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Nightmare Born
Young Adult Urban Fantasy - being serial published on Radish.
Nightmare Born is the magical school trope we’ve seen before in YA, but with a twist: the magical girl is autistic. It was very important to me to write a story where a girl who stims, gets overwhelmed, has some stumbles socially, still gets to be the three-dimensional hero of her own story. There are vampires, ghosts, magic, witchcraft, and the Nightmare Born, creatures who look appear human and will steal your heart…literally.
Iris Bianchi, an autistic teenager who learns that her father is the King Of Nightmares and that she is a Nightmare Born, a supernatural creature that can only be conceived in human dreams. Called to Miss Perkins’s School For Girls for her magical training, Iris is soon immersed in the supernatural underworld of Savannah, Georgia. Imagine American Horror Story: Coven, The Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, and The Magicians all got thrown into a blender together to make a delicious and satisfying paranormal YA smoothie, but then I started just pouring various different types of candy into it.
Nightmare Born is the magical school trope we’ve seen before in YA, but with a twist: the magical girl is autistic. It was very important to me to write a story where a girl who stims, gets overwhelmed, has some stumbles socially, still gets to be the three-dimensional hero of her own story. There are vampires, ghosts, magic, witchcraft, and the Nightmare Born, creatures who look appear human and will steal your heart…literally.
Iris Bianchi, an autistic teenager who learns that her father is the King Of Nightmares and that she is a Nightmare Born, a supernatural creature that can only be conceived in human dreams. Called to Miss Perkins’s School For Girls for her magical training, Iris is soon immersed in the supernatural underworld of Savannah, Georgia. Imagine American Horror Story: Coven, The Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, and The Magicians all got thrown into a blender together to make a delicious and satisfying paranormal YA smoothie, but then I started just pouring various different types of candy into it.
Unknown Binding
First published October 27, 2020
6 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Trout
11 books687 followersJenny Trout is a writer, blogger, and funny person.
Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today Bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online.
Jenny also writes award-winning erotic romance as Abigail Barnette.
When she’s not writing, she’s sleeping or otherwise incapacitated.
She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to murder her.
Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today Bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online.
Jenny also writes award-winning erotic romance as Abigail Barnette.
When she’s not writing, she’s sleeping or otherwise incapacitated.
She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to murder her.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 1, 2020
Loved this YA urban fantasy novel. The book is so descriptive, I could envision things through Iris’s eyes. This story moves quickly, it’s quite a romp. A lot happens, we meet Iris’s love interest as well as a cast of characters, and we are on a very wild ride. The fact Iris is autistic is a unique view on the world she has been thrust into. This was a flat out 5 star read for me, the storyline is smooth, the main character is well developed and I’m excited for more. Highly recommend this for YA UF fans.
November 11, 2020
This book. THIS BOOK. Just wow.
The short version: Ordinary girl snaps and ends up killing - and eating the heart of - the bully she's kind-of-sort-of crushing on. Whoops. Guess no one bothered to tell her that she's not exactly human. She's one of the many, many daughters of the King of Nightmares. She's immortal, requires human hearts for sustenance, and everything her mother and "uncle" ever told her is a lie. Rescued from lockup by her "uncle" and dropped into a finishing school for all Nightmare Born, she has to navigate a world she didn't even know existed.. and figure out who her REAL enemies are.
I was completely sucked in from the beginning. The world building is fascinating. I was completely engaged in trying to figure out who the "bad guys" were. Which of her sisters/fellow schoolmates were genuine? Was her vampire boyfriend (well, almost her boyfriend) on the level? Were the people running the school to be trusted? The author planted SO many red herrings that it was hard to figure out the answers to those questions.
I hope that this is going to become a series; while the main story arcs in this book wrapped up in a (mostly) satisfying way, I wanted to scream at the end. It was left open for a sequel and dammit I wanted to actually SEE her enact the plan announced at the end. But overall, I highly recommend for anyone who loves urban fantasy.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The short version: Ordinary girl snaps and ends up killing - and eating the heart of - the bully she's kind-of-sort-of crushing on. Whoops. Guess no one bothered to tell her that she's not exactly human. She's one of the many, many daughters of the King of Nightmares. She's immortal, requires human hearts for sustenance, and everything her mother and "uncle" ever told her is a lie. Rescued from lockup by her "uncle" and dropped into a finishing school for all Nightmare Born, she has to navigate a world she didn't even know existed.. and figure out who her REAL enemies are.
