I was kindly gifted an ARC of Sweet Nightmare by Entangled Publishing and thoroughly enjoyed this quite frankly intense story!

I've never ready anything by Tracy Wolff before this and didn't know beforehand that it is based in the same universe as the Crave series. Not to worry, though, as I didn't feel like I was missing anything by coming in blind.

Sweet Nightmare is written from the perspective of Clementine, a manticore whose family runs the Calder Academy. The Academy houses all kinds of paranormal creatures from Sirens to Phoenix to Fae and more who have been sent away for abusing their powers in the outside world.

Clementine has never been off the island so she's never had access to her powers, as the island blocks all the students' access to them. This is supposedly for the best, but when an insanely ferocious hurricane powers through and the students regain their powers and nightmarish monsters on campus get loose, it's a nightmare all its own for everyone to try to find their way to safety.

In my opinion, there is one flaw in the story that would bring me out of the flow at times, which was that it often seemed difficult to believe that the storm was raging as intensely as written during such a significant part of the story yet so many scenes seemed to play out as though the storm was taking breaks as the plot desired. But overall, the story was incredibly intriguing and while I don't traditionally read such detailed fantasy, I'll certainly be looking forward to more of Clementines story!

This if my first book by this author and now I have to read her crave series. But this first of the Calder Academy stands on its own. It begins its tale with heroine 17 year old Clementine Calder whose family owns and runs Calder Academy—a juvenile detention center school of last resort for the magical and unique. Clementine has issues with her mother who is also the headmistress. Clementine’s best friend and cousin has recently died, she’s lost her best friend Jude, and her friends are pushing her to live life instead of ignoring it. But with a hurricane bearing down on the island school, and a wave of magical nightmares creating havoc, clementine will be lucky to survive the night. She will have to reach into herself and simultaneously trust others and when she does, what she finds will change the course of her life.

Very well written, fun and fast read. Clementine has a huge heart and is, fearless, kind, and smart. A great YA romance—fantasy. Cannot wait for next installment.

excellent. perfect. incredible. I loved everything about this. it was so good. tracy has a way with words and this was no exception. I can't get over clementine and Jude and don't think I ever will.

3.5⭐️, rounded up.

Sweet Nightmare takes place at Calder Academy, a prison school set on an island for troubled paranormal teens. There are all sorts of paranormal beings on this island, however, their power is locked down by the wards and magic on the island. When the island is in the direct path of a destructive hurricane, the students realize that this is no normal occurrence.

There are quite a few characters in this book, all of them extremely different and with a distinct personality. Our main character, Clementine Calder, is just as much of a prisoner on this island as the other the students despite being the headmistress' daughter. Though she tries to avoid trouble, Clem ends up getting into trouble everywhere she goes.

The budding romance between Clementine and Jude is adorable. I think it helps that Jude was my favorite character, mainly as we learned more about him and his past. He is a broody guy, but he means well.

It was honestly hard to keep track of what happened in the book since so much happened and there were constantly twists. But if you loved A Deadly Education, this gave the same vibes throughout.

“The past is set, but the future can change.”

🖤 Prison Academy
🖤 Shifters, Magic & Ghosts
🖤 Thrilling mystery
🖤 Secrets & Lies
🖤 Crave universe, don't need to read the other series to understand this one.
🖤 Short Chapters

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Entangled: Teen & NetGalley for an eARC of Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff.

I'm sorry to say that I tried getting into this one, but I couldn't. I loved the authors Crave series and thought this would have the same impact. I was lost from the start with no real grounding with he world of monsters and who the protagnist was a person; there was no connection to any of the characters. I guess the word I would use for this book is "rushed." There is a lot happening with little explanation which did not help the flow of the book. I do love a fast-paced book but this one left for no breathing room. Speaking of breathing room, the kissing scenes were way too extensive; I swear one took up like four pages.

The chapter headers were also not giving.

This book has a lot of death in it (like, A LOT) so beware.

I'm sad to say I did not vibe with this one and the cons outweighed the pros. I won't be continuing the series.

Honestly this one was just okay for me. I didn't love it, didn't hate it...It was a relatively easy read with good pacing, but there was just something about it that didn't click for me.

Sweet Nightmare is the first book in The Calder Academy series. Set in a school for rogue paranormals, it takes readers on a thrilling journey filled with danger, secrets, and unexpected alliances.

The protagonist, Clementine, finds herself trapped in Calder Academy, where the rules are different and the stakes are high. When a freak storm hits the isolated island, the power goes out, and nightmares become real.

