The Nightmare Garden

Gr 7–11—This title picks up where The Iron Thorn (Delacorte, 2011) left off. Aoife and company are in The Mists. The teen, who is half human and half Fae, is fixated on the devastating repercussions of her destruction of the Lovecraft Engine. She is determined to return and rescue her mother from the wreckage. After a close escape from the Proctors and the Erlkin, they are able to return, only to find the Old Town section of Lovecraft overrun by Ghouls. In another near-escape, they are rescued by Aoife's father's zeppelin. Aoife's dreams tell her that she must find the Nightmare Clock to save her mother so she decides to head north to the Bone Sepulchre and the mysterious Brotherhood of Iron in search of it. More adventures and near-escapes ensue. Like the first installment, The Nightmare Garden is rife with action. Unfortunately, character motivations are unclear and world-building is awkward. For example, it is difficult to understand why pragmatic Aoife is so willing to trust her dreams to guide her actions. In addition, readers can't help but wonder why the shogoth venom in her shoulder alerts her to the presence of supernatural beings, but is not triggered by her friends Cal (a Ghoul) and Dean (a half-Erlkin). The action is fast paced, but it feels as if each incremental near-escape is inserted to extend the narrative of a paper-thin plot. Purchase where The Iron Thorn is popular.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH