Laurie Faria Stolarz’s “Blue is for Nightmares” takes readers on an intense and gripping journey through the tumultuous life of Stacey, a junior at a boarding school grappling with a slew of challenges. Tangled in a web of secrets, unrequited love, and unsettling premonitions, Stacey’s life unravels as she navigates the treacherous waters of friendships and a relentless stalker, all while grappling with the weight of her own psychic abilities.

The novel opens with Stacey burdened by the resurgence of vivid nightmares that seem to foretell a grim fate for her best friend, Drea, who has become the target of a twisted and dangerous stalker. As eerie incidents escalate, including ominous emails and haunting phone calls, the tension mounts, ultimately culminating in a tragic and senseless murder within the confines of the school.

Stolarz deftly weaves an intricate narrative, skillfully crafting an atmosphere of suspense and unease that lingers long after the final page. Through Stacey’s character, the author explores the complexities of adolescence, the insecurities that plague young minds, and the enduring bonds of friendship tested by the darkest of secrets. Stacey’s emotional turmoil, stemming from her unrequited crush on her best friend’s boyfriend and the haunting guilt of past events, adds depth to her character, making her relatable and sympathetic to readers.

One of the most captivating elements of the novel is Stacey’s connection to her grandmother’s folk magic, which she turns to in a desperate attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding the murders. Stolarz seamlessly integrates elements of the supernatural into the storyline, creating an intriguing blend of contemporary young adult fiction and the mystique of ancient folklore. Stacey’s exploration of her abilities serves as a poignant exploration of self-discovery and empowerment, highlighting the strength that can be found in embracing one’s heritage and intuition.

“Blue is for Nightmares” is a compelling and suspenseful read that skillfully combines elements of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. Stolarz’s fluid prose and masterful storytelling keep the reader engaged from start to finish, as the plot twists and turns, leaving them breathless with anticipation. The novel’s intricate portrayal of the complexities of friendship, love, and the human psyche is a testament to Stolarz’s talent for crafting multidimensional characters and immersive narratives that resonate with readers of all ages.

In conclusion, “Blue is for Nightmares” is a captivating and evocative tale that delves into the depths of darkness and the resilience of the human spirit. Stolarz’s masterful blend of the supernatural and the everyday creates a hauntingly beautiful narrative that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in this spellbinding series. For fans of young adult fiction with a penchant for mystery and the paranormal, this book is an absolute must-read.

This is one of my favorite books of all time, as you can surely tell from the accompanying well-worn first edition copy in this photo. I was worried re-reading would change my feelings on the story, and while there were some things that didn’t particularly age well, I’m still such a fan of the writing style, characters and mystery. This is the book that made the fall in love with paranormal mysteries and I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t experienced it yet.

This one read like a slasher flick, and with the short chapters, it kept me intrigued. With the creepy phone calls, and suspense that kept building, it very much reminded me of Scream but with witchy vibes, since the main character Stacey had a spell book, and often used it, as she is trying to figure out who is going to murder her best friend and roommate, Drea. Stacey has dreams that act as premonitions and in her recurring one, Drea gets killed. The clock starts ticking once Drea receives 4 lilies, representing the 4 days she has left.

I liked this book, and it was a relatively quick read. The only thing really was that the people have some pretty weird habits. My biggest gripe was with Stacey constantly wetting the bed, like just get an adult diaper 🫣 but the whole pee thing was a good indicator of when we are reading about a dream so it’s a good motif. Also her friends kind of sucked but I feel like those kinds of personalities as friends was a very prominent thing in the time this book was written (early 2000s) so it also makes sense.

Blue is for Nightmares is one of those “old but gold” books: it is OLD so the writing is a bit dated and I am so much older than the characters now sometimes it felt unbelievable how questionable their choices are, but the atmosphere, mystery, and pacing still held up really well! It was also quite short so I flew through it really quickly. I had so much fun and I’m glad I finally picked it up!

We have witchcraft and drama and a mystery. And a “bestie” in lust with her friend’s boyfriend. I’m not sure how this qualifies as a friendship but I’ll go with it. All in all, the characters, with the exception of our main character, were shallow and didn’t really grow throughout the story. On the other hand, the creepy vibes of the story and setting were excellent. The premonitions were some of my favorite parts. It did get a bit confusing when it went from reality to dreaming – and we really don’t know which we were in. There are alot of cliches. I feel like I’m on a teeter totter going from high to low and back again. I’m glad I read it, it has a fantastic premise, and I would read more from this author.

Stacey is in her junior year at boarding school. She has started to have nightmares again and the last time this happened, a little girl died, and Stacey isn’t going to make that mistake again. This time round it involves her roommate and best friend, Drea. Stacey turns to the magic that she had learned from her Grandmother to try and save Drea’s life. But no one is taking her seriously until another girl is murdered at the school, but will Stacey be able to do enough to save Drea’s life? Told through first person from Stacey’s perspective, it is full of mystery, magic and romance.

