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Nightmare

by Robin Parrish (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 274 ratings · 57 reviews

Ghost Town is the hottest amusement park in the country, offering state-of-the-art chills and thrills involving the paranormal. The park's main ride is a haunted mansion that promises an encounter with a real ghost.
When Maia Peters visits during her senior year of college, she's not expecting to be impressed. Maia grew up as the only child of a pair of world-renowned "gho...more

Paperback, 347 pages

Published July 1st 2010 by Bethany House Publishers (first published June 7th 2010)

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Dec 29, 2010 Kita rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-teen, booooooring, id-like-that-part-of-my-life-back

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book definetly wasn't what I expected at first. I thought it was just another kids hunt down ghosts-kids tamper with forces too powerful for their control-kids suffer with the added twist that one of them was an expert. I was very delighted that it had something more.

The flashbacks were easily the most interesting parts of the story to me. Although not scary, I've always been interested in hauntings so it was nice to see smart characters react realistically without going out of hand.

The pre...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-copy

Review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MOVYJN...=
My blog: http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

I was pretty sure before I even started Nightmare that I would enjoy it - none of Robin Parrish's books that I've read so far have disappointed me. In fact, Corridor and Vigilante are two of my favorite books and I loved the Dominion Trilogy when I read it years ago!!

Nightmare was really weird - in a good way! I don't know if I've ever read a book that went into so many details about ghost...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Sassychassy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: epub

I am a huge fan of Ghost Hunters on the sci-fy channel so I LOVED the flashbacks of their investigations. I thought they were very well described and seemed to be realistic based on what I have heard of the locations they visited.
The present parts of the story almost seemed disjointed. And almost like just filler. The real story of what was happening with the missing students was so unrealistic and science fictiony , that it took away from the rest of the story. it was very "Scooby Doo" and for...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sunday, October 17, 2010
Nightmare
A Novel
Robin Parrish
2010
Bethany House Publishers
Fiction/Suspense

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

Maia Peters knows more than she really cares to know about the paranormal, as the child of a famous husband and wife ghost hunting team, she has seen the paranormal up close and personal. And she personally wants nothing to do with it. She wants to make her own way in criminal justice, and forensic science and is paying her way through college to study those subjects.
A trip to...more

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Aug 31, 2010 Cafelilybookreviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to the recommendation of my friend and fellow reviewer ClickingHerHeels, I became very interested in reading Nightmare by Robin Parrish.

See how powerful “word of mouth” can be?

I have to be perfectly honest and tell you that if I would have encountered this book on a shelf at the bookstore or library, I likely would have judged the book by its cover and walked on by.

Generally, I am not interested in paranormal books and I REALLY don’t enjoy being spooked or freaked out so if I had gone w...more

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Jul 06, 2010 Jennifer AlLee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Do you believe in ghosts? Your perspective might change after you read Nightmare. In his latest novel, Robin Parrish introduces us to Maia Peters, the college-age daughter of two world-known paranormal investigators. Although Maia used to investigate with her parents, she wants to break away from the family business. But Jordin, a rich classmate with her own reasons for wanting to touch the other side, pulls her back in, putting both of them in a kind of danger they never thought possible.

Parris...more Do you believe in ghosts? Your perspective might change after you read Nightmare. In his latest novel, Robin Parrish introduces us to Maia Peters, the college-age daughter of two world-known paranormal investigators. Although Maia used to investigate with her parents, she wants to break away from the family business. But Jordin, a rich classmate with her own reasons for wanting to touch the other side, pulls her back in, putting both of them in a kind of danger they never thought possible.

Parrish starts the book off with a bang when Maia discovers a real ghost in what's supposed to be an amusement park attraction. He then takes us back to the year before when Maia first meets Jordin. The book continues in this fashion, alternating between the present day search for Jordin and the past "ghost hunts" Jordin and Maia went on together.

Kudos to Bethany House for the graphic presentation of the novel. Rather than put the flashback sections in italics (which I've seen more times than I can count), they made the physical look of these pages different. This makes it extremely easy to keep track of what time period you're in... and it looks cool, too.

