Nightmare in Savannah Review

 

Characters from left to right: Alexa, Chloe, Skye, and Fae

Rating: 2.5/5

Synopsis: After rebuilding her life in Savannah, Alexa joins a clique of girls at her new high school who turns out to be more mysterious and eerie than expected.

 

My Thoughts:  As a little caveat, this review will be messier than usual since I had a hard time downloading and scrolling through my ARC copy due to a hefty few technical issues that made the reading experience more lengthy and lethargic, only amplifying some of the problems I have with this book.

Plot and Pacing (2.5/5) – The outcast new kid on the block trope at play here isn’t particularly unique, but I liked how the protagonist quickly found a group she fitted into instead of getting bullied for most of the story. However, I thought the friend group was introduced too soon which seemed to defeat the point of even bringing up Alexa’s parents’ criminal history as a catalyst as it never becomes a center of conflict afterward. These rushed-over aspects extend over to the entire volume’s pacing as the plot kept jumping from one point to another which made the overarching conflict pretty confusing. There were pages of factoids interspersed throughout to explain the lore but it mostly just broke the immersion for me and would have been better suited if placed at the beginning or end of the story.

Characters (2.8/5) – Due to the rocky pacing, the cast’s characterizations felt underdeveloped which is more disappointing considering how interesting some of them were such as the MC Alexa herself, her grandfather, and Fae. The budding romance between Alexa and Skye was cute though and did play a decently good role in the plot.

Art (5/5) – This is the only category in which I would grade above average due to how distinctive it was. Namely, I loved the predominantly purple/violet color scheme mixed with black backgrounds which successfully sold the creepy, supernatural overtone the series is aiming for. The same can be said for the expressive and diverse character expressions and fashion choices. Meanwhile, the composition did a convincing job in evoking certain moods, an example of which being the fragmented panels during the eerier scenes which evokes an uncanny dreamy quality. More specifically, the campfire party scene was an apt demonstration of this.

 

Final Thoughts: Nightmare in Savannah was no nightmare to finish quality-wise, but it sure was no trick-or-treater’s delight either though I might give the second volume a chance if there is one. However, if you’re a fan of YA supernatural tales, perhaps the art might make up for the wonky plotting.

 

Thanks to Maverick and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.