#BookReview: The Nightmare Thief (The Nightmare Thief #1) by @niclesperance Federica Fenna (Illustrator)

Synopsis: For fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a suspenseful dark fantasy duology, perfect for middle school readers that love stories of magic and sisterhood with a dash of danger.

Maren Partridge loves working in her family's dream shop where she can hand-craft any dream imaginable. The shop has only one rule. Dreams cannot be given to a person without their consent. Maren has no problem with this—until her sister, Hallie, has an accident that leaves her in a coma. Maren's certain she can cure Hallie with a few well-chosen dreams. And when no one is watching, she slips her a flying dream.

But a strange new customer from the shop has been following Maren and knows what she did. Now she's laid the perfect trap to blackmail Maren into creating custom nightmares for a dark and terrible purpose. As Maren gets drawn further into the sinister scheme, she must make a choice: to protect her family or to protect the town from her family's magic. 



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: This middle grade story good and I gave it four stars. The story about Maren and her sister who was in a coma was amazing!! I loved it because of the details that were in the story about comas and how Maren wondered if her sister could hear her and the world around her. I really loved Maren because she loved her sister even though she couldn't really talk to her. I love my sister so much and would do the same things Maren did! The magic in the book was set in our world but it was kind of in Maren's sisters dreams. It was really cool. I can't wait to talk to the author about this book! I want to read it again as a finished copy. 

The ending was kind of a cliffhanger and I need the next one now!

From School Library Journal

Gr 3–8—Disaster strikes the magical New England town of Rockpool Bay. Maren Partridge, described as having pink and green braids, shares her family's talent for dreammaking but lives a nightmare. Her older sister Hallie, blond with freckles, is in a coma, and Maren's parents can't pay the medical bills. Maren promises her Gran-Gran Lishta she will follow the family's dream contract and not give a dream without consent, but petrified over her sister's prognosis, Maren sneaks Hallie healing dreams. Observed by the malicious, dark-haired Ms. Malo, Maren is blackmailed into making nightmares. Matters worsen when Malo traps Maren, her curly haired friend Amos, and her Gran-Gran in an abandoned theater. Malo tortures them with nightmares in an elaborate revenge plot on Rockpool Bay. Maren's ingenuity and a French-speaking parrot save the day. What begins as a sweet fantasy conceit grows into an intense adventure with vivid horror elements. Lesperance fully develops Maren's gut-wrenching emotions, from her fear for her sister and her family's finances, to violating her Gran-Gran's trust, to the dread of exposure, to the absolute terror of being held captive under constant threat of anaphylactic shock (Maren is allergic to bees, and Malo surrounds her with magical ones). The detailed descriptions of Rockpool Bay's safe, nurturing magic contrast with Malo's creeping dream-induced evil. The happy ending may be pat, but readers will appreciate some joy after going through the wringer. None of the characters have race or skin tone described. VERDICT A hair-raising, nontraditional horror novel with fantastical elements. Will have universal appeal for children who don't mind a scare.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT

Review

"A hair-raising, nontraditional horror novel with fantastical elements. Will have universal appeal for children who don't mind a scare." - School Library Journal

"A spine-tingling adventure." - Kirkus Reviews

"Lesperance has crafted a wonderfully original world... The delightfully descriptive text sets a cozy scene, but there is also real danger and a deliciously disconcerting villain. There is magic and mayhem, horror and hope, and the thread of family and friendship weaving it all together." - Booklist, STARRED Review

"[An] absorbing tale... Maren is a memorably flawed and earnest protagonist." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Lesperance crafts a resourceful heroine whose loyalty forces her to confront a difficult situation and come out stronger. She also folds a satisfying sense of wonder into the quaint town, balanced with a chilling element of darkness." - Publishers Weekly

"Readers who loved Astrid Law's Savvy series or Shelby Bach's The Ever Afters series will surely love Maren and her dreams to save the world." - Rebecca Williams, The Portland Book Review

"This poignant story blending fantasy and horror takes place in a colorful setting, a town where magic is part of the reality." - Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News

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Posted in: 4 Stars, AwesomeAnnie, Middle Grade, Review