Release: January 12th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N.
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A girl. A dream shop. And a nightmare thief determined to get revenge.
Maren Partridge loves working in her family’s dream shop, where she can handcraft any dream imaginable. There is only one rule: You cannot give dreams to persons 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 new customer from the shop has been following Maren and knows what she did. And the stranger has laid the perfect trap to blackmail Maren into creating custom nightmares for a dark and terrible purpose. As Maren gets drawn further into the woman’s sinister scheme, she must make a choice: to protect her family or to protect the town from her family’s magic.
About the Author:
Nicole grew up on Cape Cod and graduated from Wesleyan University. She spent a few years in London and now lives near Boston with her husband, two kids, and two rambunctious black cats. Her MG debut, THE NIGHTMARE THIEF, will be published by Sourcebooks Young Readers In January 2021. Her YA debut, THE WIDE STARLIGHT, will be published by Razorbill in February 2021.
The Nightmare Thief Review:
“The Nightmare Thief” is a delightful middle-grade fantasy novel that reminded me of “Hansel and Gretel,” with sprinkles of magic.
Firstly, I loved how the author wrote the characters. Maren is charming in the role. It was interesting to see how she tries to balance many issues in her life, from being blackmailed by Obscura to her friendship with Amos, while trying to help Hallie. Obscura is one of the most dastardly villains I have read as of late and made the story very entertaining. She would stop at nothing to get what she wants and seems to cover her tracks. After a point, I honestly felt that Maren and Amos would not be able to stop her.
Furthermore, even her backstory was interesting, that even made me feel sorry for her. The author wrote them all so well, and I love how the events transpired. On a side note, I loved Henri and thought he was adorable.
Moreover, the storyline is also gripping, with some scenes that would even scare adults. Some parts gave me the chills, and I am glad I did not read this at night. One particular moment was when droplets of paint fall on Maren, and cats surround her and hiss. This scene particularly creeped me out.
However, my only criticism of the story is the ending. While I enjoyed the end, I thought the author wrapped up all the storylines very quickly. A lot of things happen in the last few pages, which made the story feel rushed. It would have been nice to have the end detailed out a bit more, especially concerning Hallie.
Apart from that, “The Nightmare Thief” was an excellent read, and I am curious to see how the storyline continues.
