Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Book Review: The Nightmare Keeper by Vienna James

 

Book Description

In a world where the unknown is feared and persecuted, a gifted dream wielder fights against a terrifying conspiracy in an enthralling novel about nightmares gone wild.

Azalee Saunders is a dream wielder whose wellness magic calms a troubled night’s sleep. Her enemy since childhood, Gabriel Ford, is the grandson of the High Witch, Salem’s honored protector, and was raised to distrust all who share Azalee’s powers. But when Azalee saves Gabriel’s life, the life debt makes him a dream wielder too—a secret that could cost him succession to his grandfather’s reign.

For Azalee, fighting the dangerous myth that dream wielders stalk, unchecked, through strangers’ dreamscapes is vital. Especially as the public’s fears and bigotry escalate amid a string of murders in Salem. Azalee knows this is the work of Nightmares, whose mutated magic frightens people to death in their sleep. To prove it, she needs the help of an adversary. After all, Gabriel owes her big-time.

As the death toll rises, Azalee’s sacred gift and future are at stake, and she and Gabriel must work together. But for both of them, uncovering the truth and vanquishing the real evil in Salem will be a nightmare.


My Review

Azalee is a dream wielder, meaning she can go into a person's dreams and change them. The High Witch is against all dream wielder's though because one killed his wife many years ago and he's out to make sure they can't hurt anyone else. Gabriel is The High Witch's grandson, and he has no idea that his own grandson, Gabriel is now a dream wielder after a bad incident that happened. Azalee and Gabriel don't like each other, but Azalee saved Gabriel's life without thinking about it and now Gabriel owes her a life debt. 

When Nightmare's start becoming a problem, Azalee and her coven try to save the people or at the very least stop them from hurting others. A dream wielder can turn into a nightmare and hurt others. Someone is killing people in their dreams, and The High Witch thinks it's a dream wielder and is going to take what's happening to try and keep the dream wielders in a cage, so to speak. 

Gabriel and Azalee have to put their feelings for each other and work together to try and stop whoever is killing people and blaming it on a nightmare or dream wielder. 

The people who are locked up in the cells because they have turned into living nightmares was so sad. When one of them tries to tell Azalee something and help her figure who is behind it. It was interesting to see inside someone's nightmare. 

When I read the blurb for this and saw it was about dreams, nightmares and witches with the ability to go into others dreams, I knew I had to read this one. I suffer from nightmares all the time, so I found this really interesting. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.