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Sweet Nightmare
(The Calder Academy #1)
By Tracy Wolff
YA Paranormal Fantasy
Hardcover, Audiobook & eBook, 496 Pages
May 7, 2024 by Entangled: Teen
Summary
The scariest school on earth
Is about to experience real fear…
Most schools are about being the best. This school? It’s about being the worst. Calder Academy is where the rogue paranormals go. The ones who break the rules or lose control. And when that happens for vamps, werewolves, witches, and dark fae? It gets pretty freaking scary.
I should know. Because I’m trapped here.
Look, every seventeen-year-old girl thinks their mom is a tyrant. But mine just happens to run Calder Academy, which paints a giant target on my back. The way I make it through these dark halls is by steering clear of the things―and kids―who go bump in the night.
Especially Jude Abernathy-Lee.
But when a freak storm hits our isolated island, I’m stuck without a backup plan. The power is gone. The lights are out. And our worst nightmares are suddenly real―and out for blood.
Now the only way to survive is to align myself with one evil to avoid the other.
And the only thing worse than the idea of getting close to Jude? Secretly loving every minute of it.
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My Review
SWEET NIGHTMARE is about a girl who is stuck at an academy for troubled paranormal teens, and the storm that ends up creating a dangerous catastrophe. The story is full of friendships, paranormal creatures, monsters, family, action, and romance. Fans of Twilight and Wolff's previous series will enjoy every crazy and delicious second of this one!
Unlike Wolff's previous series, this one doesn't start off with the heroine not knowing anything. She's still in the dark about a few things, but she knows who she is and generally what creatures those around her are who she goes to school with every day. She's feisty, fierce, loyal and easy to like. Her friends are also likable with their own fully drawn personalities as are the other side characters. There's lots of mystery as to who she can trust, what others are hiding and what actually is going on. Clementine's relationships with her mom and family are pretty strained. They're a complex family, but they also love each other in their own way. I did get a bit annoyed at her mom and another supposed friend not telling her things when it would have been helpful. Overall, I liked all the characters and the different types of relationships.
The plot moves at a good pace. This is definitely a somewhat fast-paced story. There's a consistent undertone of danger and mystery that continues to drive the story. Then there's the actual unknown, the action parts, and the sizzling romance that has enemies to lovers vibes although they used to be best friends years before. There are also a few slower parts that weren't completely pertinent to the story, but did help with character and story development. The plot overall worked for me, which I appreciated.
For me, the biggest issue was content. There's a lot of swearing and suggestive references. However, for most readers none of this will be an issue.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This is a book candy, page-turner read. The characters are likable and the story is intriguing. It was a fun read with lots of paranormal aspects, action, and romance.
Content: Lots of swearing (including lots of f-words), innuendo, suggestive content, violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through TBR and Beyond Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family
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