The Nightmare Virus | Nadine Brandes

Hello all, and welcome!

I have waited so long for Nadine Brandes' new book, The Nightmare Virus to come to a library near me. Finally I got my hands on it!! If you have read my review of Nadine Brandes', Romanov, or seen my favorite books page, you will know that Brandes is one of my all-time favorite authors. Therefore, you can imagine how excited I was for her latest release. Also, if you know me well enough, you will understand that I don't buy books new unless I have read and loved them or received a gift card. (Thank you so much to Lindsey Z. from Books for Christian Girls for the gift card! I purchased beautiful copies of The Great Gatsby [I have not read it yet] and The Phantom of the Opera [A favorite]!) Anyway, I don't buy books new that I haven't read yet, so it took a long time for me to get a copy of The Nightmare Virus from a Minnesota library. However, I did get one, speed-read it in a few days, and promptly forgot to write a review. Sorry! Life has been incredibly busy, so thank you all for understand and hanging in there! But I am here now, so let's get into it!

(This review is spoiler-free)

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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?

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Okay, first, I need to talk about the cover:

Feast your eyes. This cover is absolutely beautiful, so intriguing, and wonderfully designed. Of course I can expect nothing less from Enclave Publishing; I have no idea how cover design is managed in relation to the publisher, but I do know that every book Enclave publish is gorgeous. I commend them and Emilie Haney for this lovely cover design. I do have some criticism, however. The arena depicted cover isn't quite accurate to the one in the book, and what are the pillars inside it? From my memory (which may not be totally accurate) those structures were never mentioned in the story. And as I look closer, some elements of the arena almost look, dare I say, generated by artificial intelligence? Also, not to nit-pick, but the silhouette is a little strange-looking, especially around the mouth area; but I digress. Over all, this is a beautiful cover and very fitting for the story it shelters.

If I were to explain the feel of this story by comparing it with others, I would say The Nightmare Virus can be captured by blending:

Big Hero 6 (hang with me)

Ready Player One (I know the main idea, but haven't seen it),

Gladiator

Maze Runner

Inception

And The Chronicles of Narnia

The Nightmare Virus is a mix of dystopian, sci-fi, and fantasy. The dystopian/sci-fi elements are prominent in the real world, and the fantasy comes into play whenever Cain enters the Nightmare.

Characters

It took me a while to like Cain's character, but he did grow on me. At the end, although he wasn't a top character I've read, I did like him. His progress through the book is really character-building— his development very impressive. I understand Nadine's reasoning behind naming him Cain, as skeptical as I was of the choice at first. The message in that name choice is quite beautiful.

I struggled to connect with Stranna, I didn't particularly like her character. However, that is entirely personal; not all personalities connect and Stranna and I were just not clicking. Overall, however, she was a good character, I would have liked to know more about her!

Crixus... he is a hard one! I bounced between like and dislike the whole time, which I believe is exactly what Nadine Brandes was going for. Crixus was extremely well-written, and I would love to hear more of his story. This is me asking Nadine for a book about Crixus!!! Please, I beg of you!

There were other side characters I really loved; Nadine always does well with her characters— giving them wonderful development and unique personalities with individual quirks, virtues, and vices. I have always appreciated Brandes' rejection of stereotypes and cookie-cutter characters.

Plot and setting

The premise of the book is so fascinating! Set in both a dystopian/plague ravaged world and Ancient Rome The Nightmare Virus puts a unique spin on most stories similar to it. The meshing of those two completely different worlds, and observing their relationship is quite intriguing. It does take some brain power to understand how the Nightmare and the real world mesh and all the elements that come along with that, but once understood it is so enjoyable and suspenseful. The ticking clock was perfect— nail-biting the whole way.

This may sound cliché, but I truly wish the book had been longer. I wanted to see Cain become more involved in the city within the Nightmare. Those who haven't read the book might not understand this part, and I don't want to reveal any spoilers. However, I would have liked to see Cain become more immersed in the world of the arena and the character of Icarus before the story progressed. There were moments where this had such potential, with the citizens' admiration for "Icarus," where he could have become more absorbed in that world— pulled in by it. Yet, Cain's detachment was probably intentional; he is a character who is unsure of the right path and remains undecided, so it does makes sense that he wouldn't be completely drawn into one world or another. Personally, I would have enjoyed the story more if he had been, though this is just my opinion.

The Nightmare Virus does take it's time gaining momentum before the plot snaps and takes off, but hang in there, don't get bored! It gets better as the action unfolds. This is the case for other Nadine Brandes books as well, particularly Romanov.

Biblical themes

I loved the allegory in The Nightmare Virus, and I'm sure I didn't catch all of it, but what I did understand was beautiful. I won't spoil it for you, but the themes of redemption, the fight between good and evil, child-like faith, salvation and Christ's love, omnipotence, guidance, and care were so rich and beautiful. I did struggle slightly with Cain's seemingly random mentions of his rocky relationship with God. That part did, at times, feel preachy and manufactured, but the allegory was excellently done.

“You serve the Creator, right?' She nods but seems anxious. 'So create with Him." ― Nadine Brandes, The Nightmare Virus

So now comes the time. There is a question to be answered.

Does The Nightmare Virus receive a place in my Most Excellent Library?

This is hard to say, but, no.

My personal rating is 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nightmare Virus has beautiful messages and I had a good time reading it, but I'm afraid that is all I gained. A good time. I wasn't glued to the pages, and my decision is influenced slightly by the fact that this is a hard genre for me to love anyway.

I wouldn't buy this new for myself, but if I found it second hand... it would be snatched up. I have no shame in saying this book would be on my shelf, just not in my Excellent Library.

But that's okay, they can't all be winners.

So here is to Nadine Brandes, who is still one of my favorite authors ever!

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear from you! What are you currently reading? Have you read any Nadine Brandes and if so, what did you think?

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Content warnings

Magic:

2.5/5

~In the nightmare there is “Nightmist magic” not deeply explored, but prominant. Some ~mythical creatures.

Language:

1/5

~Mentions of a character cursing. A few uses of childish language such as “stupid,” ~“blasted,” “idiot,” and “shut up.”

Romance:

2/5

Very minimal

~Holding hands, a kiss on the cheeks, a few passing thoughts, nothing prominent though.

Violence:

3.75/5

~Mentions of murder, stabbing, blood, and wounds.

~A characters throat is slit, not graphic

~Mentions of a sword piercing someone’s skull, not graphic

~Mentions of a cannibal tearing off skin of another character, not graphic

~Someone is eaten by a snake, not graphic

~People attempt to stone another character, semi-graphic

Other:

~Someone is referred to as a child slave labor trafficker

~Mention of a character killing himself in the Nightmare.