Language: R (93 swears, 17 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Everyone knows that having a nightmare means that you’ll wake up as your greatest fear. Ness (19yo) is terrified of everyone who has turned into a Nightmare and everyone who might turn into a Nightmare – including her own potential to become a Nightmare. When her cowardice prevents her from doing her assigned job – again – the small, safe, windowless room she stays in is threatened. If Ness can’t find a way to function with her fear, she’s going to lose everything.
I couldn’t even get through two chapters before I had to share snippets of this book with my friends. Ness is a coward, in part, because she lives in terrifying circumstances – a reality that I cannot begin to imagine functioning well in. This reality allows the background of her story to be as entertaining as what Ness is doing in the foreground. Schaeffer makes these throwaway comments that had me laughing and engaged while Ness glossed over it. I’ve never had that kind of relationship with a story, and I loved it. And I’m still invested in the story itself. Ness’s character arc is full and natural, there are several overlapping plots and schemes to untangle, and the book ends in a satisfactory way while still leaving me excited for the sequel.
The characters are diverse in race, and Schaeffer describes skin tones of various shades. The mature content rating is for alcohol use; mentions of child trafficking, brothels, sexual assault, and sex; illegal activity; and innuendo. The violence rating is for mentions of assault, abuse, and assassination; fantasy violence; use of a range of weaponry, including guns; and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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