Clementine must navigate this treacherous world, aligning herself with one evil to avoid another. Amidst it all, she grapples with her feelings for Jude Abernathy-Lee, a fellow student. Tracy Wolff weaves a dark and romantic tale, complete with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines.

Clementine is a strong-willed and resourceful young woman. She possesses a mysterious power that she struggles to control. Her determination to uncover the truth about Calder Academy’s secrets drives the plot forward. As the story unfolds, we see her vulnerability, courage, and loyalty.

Jude is enigmatic and brooding. He has a dark past and harbors secrets. His interactions with Clementine are intense, filled with both attraction and conflict. Their relationship adds depth to the narrative, and readers will be curious to discover more about his true nature.

Tracy Wolff's writing style keeps readers engaged, even as the mysteries unfold within the walls of Calder Academy. I loved the secondary characters; they were amazing, great, funny, and supportive. What a perfect blend of people, and we get to find family in them. The book was scary, secretive, and had me hooked. The climactic battle scenes were detailed and gory. Also, I loved how each chapter was titled to give us an one liner insight of what is about to happen.

Here are five compelling reasons to read Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff:

1. Intriguing Paranormal World:
- The novel is set at Calder Academy, a school for rogue paranormals. The academy's isolated location, mysterious rules, and hidden secrets create an immersive and captivating atmosphere. Readers will be drawn into this unique paranormal world.

2. Complex Characters:
- Tracy Wolff crafts multi-dimensional characters with their own secrets, fears, and desires. From Clementine's struggle to control her powers to Jude's enigmatic past, each character adds depth to the story. Their interactions and personal growth keep readers engaged. Other than these two, the secondary characters are brilliant and easy to root for.

3. Romantic Tension:
- The relationship between Clementine and Jude Abernathy-Lee is both passionate and conflicted. Their chemistry sizzles, and readers will root for them despite the obstacles they face. The romance adds an emotional layer to the plot.

4. Mysteries and Twists:
- Calder Academy hides dark secrets, and as Clementine investigates, she uncovers layers of deception. The plot twists keep readers guessing, and the gradual revelation of hidden truths adds suspense and excitement.

5. Themes of Power and Identity:
- The novel explores themes of power, identity, and self-discovery. As Clementine grapples with her abilities and learns about the academy's history, readers will reflect on their own journey of understanding and acceptance.

🖤 favourite quotes:
° This beautiful dedication; I LOVE it ~
"To everyone who’s faced their worst nightmare and come out stronger on the other side. This book is for you."

° “Just remember, Clementine, dreams can be prisons, too. And that’s worse, because— unlike with nightmares—you don’t see the trap coming until it’s far too late.”

° "No, it’s not the nightmares themselves we have to fear. But the monsters that we create from them."

° "The past is set, but the future can change."

In summary, Sweet Nightmare offers a thrilling blend of paranormal intrigue, romance, and mystery. Dive into this world of secrets and uncover the truth alongside the characters!

This was a really unique book. And I enjoyed the “unraveling” of everything at the end that really put all the pieces together. It did take some time pulling me in and keeping me wanting to read, but I’m glad I finished it to wrap everything up. The main characters were interesting and I enjoyed their nicknames throughout the book. Too many characters were killed off for my liking and I got annoyed by that. Overall 4 stars for me. Thank you NetGalley for providing me the arc for this book.

Sweet Nightmare
By Tracy Wolff

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

My top five reasons to read Sweet Nightmare:

1. Found Family
2. All the emotions, literally ALL of them
3. Phenomenal Character Development
4. Ex-best Friends to Lovers
5. Swoony Banter

Sweet Nightmare is a spinoff from the Crave Series. It is set in the same world after the events of the finale of Crave (in Cherish).

Although Tracy and the publisher says you can read it on its own, there are some major spoilers for a character that is introduced in book 3 of Crave (Covet).

If you think you will want to read Crave, I recommend finishing that series first.
🌪️
This book has a very spooky/gothic vibe with some parts actually pretty horrific (literal nightmares).
🌪️
The school is on an island off the coast of TX. It’s a school for troubled supernaturals who either lost control of their powers and did something terrible on accident, or they did something terrible on purpose, but not bad enough to go to jail. As a result, there is a power dampening spell on the school and students.

Unfortunately, there is a category 5 hurricane on the way and things go very, very wrong.
🌪️
In typical Tracy Wolff Crave world fashion, we live inside the head of a 17 year old girl. Therefore, it reads very YA…we spend a lot of time with her thoughts. Although, Clementine is no where near as naive as Grace is in the beginning of Crave.

As a result, if you had a hard time getting into Crave because of the gullible inner-dialogue in Crave, I would recommend that you give this one a try instead.