I was immediately drawn to this book and found it hard to put down. For me, the flashbacks moved the fastest and were the most engrossing. The present day sections slowed down a bit and stretched the boundaries of believability (even for a supernatural novel). While I found Maia's prickly personality slightly irritating at first, she grew on me. Like many real-life people, you have to spend some time with Maia to understand and appreciate her, making her a very realistic character.

Nightmare is the kind of book that gets people talking. From the online chatter I've seen so far, the conversation is broken into two groups: those who applaud Parrish for his bold, outside-the-box novel, and those who think Nightmare's subject matter is not appropriate for Christians. As a person who used to live above a mortuary and grew up hearing stories about my grandparents hanging out with Bela Lugosi, I have my own personal take on ghost stories. While I do believe that spiritual phenomenon exists, I'm not afraid of it. (I also wouldn't go looking for it, but that's a whole other subject.) As Parrish emphasizes, the blood of Christ is far more powerful than any paranormal activity. Readers who stick with the book to the end should be pleased with the outcome. I know I was. And I look forward to whatever Parrish comes up with next.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.(less)

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Aug 20, 2011 Daniel Osborn rated it 4 of 5 stars

A really good book for those who are interested in the paranormal and research dealing with hauntings. You can tell there is a lot of research that went into this. I am a fan of the paranormal shows and this deals with a girl whose parents have a show. Her mom is a catholic and father an atheist. A girl by the name of Jordin wants Maia to take her to all these haunted places and be her tour guide. A lot of paranormal things happen and suddenly Jordin dissapears. Derek Jordins fiance goes with Ma...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, e-books

This easily could have been 4 stars or better, but otherwise is a good horror novel. This is a ghost story that has a lot of good things going for it. It is well written, tight, and suspenseful. Parrish does a nice job of bringing some back story into this one as the plot line moves forward. The story is about a young woman who happens to be the daughter of famous TV ghost hunters, being hired to show a friend the paranormal. It is very interesting that the haunted places that are talked about t...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, suzanne-s-2012-reading-challenge

This book starts out with Maia Peters, daughter of famous "ghost hunters", visiting a theme park called Ghost Town. She doesn't expect to be impressed, because she has been on investigations all her life with her parents and has seen far scarier things than she figures the haunted house at Ghost Town can throw at her. However, when she sees the very real ghost of Jordin Cole, a girl she knows from school who disappeared recently, she knows something is terribly wrong and starts an investigation...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Justin Sherman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Maia Peters is trying to move on to another phase of her life after being involved for many years as the daughter of a ghost-hunting family of reality television fame. Her peaceful life in college, however, is interrupted by one Jordin Cole – a very rich, spoiled girl who offers to throw money at Maia for guided trips to reportedly haunted places. Much of the story involved how an unlikely friendship formed between the two girls as they hop all over the United States to reportedly haunted places...more Maia Peters is trying to move on to another phase of her life after being involved for many years as the daughter of a ghost-hunting family of reality television fame. Her peaceful life in college, however, is interrupted by one Jordin Cole – a very rich, spoiled girl who offers to throw money at Maia for guided trips to reportedly haunted places. Much of the story involved how an unlikely friendship formed between the two girls as they hop all over the United States to reportedly haunted places as diverse as the U.S.S. North Carolina and the Myrtles Plantation. However, it only takes reading the first chapter to discover that all of this is actually backstory. In the middle of all this ghosthunting, Jordin-the-spoiled-little-rich-girl, disappears.

Enter Derek, Jordin’s boyfriend who is completely her opposite. Derek is a pastor’s kid who has aspirations of being a pastor himself. As he and Maia hunt for Jordin, their completely different belief systems spark tension – but it is also the reason they are actually able to locate her in the quite interesting conclusion.

