Part of your Nightmare by Vera Strange

Release: July 7th, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Amazon
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

“My dear, sweet child. Go ahead. Don’t be afraid?.”

After all, Eleven-year-old Shelly Anderson just wants to be popular. Unfortunately, Her parents have split and she has to start over at a new school with different classes, a brand new swim team and an unfamiliar social scene. So what if she just wants the cool kids to like her? In any case, is that really too much to ask?

So when Shelly finds a mysterious nautilus shell that summons the infamous sea witch, Ursula, she jumps at her chance to make a deal that will solidify her as one of the coolest girls in school. But when Shelly’s wish quickly goes belly-up, she must figure out how to back out of the witch’s deal before it forever binds her fate.

Grab your night-light, dear reader, and prepare to be CHILL-ed!

About the Author:

Jennifer Brody (writing as Vera Strange) is a graduate of Harvard University and a creative writing instructor at the Writing Pad. She began her career working in Hollywood on many films, including The Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass. She lives and writes in LA, where she’s hard at work on her next book. You can find her on Twitter @JenniferBrody, and Instagram and Facebook @JenniferBrodyWriter.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Part of your Nightmare Review:

The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie and Ursula is one of my all-time favorite Disney villains. Moreover, I grew up reading the Goosebumps and Fear Street series. This series is like a wonderful mix of the two and I was excited about “Part of your Nightmare“.

The author sets the tone for the story very nicely. It’s never easy being the new kid. You are at an impressionable age where you want people to like you. You would do anything to fit in, even if it meant changing yourself. As soon as Shelly meets Ursula, you wonder why Ursula selected her to help. Of course, Ursula has an ulterior motive, and it was interesting to see how the story progressed as Shelly got entangled in her plan. On a side note, I also loved all the various ocean trivia the author plugged in. There is also a nice message that conveys that we need to protect the environment, not to litter and pollute the ocean.

Shelly is nice as the main character along with the supporting cast. I liked Enrique and how he supports Shelly as things take a turn for the worse. Kendall, Alana, and Attina are a bit cliched but fun.

However, there were some minor things that I felt could have been better. For example, there wasn’t much of a back story as to how Shelly’s family took over the aquarium and how the trident came into their possession. Apart from that, this was so entertaining. I loved reading this book and thought it was a wonderful start to the series.