theliteraryapothecary's review
5.0
These books just keep getting better! Sleepwalking had great character development, a perfect plot, intriuge present all the way, and a setting and atmosphere that will keep you awake all night.
Initial Rating - 5 stars
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 10 - We get some new characters in Sleepwalking and each one is complex, even if we don't think they are at first. Each character, old and new, had their own intrigue about them, where we weren't sure who was good and who was bad, and who we could really trust until the end.
Atmosphere/Setting: 9 - Barnett nailed that small sleepy town setting perfectly. The atmosphere was creepy but also trying to be "normal" like the town was. I could feel the creepiness, the people sneaking up behind you, the terror, fear, etc.
Writing Style: 9.5 - Barnett gives you just what you need when you need it. Even though this was his "debut series", it read like a series written by a veteran, NY Times Bestseller.
Plot: 10 - I love how everything came full circle in this book. There were no loose ends. The Nightmareland Chronicle books (so far) feel like they can almost be read as standalones, if you want. Each one wraps up by the end and has its own storyline.
Intrigue: 9 - There was intrigue everywhere. Every single character we spent time with, intrigue and questions followed them. You never knew who to trust. Or what was happening or why.
Logic/Relationships: 8.5 - Again, everything made sense when it was supposed to. I loved seeing Mariah and Marcos's friendship develop.
Enjoyment: 10 - Just thinking on this book, I can easily say this has been my favorite of the series so far. I enjoyed it - as much as I can with a book that scares the living daylights out of me, and has me jumping when the neighbor's phone rings. It's rare for me to get jump scares with reading, but Barnett has done it at least 3 times now - one in each book... I never wanted to stop reading this - even late at night when I was alone in the dark.
CAWPILE Total - 66/7 = 9.4 = 5 stars
sleepyboi2988's review
5.0
If you just saw that image and went “Oh shit, it's gonna be one of those reviews again…” you guessed right! (Only you and a medical professional can guarantee if this review format is right for you. Please consult with your doctor before reading if you weren't IMMEDIATELY on board).
Buckle up buckaroos.
IT'S HERE BITCHES
This series immediately grabbed my attention after reading the first release (Short story? But not meant derogatorily). Coming off the second and the discovery of a young man to join their intrepid crew, I worried there would be a mid-series slump with the introduction of a teen. Heh. Hehh. Hehehhh. Hehehehehehehehe. Shame. Shame on me for even contemplating Daniel Barnett easing off the gas.
You. You sir…ahahaahahahaha. Are a fucking genius. Zero sarcasm, all the proverbial and metaphorical consensual dick suck.
Yes, you sir, Daniel Barnett, get TWO gifs. Just *Chefs Kiss*
At this point, when you maybe actually thought Barnett had teased more of what would become a creeping dread of horror at the beginning, and now you might want to settle in for the “slog” to get there? Oh! No. Oh! No, no, no, no dear reader did he not. He cranks a concept, already humming along nicely at 10,000 RPM, and completely blows past 11K well into the high 14 thousand.
His characters are so incredibly believable. Their actions are those of actual people in a LITERAL apocalypse. They're not always rational, they're not always dumb, they have strengths and weaknesses and succumb and rise. Just. Like. US.
Won't lie, with the introduction of a teen and the upping of the horror into an amazing climax (All the innuendo), I was worried he may cross some of my own personal boundaries.
I was a bit worried I may have to deuce out of the series if it went some places that I wasn't comfy with.
Barnett, much to my astonishment and amazement, did in fact up the horror to 14 without crossing a single one off my own small list of “Can't handle". If anything, this just furthers my amazement with what this author is able to do with so few words and pages. Again, any reference I make to the brevity of the books thus far is in fact an astounding compliment, not a negative. Daniel does in 140-250 pages what some horror authors can't do in 600-800.