I have mixed feelings about the framework of this story. It sort of works, and it sort of doesn’t. The story of Maia and Jordin interchanges with each chapter with the story of how Maia and Derek team up to search for Jordin. My thought was that the author did this to create tension, and it sort of works for me because I found myself very eager to find out exactly how Jordin disappears, and the whole “mystery” of why she is so passionate about going on the ghost hunts in the first place. What didn’t work in this particular story was that I became a bit confused at times because the story of Maia and Derek was the present-day story. Mr. Parrish used in medias race at the start of many of these chapters (putting the characters in the thick of the action while having to give some backstory about how the characters found themselves in that situation). Because the chapters were mixed already with showing us what happened in the past with Maia and Jordin, this sometimes left me a little disjointed and confused as the reader. Also, there was a bit of deux ex machina in how the wicked Durham Holdings International was involved with the whole thing.

Not that I didn’t like this story. I gave it 4 stars, in fact! I loved the story of how Maia and Jordin sort of bonded, and I loved the descriptions of the different “haunted” sites. In fact, I live close to the Myrtles, and now I have to go! I also applaud Mr. Parrish for his braveness in tackling the subject of “ghosts” in light of Christianity. While many Christians are taught that ghosts do not exist, and that any identification of such is, in fact, a demon, Mr. Parrish leaves this to the reader to sort out. This story made me think well beyond the reading of it. In fact, I found myself exploring passages of the Bible about this subject, and any story that nudges me back to the Good Book is a winner!

Some minor critiques: Maia and Derek, as you would think by being on the opposite ends of their belief system, have some great discussions. However, a lot of their particular discussions lapse into soliloquy in the dialogue. I would have liked more repartee between them in the dialogue. Also, when Maia visited her parents (the ghost-hunters), this was done largely backstage. Maia is so closed-minded at first in her relationship with Jordin, it would have been nice to kind of flesh out why – and in my mind that would entail discussions between Maia and the parents with whom she has tried to put a little distance.

Again, I really liked this book very much and will be seeking more from Mr. Parrish. He is willing to tackle tough subjects for Christians, and to do it in a way that could nudge you closer in your relationship with Him.
(less)

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Jul 06, 2010 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Molly by: CFBA

Shelves: book-review

Having had what some people call a "paranormal" experience when I was just a little girl, as well as having a family friend who was staying with us for a time who had one too, I was anxious to read this new book, Nightmare, by a new-to-me author. I've heard lots of good things about this book and was excited to try something by him. He has got an awesome talent for immediately capturing the reader with an interesting beginning.

It was definitely interesting reading about Maia, daughter of "ghost...more

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Jul 06, 2010 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nightmare by Robin Parrish is a terrifying look at the dark side of ghost hunters. Maia Peters is well-known as the daughter of famous paranormal investigators aka ghost hunters. She's tried to separate herself from the fame gained from their television show by enrolling in Columbia University for a career in law enforcement. She's tried to stay away from the hunt, but when wealthy and also famous fellow student Jordin Cole offers her an enormous sum to teach her how to investigate, Maia can't t...more Nightmare by Robin Parrish is a terrifying look at the dark side of ghost hunters. Maia Peters is well-known as the daughter of famous paranormal investigators aka ghost hunters. She's tried to separate herself from the fame gained from their television show by enrolling in Columbia University for a career in law enforcement. She's tried to stay away from the hunt, but when wealthy and also famous fellow student Jordin Cole offers her an enormous sum to teach her how to investigate, Maia can't turn it down. The two young women visit several popular famous haunted spots, but the evidence they find is far more than the usual investigation would turn up. Eventually they part, but when Maia visits a haunted house tourist attraction, a ghost who looks exactly like Jordin says to her "The nightmare is coming." She's shaken by the experience, but even more so when Jordin's fiance shows up with the information that Jordin has been missing for weeks. Maia may be the only one who can find her, but when she is threatened herself, it becomes a fight for her life as well. After reading Parrish's previous novel, Offworld, I immediately added him to my must-read list. I didn't even read the blurb about this title before ordering it, because I knew anything from Parrish would be amazing, and this title more than lived up to my preconceptions. While some readers will be angry with him for not denouncing ghost-hunting more fervently, I think he raises some valid and fascinating points about the reality of ghosts in the world. He doesn't romanticize the hunt, anyone who wants to attempt it after reading Maia and Jordin's blood-curdling experiences is out of their mind! Parrish knows how to truly terrify. I couldn't sleep until finishing it, and even then had to turn on every light in the house to get to the bathroom! Parrish is a pioneer in Christian fiction, refusing to toe the line as to what the genre looks like while creating compelling and intriguing stories with fully fleshed characters. I hope this isn't the last we see of Maia Peters, along with Jordin, Derek and Pierre.(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Mya Murphy rated it 3 of 5 stars

