Blue Is for Nightmares ANNOTATION
Sixteen-year-old hereditary witch Stacey Brown has nightmares of her roommate being murdered and hopes that her magick will be enough to protect Drea--unlike the last person whose death Stacey dreamed.
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA - Melissa Potter
Sixteen-year-old boarding school student Stacey has been having many nightmares. These premonitions wake her, leaving her both terrified and having wet the bed. All the dreams concern her roommate, Drea, whom Stacey believes is in danger. Stacey does a card reading for Drea—something like tarot cards but done with playing cards—and the events predicted by the dreams and the reading start to take place just as predicted. Stacey, Drea, and their wisecracking friend, Amber, must then use witchcraft to figure out who is after Drea so that they can prevent her doom. Think Nancy Drew meets Circle of Three with slightly rougher language. The pacing is a little slow for the hardcore horror crowd, but the use and description of spells and their ingredients should endear this book to fans of the genre. The spells help with protection, dreaming, and getting more information, but throughout the book there is a clear message that "It's like what Gram always said about spells suddenly makes sense—how we're the ones who give them meaning, how somewhere deep inside us lies the most powerful truth and will of all." There are some romantic entanglements complicating matters and providing more suspects, but the relationships are not fleshed out enough to recommend this book to romance readers. Although it is not a first purchase, it is a good choice for libraries where witchcraft is an eternal favorite. VOYA Codes: 3Q 4P J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Llewellyn, 288p., Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18.
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-Stacey's nightmares have proven to tell the future in the past, and now they have returned. The person who is in danger in the teen's dreams is her roommate. Determined to discover who is out to kill Drea, the protagonist performs a series of spells taught to her by her grandmother to ferret out the murderer. Seemingly, all of the girls' friends and acquaintances are suspects. This mystery will initially attract readers who are into Wicca and spells, but may not be successful in keeping their interest. Stacey's bedwetting (at age 16) is a troublesome plot point that remains mostly unresolved at the end. The girls' adventures are unfettered by adults for the most part, and since the story takes place at a boarding school, it is hard to believe that so much could go on unnoticed. Stolarz's first novel is an admirable attempt, but falls short when compared to the works of other mystery-writing greats such as Nancy Werlin and Carol Plum-Ucci.-Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Home
