February 27, 2013

The Nightmare Affair Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway







The Nightmare Affair (Arkwell Academy #1)
Author: Mindee Arnett
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen

Buy Links:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Barnes & Noble

Description:

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.
 
 



The Nightmare Affair is an incredibly fun first book in a series that follows Destiny "Dusty" Everhart as she attempts to harness her newly found Nightmare magic and acclimate to her new school - Arkwell Academy. Dusty is just minding her own business while dream-walking (feeding in Nightmare terms) one night when she enters the dreams of a hot guy from her old school. His dream feels different from the others she been in before, and things go from weird to horrible when Dusty finds out that Eli's dream came true. Now Dusty and Eli have to team up in his dreams to attempt to uncover a dangerous killer intent on harnessing magic and power beyond everyone's wildest dreams.

I've been eagerly waiting to read this book since I first read the description and I'm so excited that it not only lived up to my expectations - it completely blew my hopes out of the water! This book is so spunky and fun - but it has a seriously creepy mystery behind it too, which I think helps balance it out. The characters are great - especially the main character of Dusty. That girl is an awesome chick. She's downright sarcastic 99 percent of the time and she doesn't try to hide her flaws or pretend that everything is perfect when it's obviously not. Aside from her snarky nature, Dusty has serious loyalty to her true friends and she also does what she believes is right - no matter the danger to herself. There was a bit of a love triangle in the book, which I know some readers don't like, but I didn't mind it. Eli was a hottie badass but was also really sincere and thoughtful. Obviously I ended up rooting for Dusty and Eli to hook up, but that wasn't the point of the story - just a fun subplot. The real plot of the story was really interesting to me. I loved learning about the different types of magickind and their various powers. Arkwell Academy was really intriguing and I liked learning about the school, its history, and the history of magickind. The mystery that is at the heart of the book was totally enthralling because it incorporates a lot of the magic and mythology the setting is surrounded by. The writing was fun and incredibly well done. I could easily see myself alongside the characters throughout the book. Even the dialogue and Dusty's comments seemed natural and easy - not forced. The pace was quick but not rushed - which I appreciated because I wanted to savor each little bit of the story I could. Overall, this is a phenomenal novel written by a truly talented debut author. My only issue is now I have to wait what feels like forever for the next book to come out. I highly recommend this one for readers who enjoy fantasy/paranormal fiction and a fun mystery.





  A Definite New Favorite!



  

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.




 Giveaway: TWO Signed copies of The Nightmare Affair - Open Internationally!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 comments:

  1. I was sold after the description, but your review sealed the deal! I have to read this now! It sounds so fun and awesome! I'm so excited that your doing a giveaway with it!

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read it Kami! I loved it so much that I ended up buying a hardcover for my shelf!! :)

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  2. Well, Steph, i have this book from the publisher for review and it sounds amazing
    I love the idea of real Nightmares and your review is so heart-warming!
    Your reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. You definitely need to read it Soma!! I look forward to seeing what you think of it! :)

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  3. Glad you enjoyed it!

    Thanks for participating.

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  4. Interesting plot...I'll def have to look for it next time I'm in a book store:) Thank you for the giveaway!!!

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