Since the FMC is a part of the supernatural world already, she’s already toughened up a little. She’s already had to deal with some BS for years.
🌪️
In all, I really liked this book.
I believe this is going to be a trilogy.
🌪️
‼️Spoiler: There are some horrific/gory deaths.

Another solid YA Fantasy adventure from Wolff. Expanding the Crave universe, this story follows the family of everyone’s favorite manticore, and opens up the world to include even more supernatural beings and complications. The action here is nonstop, which unfortunately truncates the relationship building between the characters somewhat. But having read the original series, the sense of camaraderie you’re used to helps fuse the dynamics. I would definitely save this book for after you’ve finished that collection.

I think you’ll love the heated romance, the menagerie of fantastical beings, and the constant chaos.

Thank you to NetGalley, TBR&Beyond Book Tours, and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This is a such a fun YA paranormal fantasy - 3.5/5 ⭐️

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱
1️⃣ The setting of the book is Calder Academy, a school for paranormal troublemakers
2️⃣ There are all kinds of fun creatures in this story - manticores, witches, fae, sirens, mermaids, and vampires to name a few
3️⃣ There is a friends to lovers, second chance romance & Clementine and Jude have cute nicknames for each other involving fruits and The Beatles
4️⃣ There is plenty of action and death, and fun elements such as a magical tapestry
5️⃣ There are so many twists & reveals in this story to keep you on your toes - and that ending will have you wanting the next book now!

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
💭 “𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺. “𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦.”
💭 “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘛-𝘙𝘦𝘹 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘴.”
💭 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘕𝘰, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
💭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯.

Thank you to Entangled Teen and TBR & Beyond Tours for sending me a review copy of this book! This review is voluntary, and all opinions expressed are my own.

When I tell you that I absolutely love this book, with all the fantasy, romance, and mystery factors, know full well that I devoured this book and was consumed by the characters. Based in the Gulf of Mexico (off the coast of Texas) stands Calder Academy, a school for those who are kept safe from their powers and themselves. Clementine only knows about life at the academy, as her mother is the Headmaster, so she only knows part of her powers. Also, while they spend their lives there, Jude and Carolina (her cousin).

🗡 Well, since this school is for the more dangerous magical beings when a hurricane threatens the safety of the students and school, they all make it to a safe and secure location.. not! why would their travel portals work for everyone?! With that being said, our cast (and more) are stranded on the island, with all the dark creatures that reside in the school’s basement and deal with the power that they have never had access to. Oh, and I have to survive all those who are set out to kill them because they are friends with a Headmaster’s daughter. To add to all this chaos, there is still a secret that everyone needs to reveal in order to protect everyone else, but at what cost?

🖤 I truly did love the characters, and while I’ve only read two out of the five books from the Crave series, you can read this as a standalone. There is a slight crossover between some of the characters or some of the events, but this one made full sense even without knowing the ending of that previous series. Jude is our Dark Horse. He is the mysterious one who can’t be with her because things have happened in his past that will affect her, and he believes that he’s putting her in danger, but we all know how that ends because we get the romance.

🗡 Overall, I absolutely love this book, and I will need the second one ASAP because with how this one ended and the wild ride of all the secrets being revealed, I’m now left on a cliffhanger trying to figure out how we are going to move forward with these characters.

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff is the first book in The Calder Academy. The story is set in a school on an island for paranormals. The last time I read a book with so many magical beings was House of Earth and Blood, even though that book doesn't have this many supernaturals. Here there are Leopard Shifters, Banshee, Pixie, Fae, Phoenix, Time Wizard, Vampires, Wolf, Manticore, Dragon Shifters, Siren, Oneiroi, and I guess there are many more, but only these supernaturals play main roles.

I love this book so much. I still can't believe the fact that the whole timeline in the book is just a couple of days. I started loving the protagonist, Clementine, right from the beginning. She was so humorous, stubborn, and loving. Jude, Oh Jude, is perfect boyfriend material. The chemistry and the tension between them were amazing throughout the book. This book reminded me that I love friends to lovers trope as equally as enemies to lovers trope.

The story starts off with the whole school evacuation because of a huge, weird storm. Literally, everyone was running for their lives, and it was total chaos. Clementine uncovers many more secrets about her life in 48 hours (which is the whole book) than in her seventeen years. It's filled with running (mostly) and action. There were so many fight scenes, which I enjoyed a lot.

The side characters were all so great. They were given so much importance in the story. They were all so unique and excellent. My personal favorites are Luis, Simon, Remy, and Izzy. Never have I ever had this many favorite side characters. Izzy was such a total badass vamp. Luis was a sweet wolf. Remy was a handsome Time wizard. Simon was a charming siren. Oh my!! I love them all so much. I can listen to their conversations all day, and I would never get bored.

