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 adore this book. I read on Mindee's blog that she'd pitched this book as Hex Hall meets Veronica Mars and I think that's about spot-on. Sarcasm and wit drip from these pages and that just made it so fun to read. Mostly, though, this book is amazing because the world building is perfect. Dusty's world feels so real and it seems so naturally written that this world must exist along side or own.
There are a few books out there where all paranormal creatures come together in a boarding school, but this one still manages to be unique. The concept of a Nightmare being a paranormal creature is so cool and it really gives you an opportunity to see the paranormal world in a different way. Even their "government" is pretty amazing, and I love the way they take historical paranormal legends and twist them to their own advantage.
I think writing sarcastic characters like Dusty is really difficult, but Mindee pulls off her voice so well. She's the perfect character to make this world come to life. I also really love the contrast of her bright personality with the fact that she's a Nightmare. By nature, her powers should be pretty dark, but she always manages to stay on the light side of things. Even with all the murders and liars and people you can't trust...
There's also a bit of a cool twist with Eli's storyline as well. I loved the fact that he's human and winds up at a school full of paranormals. I love that he's the normal one falling for someone a little more than human. I love that he has to adjust to a different world view and a new role in that world. I get a little tired of human (or just found out they're different) heroines who seem helpless to their fate, so this was a nice twist to see a guy in that role. Not that he's helpless, but just that that seems to be flipped around in this book. And Dusty seems to be in complete control of her fate, or at least she'd like to think she is.
If you're a fan of the Hex Hall series, I'd definitely recommend The Nightmare Affair. It has a great heroine, a pretty awesome guy, a boarding school bursting with paranormal activity, and a fascinating mystery to boot. It's a little different and just a really fun read. I'm excited for The Nightmare Dilemma, mostly because I can't wait to see what's next for these amazing characters.
*Also, I was lucky enough to get to interview Mindee. This is one of those amazing times where I love a book and it turns out the author is pretty fabulous as well! You can check out my interview with her HERE.