I was completely sucked in from the beginning. The world building is fascinating. I was completely engaged in trying to figure out who the "bad guys" were. Which of her sisters/fellow schoolmates were genuine? Was her vampire boyfriend (well, almost her boyfriend) on the level? Were the people running the school to be trusted? The author planted SO many red herrings that it was hard to figure out the answers to those questions.
I hope that this is going to become a series; while the main story arcs in this book wrapped up in a (mostly) satisfying way, I wanted to scream at the end. It was left open for a sequel and dammit I wanted to actually SEE her enact the plan announced at the end. But overall, I highly recommend for anyone who loves urban fantasy.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 17, 2020
Nightmare Born by Jenny Trout is book one in her new YA PNR Series.
Iris is a heroine I fell in love with right from the start. I love her no-filter, quirky sense of humor. I love that she's in the spectrum, it makes her more lovable, honest to a fault character I very easily could connect with. NB is one of these books I want to read again and again sitting on the edge of my seat, read it in one sitting from cover to cover.
The author masterfully introduced me to an irresistible world with a fast paced, action packed, high on drama story that I simply couldn't resist. The twists and unexpected turns kept me in suspense the whole time.
I love the storyline, the excellent writing and the beautifully thought out and beautifully told story of Iris and her fellow comrades.
I highly recommend this wonderful book and can't wait for the next installment.
Iris is a heroine I fell in love with right from the start. I love her no-filter, quirky sense of humor. I love that she's in the spectrum, it makes her more lovable, honest to a fault character I very easily could connect with. NB is one of these books I want to read again and again sitting on the edge of my seat, read it in one sitting from cover to cover.
The author masterfully introduced me to an irresistible world with a fast paced, action packed, high on drama story that I simply couldn't resist. The twists and unexpected turns kept me in suspense the whole time.
I love the storyline, the excellent writing and the beautifully thought out and beautifully told story of Iris and her fellow comrades.
I highly recommend this wonderful book and can't wait for the next installment.
January 26, 2021
I loved everything about this book. Malachi is my new book boyfriend. I want to be friends with Iris. I couldn't stop reading this book. I had to put it down and make myself go to sleep. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
June 23, 2021
Holy shit, you guys, this is incredibly entertaining. I don't actually laugh out loud all that often while I'm reading, but I legitimately cackled at the end of the opening chapter when our protagonist tears the still-beating heart from the chest of a popular dickhead who has been bullying her, and then takes a big ole bite of it. Turns out she's not human! From there she's whisked off to one of those magical academies one finds in fantasy, this time for the Nightmare Born, or the daughters of the King of Nightmares.
Her adjustment to life in her new reality is pretty bumpy, partially because the administration of the school sucks in that impersonally callous and personally cruel way of entrenched power systems, and partially because she's autistic. What she's dealing with is a whole lot even for people who don't have to constantly mask. I also appreciated how torn up she continued to be about the aforementioned heart consumption. She doesn't just shake off the guilt and horror of such an act because she discovers it was legitimately not her fault.
I'm sure there's some stuff I could nitpick about this book -- like the pacing is a little uneven -- but the cincher for why I loved Nightmare Born? The real villain of the piece ended up being white grievance, something which I find a whole lot scarier than vampires. Shudder.
Her adjustment to life in her new reality is pretty bumpy, partially because the administration of the school sucks in that impersonally callous and personally cruel way of entrenched power systems, and partially because she's autistic. What she's dealing with is a whole lot even for people who don't have to constantly mask. I also appreciated how torn up she continued to be about the aforementioned heart consumption. She doesn't just shake off the guilt and horror of such an act because she discovers it was legitimately not her fault.
I'm sure there's some stuff I could nitpick about this book -- like the pacing is a little uneven -- but the cincher for why I loved Nightmare Born? The real villain of the piece ended up being white grievance, something which I find a whole lot scarier than vampires. Shudder.
June 28, 2019
I enjoyed this quite a bit. A realistic and well-written heroine who is authentically autistic in a wildly imaginative plot. I will certainly read the sequel!
November 8, 2020
Fluffy fun in the tradition of Twilight and Harry Potter. Great to curl up with, spotted one plot twist coming a mile off.
Down to 3 stars due to open ending. Yes I'm harsh.
Down to 3 stars due to open ending. Yes I'm harsh.
January 24, 2022
The only issue for me with this book is that at times I felt the heroine was either too young or too old for whatever what going on at the time. I guess that's typical of the teenage years.
November 12, 2020
You know how I know this book was good? Because I turned the last page and screeched because I wanted book two right that second.
