The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1) by Mindee Arnett

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Book Review:
The reviews I had read of The Nightmare Affair were mixed. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Boy, am I glad I did. True to what many other reviewers have said, The Nightmare Affair started off a bit slow. However, the story quickly took off and I ended up devouring this book hastily. The Nightmare Affair proved to be a fast-paced, character driven novel packed with action, romance, and adventure. I connected with the main character Dusty, who finds herself a social outcast due to her rare magickind. Growing up, I knew what it felt like never to quite fit in, finding solace in a good friend. In this case, Dusty's best friend is Selene, a siren that works hard at concealing her siren-esque abilities. Let me tell you, this is a chick you definitely want on your side. I ADORED Dusty's interactions with Eli, even the awkward ones. I lived for the moments when they worked together, dreamwalking. While Dusty's relationship with her mother was strained, I appreciated the story arc of the two working hard to mend the past. Overall, I really enjoyed the first book in The Arkwell Academy series and look forward to the next installment! 

Thanks to Tor Teen for this copy
Published March 5th 2013
This is my honest review.     

Cover Art Commentary:
I love this cover! Of course, the massive amount of purple caught my eye immediately! Going a bit deeper, the cemetery and phonex give this cover some much needed depth.

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