The Nightmare Dilemma

Gr 9 Up—In this follow-up to The Nightmare Affair (Tor Teen, 2013), Dusty Everhart returns for a new school year at Arkwell Academy for Magickind, and it feels like just about everything in her life is confusing and difficult. Her biggest problem is finding out who attacked her friend, the mermaid Britney Shell. Dusty is also falling for her classmate Eli, complicated by the return of her ex-boyfriend Paul. On top of all that, there is the mysterious secrecy of her roommate, Selene. Arnett's novel is well plotted and paced, carrying the reader forward into the ongoing mystery of the unknowable TerraTribe and the impending threat at the Beltane festival. The growing romance between the Nightmare Dusty and the Dreamseer Eli makes their friendship more difficult—and it doesn't help that every night when Eli falls asleep, Dusty has to climb on top of him to enter his dreams. The story and setting are original, and the magical boarding school is impressive for its differences from other famous wizarding academies. Teens looking for supernatural relationships will find much to like here, even if the characters are underdeveloped. This series will keep readers returning for more, with its punchy dialogue and steamy romances.—Pete Smith, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts CPS, South Hadley, MA