The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge

The review of The Nightmare Garden I promised several posts back:

Aoife Grayson is on the run, not just from her mistakes, not just from her Iron madness, but from the rivalling influences that each want to use the unique powers of her Weird for their own sinister reasons. When she destroyed the Lovecraft Engine, Aoife had no idea what she was getting herself into, and now she will pay the price.

The worlds are becoming unstable, her destruction managed to somehow uproot them and it won't be long before the worlds come crashing down. Creatures from other worlds are already slipping through to the Iron Land and Aoife has to find a way to turn back time, to stop herself from ever believing the words of the manipulative fae, Tremaine.

When Aoife hears whispers of a mysterious Nightmare Clock, it's almost too good to be true but the lies and secrets that are twisted around the rumours make it impossible to discern truth from lie. Time is working against her, and Aoife must find the Clock before it all tumbles down...

-------o_O---------

ok. So, Book Two of the Iron Codex series.

It took me a while to remember all the details and happenings of the previous book, but that's the good thing about the Nightmare Garden, it gives you some of the details of what happened in the Iron Thorn, but it doesn't bore you with exhaustive details. It gives you enough so that it all comes rushing back and as you go through the book, you pick up on more things and basically add that to the image formed in your head.

The idea behind the Nightmare Garden, and the entire series, is very intricate and also very original, Caitlin Kittredge really does know how to write a book :) It's different and will keep you reading, wanting to unravel all the secrets it holds.

I enjoyed the characters, and what they had to contribute to the story. They were all very complex, though I found that some characters, whilst prominent in the first book, weren't as important in this one. Cal, for example, played a huge part in the Iron Thorn but wasn't really essential to the story in the Nightmare Garden. Dean is still present and as confident as ever though, so that's a bonus :)

Aoife was a little irritating at certain parts in this book, at least she was to me, she seemed to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I mean seriously, shouldn't you learn from your mistakes? She was rushing things and running from people who genuinely wanted to help her. She was brave, I don't doubt that, but she was also very stubborn. She is a very realistic character though, she's not perfect and she's not invincible but she still manages to get around.
One thing that can be said about Aoife is that she is loyal and determined, she has a lot on her plate for a 16 year old, and you truly can't blame her for some of the things. I can't say I agree with some of Aoife's decisions but I'm sure she will find a way to fix what she has broken.

At around 430 pages, the Nightmare Garden is quite thick, but don't let the number of pages discourage you, because before you know it; the pages will be gone. There is always something happening within the pages of the Nightmare Garden, never a dull moment when Aoife Grayson is around. The writing style is easy to follow and it manages to draw you in, so that you feel connected to the story.

Now. beware the massive bombshell at the end. It will blow you away. It will.
**sobs**
I'll be reading the third book when it's released and I will report!

The Nightmare Garden is a spectacular package of steampunk action, with scheming fae and flesh-eating monsters. It will stun you with its action and enthrall you with its magic!