping, and the possible rebirth of an old nemesis.
• Monsters:  There are any number of creatures mentioned in this book, including Dusty, who is a Nightmare (or a half-kind Nightmare), which is a creature who feeds on people's dreams.  Then there is Selene, who is a Siren; and a phoenix is even presented; mermaids are mentioned... I mean, basically, The Arkwell Academy is a school for different kinds of magic creatures.  (On a separate note, I may or may not use this book for the Monsters square instead, depending on my mood.)

Quick Thoughts: The Nightmare Dilemma

The Nightmare Dilemma

by Mindee Arnett
Book 2 of The Arkwell Academy

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars


Much like the first book in this series, The Nightmare Dilemma is very enjoyable and cute.  But I can't help but note that, also like the first book, something seems to be missing--enough so that the book falls short of being memorably awesome.  I just can't seem to put my finger on what it is that doesn't work quite right for me.  The narrative tone of the first book felt strangely detached; the narrative tone of this second book, however, feels... off.  I can't quite reconcile the tone of the story with the subject matter depicted in the story--they just don’t feel like they match up.

Nonetheless, the story was enjoyable and the characters were also likable. The world of Arkwell Academy has so much potential to extend into many story lines (and still gives me the same feel as the Harry Potter world, which I also loved immensely).  I'm not sure how the trilogy will conclude, but I wouldn't mind reading more stories that could take place within the same fictional world as Arkwell Academy, as again, there is so much potential for lots of storytelling.


The Official Story Blurb:

Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn’t make her life even remotely easy.  When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school’s jokester, Lance Rathbone, is accused of the crime, Dusty’s as shocked as everybody else.  Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that’s easier asked than done.  Eli’s dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.

To make matters worse, Dusty’s ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place.  The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, to discover his real motives.  But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty’s heart.

As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they’re connected to something bigger.  And there’s something very wrong with Eli’s dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts:
Some of the stuff mentioned in the blurb don't exactly present in the actual book, but none of it really too significant, honestly.  As much as I enjoyed the book, I can't say that it's the most memorable experience.  And, as I already stated, the narrative tone through Dusty doesn't seem to match the subject matter being presented in the book either; Dusty has a fairly juvenile tone of voice, but the things that are happening feel like they are more mature and serious.  It actually made the narration slightly distracting, especially when Dusty spends more time than necessary drooling over Eli, repetitively admiring his "hot body" or something to that effect.

But the mystery was fun and interesting and the ultimate Big Baddie (though unsurprising) made for a good twist in the overall story line.  There was a lot of stuff going on, ranging from controversial matters as well as some social and human causes that parallel ongoing conflicts in the real world throughout history.  It inspires some thought, but with the flippant tone of the narration, again, it makes it hard to focus on any of it.

Overall, the story was interesting, though a lot of the events were predictable, even the development of the romance between Dusty and Eli was slightly eye-roll-worthy predictable--not that it was handled badly or anything, but... well... I guess it works.  Selene is still cool and awesome as the awesome best friend and even Lance makes a great potential side-kick type character for future purposes.  I expect him to have more book time in the last book.

One thing is for sure: I am very much still interested in reading the last book to see how everything turns out in the end.

***

This book is a pre-chosen participant in the following Reading Challenge(s):

• 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge hosted by Because Reading and Fantasy is More Fun

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This review was originally posted at Ani's Book Abyss / BookLikes in September 2015.

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Thoughts: The Nightmare Affair

The Nightmare Affair

by Mindee Arnett
Book 1 of The Arkwell Academy

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars

Original review written in June 2013 -- edited and re-posted.

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal.  No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough.  But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated.  He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing.  But it does.  Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead.  And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

I read The Nightmare Affair in 2013 when it was first published and when I was just getting further into my Young Adult literature fad.  At that time, it soon occurred to me that all books seem to be becoming trilogies, so I decided to hold off on reading the second book until closer to the third book’s publication date.  Of course, at that time, the third book hadn’t even been announced yet, but if it’s one thing you learn quickly, it’s to expect there to be three books and be slightly mollified if the author simply does a duology and calls it good.

In preparation for reading The Nightmare Dilemma for my 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge (and subsequently finishing the series with The Nightmare Charade) I chose to listen to the audio book version of The Nightmare Affair to refresh my memory.

Needless to say, while still quite enjoyable, my feelings about The Nightmare Affair didn’t change… although I DID find it necessary to edit and rewrite my initial review of the book.  The following is a rewritten review using a lot of the same things I’d written about it previously with some new, added thoughts.  So really, aside from these first three paragraphs and some rephrased thoughts below, not much has changed.


To begin with, a lot of the elements in this book had reminded me of Harry Potter--more than likely it had to do with the "Hidden World in an Urban Fantasy with Magic Included" vibe I was getting.  Because a whole lot of factors in this book had a world of potential all on its own.  The concept of Arkwell Academy is great and I loved the idea: A school for fantasy creatures and magickind, all hidden in plain sight among the “Ordinaries” (the Arkwell Academy equivilent of Muggles, though in this case, the characters in our magic world are either part human or not human).

I love these kinds of stories because there is potential for so much to happen and so many books to be written within this extensively created world alone.  I think that's the joy of urban fantasies, in that the story doesn't have to end with our specific main characters alone, but can be expanded into spin-off tales if the world is extensive enough to hold many other potential main characters.

The characters of The Nightmare Affair were likable and readily relatable.  Dusty is fun and sarcastic, Selene is down-to-earth and an awesome best friend.  Eli was made out to be the typical popular, good-looking high school boy as the potential love interest… but then he starts spouting investigative ideals and emanating vibes of wanting to be a police officer and follow in the footsteps of his father--then I start grinning about it because I think it’s nice that the main male character in a YA book isn’t broody and misunderstood and rebellious, and that his actions and his dialogue make him more accessible and kind of cute to boot.

The characters had a lot of potential.  But in a way, they felt a little underdeveloped.  They sound great on paper, but in action felt kind of bland.

Dusty’s voice was almost too monotone at times--she did a LOT of telling.  Her narration sometimes sounded detached, like she was reading a documentary version of her own story rather than relating things as they went.

I like where the world and story of Arkwell Academy is going.  I like that the main romance kind of took a back seat (although Dusty’s emotions were all over the place and it might just take until the last book to settle down).

The murder mystery was predictable, though.  It didn’t take long to pinpoint who the mysterious “F” was, as well as hand-pick the villains from the rest.  A lot of the surprise twists were a given.  Although, the mystery was still written fairly well.


Final Thoughts:
The Nightmare Affair is an excellent book on many levels, but it never really penetrated that “It has great potential” barrier.  When it felt like things might start getting better, it just fell slightly short for one reason or another.  Nonetheless, the possible potential of this world’s direction is probably what will keep me reading until the conclusion.