I know who the villain is because that character is always the villain.

I know a certain type of character can't possibly be the villain because they're never actually the villain. I knew exactly what I was getting with The Nightmare Affair because I've read about all these characters before in tons of other books. This was less a result of the plot, though, and more a result of the cookie-cutter characters. After the first few chapters, it' pretty easy to sketch out a rough outline of everything that is going to happen next. Sure they were different, in concept, but in execution they don't really hold their own in my mind or have any kind of lasting power. Nightmares are interesting, but the development wasn't really there enough to make them fascinating. How The Nightmare Affair is a Thanksgiving turkeyĪt first I thought the idea of nightmares as paranormal creatures would be so unique and exciting and side-dishably appealing, but I was wrong. Like, come, say, the next day, when the fact that the turkey is leftover and predictable and unadorned suddenly makes it a comfort food. Sides are embellished, sides have surprises, sides have depth and texture and all sorts of things like that. I mean, when you stick a casserole of super sweet bright orange mashed potatoes topped with gooey marshmallows on the table next to plain old sliced meat, the turkey doesn't really hold up to the comparison. It doesn't even look particularly interesting. It's not that I don't like turkey, because I definitely do and I always make sure to have a little bit of room on my plate for some, but it just doesn't have the same draw as all those sides and desserts. What I don't pay much attention to is the actual turkey. I'm a sides and dessert kind of girl, so the bulk of my plate space is taken up with things like stuffing (all varieties), mashed potatoes, that awesome sweet potato pie with the marshmallows on top, corn pudding, dinner rolls, string bean casserole, candied apples, roasted potatoes, and so on.Īnd then, oh the desserts! You see where this is going? When it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm pretty much in food heaven. We've already establish how much I like food, so I'm going to go with a food analogy on this one. Saturday Swap and Other Small News (Of YAY!).Book Review: The Runaway King by Jennifer A.Author Interview: Marie Brennan + Giveaway! (US/CA).Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie.DNF Explanation: Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed.Book Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett.

The nightmare affair series