I can't recommend this series enough, in fact, I am writing this review many days after I finished all the published works. That's how caught up in it, I was. I wanted it all, and I wanted it now (“And I don't care how,” I see you Metallica fans). This series takes horror, turns it mental and asks if it can make sweet love to you by the fire. If you give consent? Hoodoo that you do lovelies, the mental joys that await you within these pages.
No caption written, author of review still having aftershocks.
Sit down, strap in, apply the protective makeup and prepare to get made love to by horror.
storyphoria's review
5.0
***EDITING REVIEW AFTER FINISHING BOOK 5, CITY OF BLOOD, SINCE THE ONLY THING THAT PUT THIS AT 4.5 vs 5 STARS WAS THE SHORT, EPISODIC NATURE OF THESE BOOKS. CITY OF BLOOD BROUGHT THE SERIES INTO FOCUS AND WITH IT, A REALIZATION THAT THE SHORT, EPISODIC NATURE OF THESE FIRST 5 BOOKS WAS ESSENTIAL TO SETTING UP THE GRAND FINALE AS WELL AS TO ALLOWING US TO CONNECT WITH OUR CHARACTERS WITHOUT FEELING "DYSTOPIAN FATIGUE".***
4.5 stars
This is a book about the bond being formed between Marcos and Mariah and potentially the unborn child she may or may not be carrying.
This is a “Found Family” story happening in a crucible of perpetual nightmares and I’m so here for it!
Even though this series(due to the short nature of each book) is starting to have a little bit of that “Walking Dead” feel in which each season(in this case each book) is setting our characters at a point where they are taking two steps towards the larger goal and then being knocked back by some more pressing danger, it has it’s hooks in me and I couldn’t be happier.
4.5 stars
This is a book about the bond being formed between Marcos and Mariah and potentially the unborn child she may or may not be carrying.
This is a “Found Family” story happening in a crucible of perpetual nightmares and I’m so here for it!
Even though this series(due to the short nature of each book) is starting to have a little bit of that “Walking Dead” feel in which each season(in this case each book) is setting our characters at a point where they are taking two steps towards the larger goal and then being knocked back by some more pressing danger, it has it’s hooks in me and I couldn’t be happier.
ghostthereader's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
probably_reading_right_now's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was my favorite book in the series so far, and I really liked the others! This was all the story building that the last book was building up to. The characters all really added to the story. The way this book is portraying disability not as a hindrance or baggage, but actually as a strength was so well done and fun to read. The author has a way of really slowly revealing things, but making it so you have to Jeri reading to find out what’s next. This series is only getting better as I go on!
ashtheviking's review
4.0
Excellent continuation of the Nightmareland series which is probably the best horror I've read in a while. Very vivid and atmospheric while not shying from gore with a focus on building characters. I have never before liked the addition of a child in a horror but Marcos has changed that. A deaf child of illegal immigrants looking for his mother brought some of his pre-existing challenges into the apocalypse and he's stronger and more resilient for it. The human villains were a bit predictable and meh but generally this installment is an excellent escalation in stakes.
I can't wait for more John.
I can't wait for more John.
iremaltun's review
4.0
The storytelling in Sleepwalking is again masterful, and Daniel Barnett's descriptions are still very successful in making the reader part of the nightmare he is dragging John and Mariah into, as well as awakening new nightmares in one's mind.
I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 because it spends a lot of time on events and characters that won't make much of a difference in the end, so it drags a bit in the middle. Sleepwalking is the longest book in the series for now, and it's paying the price for it.
I think the star of this story is Marcus, He steals the show and makes a nice addition to John and Mariah's journey.
God, what a dark story. I love it.
I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 because it spends a lot of time on events and characters that won't make much of a difference in the end, so it drags a bit in the middle. Sleepwalking is the longest book in the series for now, and it's paying the price for it.
I think the star of this story is Marcus, He steals the show and makes a nice addition to John and Mariah's journey.
God, what a dark story. I love it.
annina12's review
I love the writing style but still something is just missing for me