Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by celsius273
The Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett
4.0
Wow, we’ve come a really long way and I’m actually kind of sad that I’ve finally finished the series.
From their *humble* beginning hunting down a lone murderer to taking down the Red Warlock multiple times and foiling his various plots, I’ve always loved how unique this series has been. Seriously though, the story arc of the whole series is planned out very well and the way that this book culminates, though a bit rushed imo, is magnificent.
Dusty spends this book sorting out problems from multiple fronts and at times all of her relationships seem to be falling apart and she has no idea who she can trust. But she braves her way through it all in her good ‘ol “screw the rules” fashion sneaking in illicit meetings with Eli and slipping off campus to do some investigative work of her own. That’s not to say that Dusty is fielding the brunt of the work in this book. No, her friends are all there to back her up which is another great reason to read this whole series if you haven’t already!
There’s Eli who is the loyal, if not somewhat overprotective, boyfriend but hey, who can blame him. There’s this scene about ⅔ through that really puts Eli’s mindset into perspective and then the very last chapter with him and Dusty is just so cute. Truly, their relationship has come so far. Remember in the first book where they low-key hated each other? Well I’m so glad that they’re trying to sneak in kisses all the time in this book!
Then there’s Selene and her boyfriend Lance who are also a pair to contend with. Together, all four of these characters are the “Dream Team” (kind of literal in its name too!) and I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can’t do. They each bring different aspects to the team - not just types of magic but also in personality - and together, keeping in mind that they’re just teens, they literally take down the worst magikind to ever live. And they don’t even come across as OP doing it, like it’s as realistic as a magic battle can be and ugh that final battle scene is so satisfying when together, the Dream Team takes down the bad guys.
Speaking of the bad guys, they’re truly terrifying in this book. Not only the villains, but just the overall feel of the book was really creepy, good considering that each book literally has “Nightmare” in it. I read the bulk of this on a train ride and even with all the people around me and the noise of the train, I was pretty freaked out at some points while reading! You can say “atmosphere” all you want, but I think the mark of a good writing is when emotion and setting can come through.
My one complaint is that the characters act a bit too sappily at points, like “reach in and slap them out of it” level melodramatic. In those moments, I considered rating this book lower but then something afterwards will be written so well that I just can’t rate the Nightmare Charade poorly.
Besides, it’s a last book and though I think it would have been better for it to end a la Girl of Nightmares, I still felt at once sad and happy for the characters and my reading journey. All in all, a satisfying conclusion to this refreshing and well crafted series.
From their *humble* beginning hunting down a lone murderer to taking down the Red Warlock multiple times and foiling his various plots, I’ve always loved how unique this series has been. Seriously though, the story arc of the whole series is planned out very well and the way that this book culminates, though a bit rushed imo, is magnificent.
Dusty spends this book sorting out problems from multiple fronts and at times all of her relationships seem to be falling apart and she has no idea who she can trust. But she braves her way through it all in her good ‘ol “screw the rules” fashion sneaking in illicit meetings with Eli and slipping off campus to do some investigative work of her own. That’s not to say that Dusty is fielding the brunt of the work in this book. No, her friends are all there to back her up which is another great reason to read this whole series if you haven’t already!
There’s Eli who is the loyal, if not somewhat overprotective, boyfriend but hey, who can blame him. There’s this scene about ⅔ through that really puts Eli’s mindset into perspective and then the very last chapter with him and Dusty is just so cute. Truly, their relationship has come so far. Remember in the first book where they low-key hated each other? Well I’m so glad that they’re trying to sneak in kisses all the time in this book!
Then there’s Selene and her boyfriend Lance who are also a pair to contend with. Together, all four of these characters are the “Dream Team” (kind of literal in its name too!) and I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can’t do. They each bring different aspects to the team - not just types of magic but also in personality - and together, keeping in mind that they’re just teens, they literally take down the worst magikind to ever live. And they don’t even come across as OP doing it, like it’s as realistic as a magic battle can be and ugh that final battle scene is so satisfying when together, the Dream Team takes down the bad guys.
Speaking of the bad guys, they’re truly terrifying in this book. Not only the villains, but just the overall feel of the book was really creepy, good considering that each book literally has “Nightmare” in it. I read the bulk of this on a train ride and even with all the people around me and the noise of the train, I was pretty freaked out at some points while reading! You can say “atmosphere” all you want, but I think the mark of a good writing is when emotion and setting can come through.
My one complaint is that the characters act a bit too sappily at points, like “reach in and slap them out of it” level melodramatic. In those moments, I considered rating this book lower but then something afterwards will be written so well that I just can’t rate the Nightmare Charade poorly.
Besides, it’s a last book and though I think it would have been better for it to end a la Girl of Nightmares, I still felt at once sad and happy for the characters and my reading journey. All in all, a satisfying conclusion to this refreshing and well crafted series.