There were so many twists in the book that I managed to guess one right. But the rest are just mind-blowing. The best way to describe this book is in the title itself. It's just a sweet nightmare. I can't wait enough for the sequel, Sweet Chaos.

After finishing this book, my strongest feeling is confusion. I was torn between giving this a 3 or 4 because even after reading the whole thing I don’t really understand what was happening but I also really enjoyed it and would continue to read to understand more. I loved Jude and Clementine and all their friends but when half of the characters that are introduced just keep getting killed off right away it’s hard to connect with them. Or they get killed off and then given a backstory. Clearly they are stretching this into a series but I think there needed to be a little more context in the first book to make it stand on its own. I’m leaning towards a 4 for now but if the second book doesn’t come through with a lot of explanation then I may change it to a 3.

Sweet Nightmare follows manticore shifter Clementine as chaos unfolds at Calder Academy—a school for magical delinquents. When nightmares are unleashed upon the students, no one is safe as Clementine and her friends try to stop the monsters.

I want to start off by saying that I was not the target audience for this book. When I started this book, I thought it was an adult dark romantasy and quickly learned it is not 😅. While I love YA, Sweet Nightmare felt like it sat on the younger side of the demographic in terms of voice. It is quite humorous and full of pop culture references which is very different than what I am used to reading. Nevertheless, I would have eaten this UP when I was 15.

Overall, I definitely think there were great moments and interesting twists towards the ends as the answers the characters seek lead to more questions.

I would recommend this book for lovers of contemporary romance, paranormal, boarding school settings, and humorous prose mixed in with relatively dark plot.

5 Reasons to Read

Boarding Schools

Calder Academy is reminiscent of Catmere and I loved it! This secluded alternative school for paranormals was just what I needed. It’s got dark hallways filled with secrets and ghosts.

Paranormal Beings

It was so fun to be introduced to new paranormals in Sweet Nightmare. Clementine is a Manticore which honestly I didn’t think much about until watching Onward. I love that Tracy uses lesser known paranormals in these books because I’m introduced to newer lore.

Nicknames & Romances

The nicknames between Clementine and Jude are THE absolute best! From fruit alternatives to Clementine like cumquat and tangerine to classic rock songs like Dear Prudence. Every time one of them had a new nickname for each other it just made me smile. There were also lots of Aerosmith references too! The banter between Clementine and Jude reminded me of Grace and Hudson.

Friendships

Sweet Nightmare introduces us to a whole new band of friends. It’s the same found family friendships that we grew to love in Crave so if you loved that series than this one is definitely for you! I also didn’t realize until later in the book that it is set in the same universe as Crave so I’m hoping we’ll get some cross overs in this series as it develops!! I can’t imagine bringing both friend groups together!

Secrets

Clementine knows her mother has secrets but it isn’t until she finds out why Jude left three years earlier that things start to reveal themselves. Let’s just say that Sweet Nightmares couldn’t have been a better title for this one because the nightmares Clementine faces are just the beginning of all the secrets that have been kept from her over the past three years.

🗡️ SWEET NIGHTMARE 🗡️

This is my first @tracywolffbooks book and omg my sincerest apologies for taking so long to read one 🥲

Sweet Nightmare is set at Calder Academy, a school for the paranormal located on a secluded island. This book is dark and action packed. The chapters are short which makes it too easy to keep reading late into the night 😅 Also, the chapter titles?! If I didn’t already love the book so much, Tracy would have a new fan from chapter titles alone 🤣

I honestly wasn’t expecting the level of dark this book is 😅 And the ending?! Gimme the next book NOW!

Also, I really loved all of the characters!

I’ll be reading the Crave series asap 🫡

Sweet Nightmare blew my mind!

As a Crave series spin off I was expecting something similar but it's completely different in the best kind of way.

I loved the mistery of it, not knowing was was happening must of the time, wondering if it was a dream or if it was real for the characters.

I can't wait to know what's next form them in the series.

Thank you entangled teen, Tracy Wolf, and Net Galley for this E-arc, all thoughts from this review are my own.

The Calder Academy series is a spin off of the Crave series. The story is told from the point of view of Clementine Calder, whose family owns the Academy. The Academy is for rogue paranormal teens, and she has lived on the island that houses it her whole life.

An excellent read with amazing characters and descriptive world building. Tracy Wolff’s style of writing allows you to become immersed in the story and really feel what the characters are going through. The unexpected ending has me waiting for the second book to come out! Highly recommend.