Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz (3/5 stars)

The final book in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. This book was a good read and good conclusion to the series. I didn't think it was as good as the previous books though. This book didn't have nearly the suspense elements of the previous books.

In this book Stacey is at college and rooming with Amber. After Jacob's death she is fighting to not succumb completely to depression, when she starts having nightmares again. The president of the university contacts her and wants her to help his daughter Porscha, who also has strange dreams about death that are driving her crazy. Stacey's dream are hinting that maybe if she can help Porscha than she can save another boy's life; why does Stacey get the feeling this all has something to do with Jacob?

This was an easy read, a well-written book, and a nice conclusion to the series. That being said I was a little disappointed with the book in general. This book never had the creepiness of the previous books. In fact there weren't really many horror elements at all. There was a little mystery but not nearly to the degree of the previous books. As for the chapters alternating between Stacey and the mysterious Shell; I figured out the part that Shell would play in the story right in the beginning and was disappointed to find out I was right. I kind of felt like Stolarz was sick of writing this series and just wanted to wrap it up in the quickest way possible; and in a way that would leave her readers happy and not disgruntled.

This was a fine conclusion to the series but I really felt like Stolarz didn't put much into the story; she is extraordinary at writing creepy horror scenes but she kind of skipped out on that for this book. I was just so disappointed. Should you read the book? Well you kind of have to given how "Silver is for Secrets" left us all completely hanging mid-scene. Will I read more books by Stolarz after reading this series? Probably not. Although it would be interesting for her to do a couple books about Porscha.

Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz (3/5 stars)

I seem to be stuck in a mediocre book rut. This is the third book I have read that falls into the "It was just okay" category. I read the first two books in this series and really liked them. So far I think this was the weakest of the three.

In this book Stacey and her friends are celebrating graduation by spending the summer at a beach house. When they meet one of their neighbors, Clara, Stacey starts having premonitions that she believes are of Clara's death. As with the first couple books Stacey is racing against the clock to solve the mystery behind Clara before Stacey's dreams come true.

This book wasn't nearly as suspenseful or creepy as the first two. It was still engaging but didn't have the drive the first two books did. The vast majority of this book is focused on the characters not trusting each other and the girls being pissed because they think their guys are cheating on them. Of course, god forbid the characters talk to each other instead of whine. The whole keeping of secrets between Jacob and Stacey is bizarre and went against their characters completely.

I won't put any spoilers in but this book is not at all wrapped up like the first two. It definitely leaves you hanging in the middle of the story. I disliked the change in pattern from the first couple books and thought it was annoying. I mean really was Stolarz worried about the last book selling?

If you are really into the series I would read this book but just know that it is the weakest of the set so far...

White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz (4/5 stars)

This is the second book in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Stolarz. I thought that this book was a bit better than the first book. This book does follow in the same vein as the first book in that is weaves creepy story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing.

It is the start of the new school year and Stacey is having nightmares again. Only for reason these nightmares are about people who have died in her past. Stacey figures out that this time it is her life on the line and a creepy stalker is out to get her.

This is once again a skillfully woven story. It is full of suspense and is very creepy. There is some magic woven in in the form of Stacey's visions and her practicing magic. There were some things that I thought were improved over the first book. While the Wiccan rituals are still very much a part of the book, I didn't think they distracted from the story this time. I also thought the inclusion of Jacob was wonderful; he is a great character and keeps the story interesting.

The story was still kind of over-creepy for me; very teen horror movie without all of the gore.

This book could be read as a stand alone book; although I think it would make more sense to you if you read the first book in the series (Blue is for Nightmares).

Good book; I look forward to reading the next book Silver is for Secrets.

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz (4/5 stars)

This is the first book in the Blue is for Nightmares series; so far there are 4 books in this series. This book was kind of a cross between a mystery and a teen horror flick with a paranormal bent to it. It was a suspenseful and creepy novel that was hard to put down and had a number of surprising twists to it that left me unable to stop reading.

The book is written from the viewpoint of Stacey Brown. Stacey is a practicing Wiccan who has the ability to see the future. Exactly what Stacey's powers are and the consistency of her powers is kind of a mystery, even to her. She starts having nightmares about her best friend Drea being killed by someone. Last time Stacey had nightmares like this someone died. Stacey lives at a boarding school and as such there is a lot of teen angst going on; people are worried about homework and boyfriends more than anything. When Drea starts receiving strange messages from her supposed killer; Drea and Stacey don't know who to trust anymore.

This was kind of your typical teen read, it was well-written and easy to read. Stolarz does an exceptional job of building the mystery and suspense throughout the story. I found myself suspecting a number of different characters of being the stalker but couldn't figure out which one it was until the end. This story was nicely tied up at the end; you wouldn't need to read the rest of the books in the series to enjoy this one.

I had a couple small complaints. The first is that the Wiccan rituals (magic) that Stacey performs are detailed with excruciating detail. I imagine this took a lot of time to research on Stolarz's part. Initially these details are very interesting, but as the story continues I feel that the amount of page space that is lent to detailing these rituals starts to take away from the story. Many times I found myself skimming through these details because they just didn't pertain to the story that much. I also found Stacey's friends easy acceptance of all of the strange things Stacey does to be a little odd, but maybe not that out of place for a young teenage girl.

The second small complaint is a personal issue I have, the story was just a bit too creepy for me. I am not really all that into scary stories, I get nightmares from them. This definitely isn't the creepiest story I've read but it is up there in creepiness...so if you have problems with scary horror stories I would skip this one. This book is definitely more teen horror than it is a paranormal mystery.