Let’s start our review with the good stuff. Let’s get you hooked. Just like I was. From the very beginning I was sucked in. This is a mystery at its core and I really enjoyed the mysterious elements to the book and also generally what I was reading (for the most part). As the mystery slowly came together I found that I was genuinely looking forward to having it solved and to learn who was responsible. There was easily enough actual mystery to keep me going without the over-use of red herrings and baits and switches.

Building on my general enjoyment, I felt as though there were memorable moments that the characters actually said something very amusing, or their exchanges were really entertaining to read through. It was moments like these that helped make it feel much more real and made the story an enjoyable experience whilst also helping to immerse me into the book. But it wasn’t just the characters’ relationships and interactions with each other that was done well. The magic and card reading was also interesting and the characters’ relationship with the idea of magic was great to see. Stacey’s link to magic and her ancestry was my favourite part of the whole thing and I think this was done really well!

Another part that I really liked was the sense transition into the Dreamworld. It was a great concept and seemed effortless whilst flowing so well that it felt like I was dreaming. The first time it happened it was a little bit disorientating, but after that, when I came to understand the premise of the story better, I looked out for it and really enjoyed when Stacey would slip into a dream.

I’ll open this section by saying that for the most part, I found the characters’ motivations to be lacking. It sometimes felt like their intelligence was fluctuating all over the place. Some of the scenarios and their actions would occasionally feel forced into what was required from them to either fill a gag, try and cause some tension or move the plot forward, as opposed to the characters being genuine to themselves. One example of this would be about halfway through the read, when the plot is in full swing and everyone knows that there is a threat to Drea’s life, everyone speaks and acts guilty. It felt like this was simply to help build up some mystery, but then they all become very offended when they are then thought of as guilty which led to a few inconsistent moments that would take me out of it. Another example of character confusion would be when one of them would go to get something that should only be five minutes, and disappears for over an hour… Again, this was done to build mystery and tension. That I am fine with, but how it was handled, I am less so. In a sentence a whole hour could pass by, barely any wonder about where they could have got to which didn’t feel as satisfying as some of the actually well constructed mystery I mentioned before. In the same vein, sometimes the writing felt rushed. It felt like it was in a hurry to get to the next part to try to build the tension back up which didn’t work as well as some of the more natural tension building.

One of my main complaints was how the characters came off as very bitchy and at times showed their immaturity and childishness. Now while this is YA book and immaturity can be expected to a certain degree, this didn’t work for me. I understand that there is quite a market for characters like this and people who enjoy this type of person and the accompanying drama so maybe I’m just not the target audience and that is fair enough. I found an easy way to tell if you would like this would be that if you enjoyed the film The Craft (1996) (which Stolarz actually references…) then you would have a very good chance of enjoying this book.

I also had a frustration early on. Stacey was attempting to force a nightmare to try and see more about what could be coming and the whole thing resulted in nothing… It was a whole chapter to prepare and there was this massive build up to what this dream could involve and then in the next chapter it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss it letdown. She failed to fall asleep and that was it. I felt like this was a big disappointment and I had to read the opening of that chapter a few times to make sure I had read it right.

Overall, this was a fun read and I was able to appreciate the story telling from Stolarz, she created a great little world, full of mystery, romance and laughs. While a lot of the jokes did fall flat for me, there are the occasional few that slip through the cracks and catch you off guard which I did enjoy.

The way Stolarz built up the world, the atmosphere and the setting all helped to really pull you into the story and immerse yourself in it. It all worked together nicely: the witchcraft, the dark and wet nights, it is definitely a read for the wintery seasons, especially Halloween. So if you are a fan of The Craft, or bitchy teenage angst and drama wrapped up in a cozy but layered mystery then this is the ideal book for you.

I sadly did not care for this one, though I really had high hopes! I see it was written in 2003 so if I had read it when I was younger, it may have resonated with me more strongly.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC.

This one! It’s been out for quite some time but I love being able to read something like this set within the 90s ish and see how the creepy vibes and elements relate to reading it now. The authors writing is very story based rather than character driven, which isn’t bad! We’re sitting through our main girls nightmares vs real life as she tries to save her friend from impending death (according to her dreams that is) the ending, for me, was a bit predictable but I did enjoy the climax of the story and the vibes were immaculate for this time of year. The mystery we get from it and the thrilling discovery set this one apart!

Blue Is For Nightmares is the first book in this young adult paranormal fantasy series. I was immediately captivated by the author’s writing style and the storyline of this book. I especially loved the witchy and magical aspects of the story. This book had such a unique plot and I loved all the characters in this one.

I flew through reading Blue Is For Nightmares and I can’t wait to read the other books in this series to see where the story goes.