Showing posts with label Mindee Arnett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mindee Arnett. Show all posts

Review: The Nightmare Dilemma by Mindee Arnett

Title: The Nightmare Dilemma (The Arkwell Academy #2)
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publication:March 4th 2014 by Tor Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Owned
Goodreads

The second in a thrilling new fantastical mystery series

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 Rating --
4/5 Oscars: Really Liked It

-- My Thoughts --

     The thing is, I read the first book in this series a long while ago. So, many of the details were not very clear in my mind. And I had forgotten some of the characters' names, but luckily, from the first page,  I got back into the world like I had never left.
     Dusty, one of the rare Nightmares, defeated the most evil of enemies. And she thought her problems are over. But there's much more to come. Someone has almost killed one of Dusty's friends. And the rumors are spreading. And Dusty can't really see anything from the dreams of her crush, Eli. On top of that, Paul has come back to the academy and he's reminding her why she fell for him in the first place. Evil lurking around every corner, and two boys grabbing her attention, it seems that Dusty is in for much more than she expected.
    First things first, what I absolutely love about this book is the idea of Nightmares. It's just something so unique, I've never heard of it before I stumbled upon this series. And the author really takes it up to the next level in this sequel. There's much more action and suspense, and many lives at stake. You can feel the tension building up and there's wasn't one moment when I felt bored.
     Then, the characters. As I said in the first book's review, I adore Dusty. She is such a beautiful person, inside and out. She cares for her friends, supports them, but she's also naive and too-trusting at times. She is a flawed person. A real person. And I appreciated the author not making her a PERFECT character. And the other characters in this book are also delightful, they really add a lot to the story and it's fun reading Dusty's interactions with her friends.
     The love interests. We had Paul and Eli in the first book. But in this one, there's much more Eli than Paul, for a good reason (you'll know when you read the books!). But, still these two boys are swoon-worthy and altogether amazing. Although Eli really got on my nerves a lot of times, his care and love are evident. Their relationships felt real and that's what I want from romances in YA.

     The ending was thrilling, but I feel like there's much more potential in this series. I'm waiting patiently to read this author's magnificent works to come! And I'm sure they'll be as amazing as these!

Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Title: The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1)
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publication: March 5th 2013 by Tor Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

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.


-- My Rating --


4/5 Oscars: Really Liked It...

-- My Thoughts --

     The Nightmare Affair has been getting a lot of buzz from the blogging world, and since I am such a fan of fantasy, I knew I would love this. Sarcasm. Action. Romance. This book has it all.
     Dusty has been overshadowed by her mum's bad reputation all the time. Now, that she has discovered that she is a Nightmare, feeding on people's dreams has become her job. It's normal enough for a supernatural being, up until one night, she feeds on the gorgeous human, Eli. But nothing goes on as planned. Caught up in a whirlwind of action and romance, Dusty has to choose sides to save all the supernatural beings and whom her heart truly desires.
     I have to say that the concept of Nightmares was refreshing. There have been many research on where nightmares come from but the direction Mindee Arnett took surprised me and I totally liked it. She knew how to capture the teenage angst in Dusty's character. Dusty is a character you will like, root for, then adore. I adored her every move.
     For those who hate love triangles, you have been warned. I am not a huge fan myself, but the one in this book was executed perfectly, and I loved both guys so much that I didn't know who to choose until the end. Then, it became crystal clear. The twists and turns in this book are plenty, although some are predictable, others left me gasping and wondering what just happened.
     The action in this book is nonstop. It is exhilarating and heart-racing. The sarcasm and the load of characters are amazing. Mindee Arnett has created a stunning debut, this book has lots of potential! And to say, I am dying to read more of this world, would be an understatement.
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“Geez,” I said, looking back at Selene. “Is being at the top of the social food chain like a universal birthright or something?” She grimaced. “I think there’s a national registry. It’s online at eat- crap- dot- com.”
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If sarcasm were butter, you could’ve spread him over toast.
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“But why?” I knew his answer already, but I thought I would rather avoid all negative situations from here on out instead. Maybe I should become a nun.
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