It started out as a pretty good read, but then as time went on, Nightmare got dumber and dumber.
I typically love ghosts and all supernatural books, but this was a dud for me.

I loved seeing real pics of real haunted places. I'd rate this part a 5!!! Then it got to the warehouse part... Then it went nuts...a real live demon, bodies being kidnapped and their souls being sapped from their bodies and put in a machine. Like, wth???

I loved the characters, but was confused about what part the reporter...more

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May 16, 2012 Tracy Walters rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was great when it was telling the escapades of Jordin and Maia thru several of the most haunted places in the world.....it even had a few pics that showed the creepy buildings which was fun and helped to make the reader visualize the adventures more realistically.

Then people started disappearing and that was even a bit intriguing because strange supernatural things were happening to Maia and Derek, Jordin's fiance which helped the story to feel like 'maybe' this could really happen......more

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Aug 17, 2010 Tia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghosts

This book was different. I almost felt like it was several books crammed into one. When the book started out I felt like I was reading a Young Adult novel. The book was listed as Inspirational at my library but I didn't feel it fit well into this category. It reminded me of the book "Never Let Me Go". It was a combination of novel, short story, scary, sci-fi. I felt a little like I was being pulled in all directions. The ending was not my cup of tea. My favorite parts of the book were the chapte...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Mark A Powell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maia Peters is no stranger to the paranormal, but heightened activity leads her latest investigation beyond the veil of life itself. Although fictional, Parrish’s work spurs thought about paranormal activity and—more importantly—the nature of the human soul. Dialogue (especially theological dialogue) is notoriously tricky to write, and while Parrish doesn’t quite capture its nuances, he makes a better effort than most to avoid sounding heavy-handed or forced. An entertaining read from a burgeoni...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Frances rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, novel, owned, ebook, fantasy, mystery

Alright. First the good; this is interesting. The premise is new, the meshing of current events with past investigations flows and manages to advance the story smoothly. It was a fast and enjoyable read, and I was actively curious to find out what's going on. The ending felt a bit abrupt; the tone shifted from investigative to... faintly stylized? Symbolic?

I'm not counting it as a horror novel; the driving force behind the story seems to be investigation and mystery. Given the supernatural eleme...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars
The saving graces of this book are the chapters on all of the haunted locations across the country. Those tend to play out like isolated events, however, and the story on the whole, while supernatural in nature, was too far-fetched. When it comes down to it, the real flaw in the book is the resolution. It was so conveniently wrapped up and tied with a little rebar bow that the conflict that played out through the story seemed very over-exaggerated. I felt none of the suspense that had b...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fright junkies

Excerpt:”Welcome to paranormal investigation. Hours of tedium, punctuated with seconds of skin-peeling terror. Just how it is.”

Ghost Town with its state-of-the-arts thrills and chills and own brand of controversy is one of the most frequently visited amusement park in America. So when Maia Peter, daughter of famous paranormal investigators, agreed to go with her senior classmates, she knows what to expect: Nothing. She had plenty of ethereal experiences to get spooked by a fun house. But isn’t e...more

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Nov 15, 2010 TinasBookReviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: inspy

Maia Peters has grown up chasing the paranormal, along with her parents who are world famous ghost hunters. Haunted places are like second nature to Maia- but after years of living in the shadows, Maia wants a change and decides on college hoping for a new career and disguising her looks as well.