NIGHTMARE BORN is a unique and enthralling YA fantasy novel about Iris, a teenager with autism who finds out (rather gruesomely) that her father is none other than the King of Nightmares. Thus throwing her into the confusing, wily, and lonely journey of enrolling in a boarding school full of other Nightmare Born and learning about her ancestry and her talents.
The thing I loved most about this book (to absolutely no one’s surprise) was the romance between Iris and Malachi. 1) They’re both sexually fluid, 2) Malachi is genuinely so sweet to Iris but we can see that he desires her, and 3) Iris is both coming into her own and a woman and as someone who is able to be loved. It’s beautiful!
Overall, I just really enjoyed the world building, the themes, and the twists and turns this novel took! I’m giving it four stars because I’m genuinely so excited to see where the next one takes us and I feel like I need to leave room for growth!
Definitely check this book out if you’re in the mood for some heart pumping action, sweet steam, and a surprising amount of #girlpower. 4 very happy Stars ⭐️ for NIGHTMARE BORN!
NIGHTMARE BORN is a unique and enthralling YA fantasy novel about Iris, a teenager with autism who finds out (rather gruesomely) that her father is none other than the King of Nightmares. Thus throwing her into the confusing, wily, and lonely journey of enrolling in a boarding school full of other Nightmare Born and learning about her ancestry and her talents.
The thing I loved most about this book (to absolutely no one’s surprise) was the romance between Iris and Malachi. 1) They’re both sexually fluid, 2) Malachi is genuinely so sweet to Iris but we can see that he desires her, and 3) Iris is both coming into her own and a woman and as someone who is able to be loved. It’s beautiful!
Overall, I just really enjoyed the world building, the themes, and the twists and turns this novel took! I’m giving it four stars because I’m genuinely so excited to see where the next one takes us and I feel like I need to leave room for growth!
Definitely check this book out if you’re in the mood for some heart pumping action, sweet steam, and a surprising amount of #girlpower. 4 very happy Stars ⭐️ for NIGHTMARE BORN!
November 10, 2020
This book grabbed me and kept me going. It's a fabulous YA read with plenty of angst, mystery, and an very interesting world.
This is perfect for people looking for something different than a YA Paranormal Romance, this book definitely has it. From children born from nightmares to schools for girls that teach magic (let's not talk about the zombie raves), the story weaves an intricate tale of witchy intrigue, and royal court plots. Often there are more questions than answers, but the plot itself wraps up nicely without frustration or any holes.
The only thing I want to know -- when is The Queen of Hell coming?
This is perfect for people looking for something different than a YA Paranormal Romance, this book definitely has it. From children born from nightmares to schools for girls that teach magic (let's not talk about the zombie raves), the story weaves an intricate tale of witchy intrigue, and royal court plots. Often there are more questions than answers, but the plot itself wraps up nicely without frustration or any holes.
The only thing I want to know -- when is The Queen of Hell coming?
June 13, 2019
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this book, mostly because of the autistic protagonist, Iris! It was fun to read a book with a neurodivergent protagonist which wasn't "about" their diagnosis. Not to say that being Iris autistic didn't affect anything - the author also wove in small details showing how being autistic affected Iris' reactions to and perspective on events. The main drawbacks for me were that I didn't get a strong sense of the day to day aspects of the world, for example I'd have loved some more scenes set during lessons, and the other characters weren't as fleshed out as Iris. But I read it week by week and every chapter left me looking forward to the next, and I will definitely be reading the sequel!
I enjoyed this book, mostly because of the autistic protagonist, Iris! It was fun to read a book with a neurodivergent protagonist which wasn't "about" their diagnosis. Not to say that being Iris autistic didn't affect anything - the author also wove in small details showing how being autistic affected Iris' reactions to and perspective on events. The main drawbacks for me were that I didn't get a strong sense of the day to day aspects of the world, for example I'd have loved some more scenes set during lessons, and the other characters weren't as fleshed out as Iris. But I read it week by week and every chapter left me looking forward to the next, and I will definitely be reading the sequel!
May 8, 2019
A really fun romp in YA paranormal with a believable romantic subplot. Nightmare Born is a really refreshing take on the supernatural world, and the only drawback being that I wanted more of it! Iris is a great protagonist, an autistic teen who has the best snark and pushes boundaries, and I enjoyed being in her head.
This book is worth all the coins on Radish. Looking forward to having a paperback one day.
This book is worth all the coins on Radish. Looking forward to having a paperback one day.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews