This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 I can honestly say, without a doubt, that I've never read a book about a Nightmare. Which is what initially drew me to The Nightmare Affair. When you read as many books as I do, anything that immediately jumps out as new and unique, is guaranteed to find itself on my to read list. 
 The Nightmare Affiar takes us into the life of one particular, adolescent Nightmare - Dusty. I loved Dusty's voice. She was sassy and independent and always said what she was thinking. I like that she never compromised herself or who she was, even if that occasionally got her into trouble. It's easy to get attached to a character like this. There's nothing I find more boring that a perfect character, who's gorgeous and instantly knows how to use all her special powers. I know if I found out I was magical, I would be a lot more like Dusty. Just trying to figure stuff out as I go. 
 Other than Dusty I was immediately pulled into The Nightmare Affair, because it has a distinct Harry Potter feel to it. It's in a magical boarding school, people keep dying of mysterious and magical circumstances and Dusty and her two friends start breaking all of the school's rules to try and get to the bottom of everything. It has the same vibe as Harry Potter but it also puts a unique enough spin on it so that you don't just feel like you're reading the same story. It's that nice mix of the familiar and the strange. 
 However, the unique start to The Nightmare Affair quickly turned into a really predictable plot. I saw most of the big twists coming from a mile away. This isn't completely a negative as it also means the story is easy to follow and not at all convoluted. Recently I feel like I've picked up far too many books that have WAY too much going on. The Nightmare Affair's plot is plain and simple. You can pick it up and read it for exactly what it is and sometimes it's nice not to worry about so many extra subplots and deeper meanings. I think I came to The Nightmare Affair at the right time. I needed something simple and the predictability worked in its favour. 
 My one major criticism of this novel is that I thought "The Will" was a little too convenient. Basically it's this thing that keeps you from using magic to harm others (How does it know? How does this work with crimes of passion or times when the intention wasn't there but you could still hurt someone?). It also dictates when you use certain bits of magic. Like Eli, Dusty's dream partner, is forced to fall asleep at a certain time so that she can feed on his dreams. But there's no real explanation of how it works. "Will workers" are briefly mentioned but what exactly to they do? Are they like the Fates, sitting around a cauldron watching potential magic spells fly by? I want to know more!! I just think such a major piece of the plot deserves to be more fleshed out. 
 Recommendation: The Nightmare Affair is a lot of fun and it's quite light. If you've recently read a really heavy or emotional book this might be a good follow up to ease you out of the book hang over. I'm intrigued about where the series will go next and will definitely be picking up book two when it comes out.