Jordin Cole is extremely wealthy and very interested in the paranormal world. She needs a ghost hunter and fast. After discovering who Maia is she begins hounding her for help, she offers a high payday a...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Leenu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 04, 2011 Bridget R. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, christian-fiction, wtf-trainwreck, two-star, characters-flat

Okay...I'm giving this one two stars.

I don't like many "insprational" books but when I saw this at a Christian bookstore I thought it sounded interesting so I'd give it a try.

The flashbacks were the best part of the whole book. Really, the thing with demons stealing people's souls was rediculous. The story had potential but then something happened and it went downhill.

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Jan 14, 2011 Joe Hempel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 100-books-in-2011

Well, what can I say, you visit all kinds of famous Haunted locations in this book on a paramormal journey, while exploring the reason why someone went missing....but it really turns out kind of hokey....I enjoyed the book, the ending pretty much made me go....whatever. Maybe I expected to much from a ghost story, but I think I wanted a better payoff.

4-stars for the journey though

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Feb 21, 2013 Ria Tumimomor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Awalnya gue suka baca buku ini karena memang penggemar cerita hantu... Tapi di tengah dan di akhir rada gak jelas masalahnya itu apa yah sebenarnya?
Gue paling suka sih bagian2 yang mereka ghost hunting di tempat2 yg terkenal banyak hantunya. Tapi ending-nya aneh... dan masih gak menjelaskan inti masalah yang terjadi pada tokoh-tokohnya.

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Jan 19, 2011 Sommer Marsden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm giving it a 3.75 but marking it a 4 since no fractions are allowed! I totally adored this book and the writing. The only reason it's not a straight up four for me is it was a bit too neat and tied with a ribbon at the end. A less 'perfect' ending would have felt more realistic to me. But overall, a great read and a new author for me to look out for on the shelves.

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Nov 19, 2011 Jordyn Redwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book from Robin Parrish. Intersting premise. Loved the way the novel was structured between present and past. Felt like I learned a lot of interesting facts about the paranormal yet with the persepective of a Christian worldview.

I would have given this book a 5/5 had it not been for a medical issue I couldn't get past that pulled me from the story-- my curse for being a nurse. However, a person not involved with medicine would likely not pick up on it and it wouldn't detract...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Armchairdreamer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

A very engrossing read! I was able to finish this book in a day. The author's story brought up some thought provoking questions about one's soul and what happens when one dies. I liked what one of the characters said at the end of the book to the question of what happens when we die. She answered it with another question..."What happens when we live?"

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Dec 10, 2012 Sandra Peut rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was seriously creepy (ie I looked under my bed before I hopped in that night!). The author has well-researched the area of the paranormal, even lending some believability to the action-charged supernatural ending. Don't read this book while you're home alone in a storm. :)

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Jan 13, 2011 Imalady rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, could-not-finish

Really really dry reading. I liked the idea of the book, but was extremely boring to read through. I didn't care for the 'debates' between Derek and Maia over religion and the paranormal or the huge blocks of text explaining things. The premise wasn't nearly interesting enough.

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May 11, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

I went back and forth between 3 or 4 stars on this one. I finally settled on three because although I quite enjoyed reading it I probably won't remember it a hundred books from now. I liked the book because it was different. The writing was smooth and it was suspenseful. The ending seemed maybe a little rushed and I kind of wondered how we got there... but it was an enjoyable read. It reminded me of Three by Ted Dekker. Not because of the story line but because of the pacing of the book. Definit...more

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About Robin Parrish

"Robin Parrish is a keen-eyed, passionate pop cultural savant,
whose writing is as incisive and insightful as it is entertaining."
- Allan Heinberg, Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy

Novelist. Journalist. Pop culture guru.

Just a few words to describe Robin Parrish, a culturally-minded writer with a passion for archetypal mythologies and the truths they represent about the nature of our existence.

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