The Nightmare Virus By Nadine Brandes

The Nightmare Virus

by Nadine Brandes

Publisher: Enclave Escape

ISBN: 979-8886051308

First, I thought the cover was amazing, then I thought the idea of the story was fascinating, so when the author had a launch team, I signed up asap! I'm so glad I did! She sent me the ebook for review.

Summary:

Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.

When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.

Cain Cross is determined to find a cure . . . if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.

Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare—to change it by mere thought.

Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod—and access to a cure—in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.

Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be . . . will he even have a choice?

My Review:

Ok, this story was... so original! So cool! So surprising! Yes, I had an idea of what the story was about, but you really can't grasp it all until you dive in. 

We meet Cain who is sucked into this dreamscape that his brother has been in! The nightmare they've been working to find a cure for. The thought of losing awake time day by day for 22 days until you no longer wake was such an interesting concept. With each passing day you lose time to do everything you need AND find a cure!

I really liked the character of Cain. Even at my age he seemed so relatable. I think young adults (who this is geared towards) will really connect with him in his thoughts and emotions. This was also an exercise in seeing how people react to different situations, and I felt like the author really showed that as Cain entered the Nightmare world the first time.

In this dreamscape, things happen so quickly and wildly, it's hard to know what's going on, how to react, and who to trust. It's a good reminder for us to be discerning, especially when we're in unfamiliar circumstances.

We meet so many characters throughout the story. Stranna is one of those characters. I'm not going to say much about her, other than I really liked her. I know, I'm totally vague booking, but if I say anything it'll spoil it for you! HA!

There's 100% parallel between darkness and light. How light shines in the darkness. That there is a great deceiver. And we all have a choice to make! Of course, that leads me to my next point and my favorite one, the author really didn't mince words. Our hope is in Jesus. There's nothing else. Everything else leads to eternal death. You can't do it on your own, but God can equip you. Man, the author just does it so amazingly in this story! Yes, it's sci-fi ya fantasy, etc, but God is still who He is! I loved it!

This is another one of those stories I just want to immediately talk to everyone about where we get to talk about all of the details and bring out all of the spoilers!

About the Author:

Nadine Brandes once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the Carol-Award winning author of Wishtress, Fawkes, Romanov, and the Out of Time Series. Her newest release is The Nightmare Virus and her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she’s not busy writing novels about bold living, she’s adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. Nadine, her Auror husband, and their Halfling children are building a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.