Nightmare in Niceville

by Amberle Cianne

Lily Strykes is a typical teenage girl, who, along with her mother and younger sister, settles into a comfortably predictable lifestyle in the quiet little town of Niceville, Florida. But hidden in their past is something dark. A fun night out with friends takes an unexpected and terrifying turn as her previous life quickly catches up to her. Lily's routine but peaceful existence, as well as those of her family and friends, is turned upside down in a matter of hours when a figure from her violent past suddenly returns.

136 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Tanya Smart · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was no real character development, and a fairly large amount of unlikely events *Spoiler* Like: the bookstore owner telling employees one at a time about the break-in (Why? Why would anyone not just call a meeting?), family not being notified that husband/father died in prison, madman determined to get to Lily and her family detours from his quest to potentially rape two girls in the bathroom (it just doesn't fit).

Add to this, the dialogue and writing were just not fluid.

A bit of a disappointment.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew up near Niceville, and that’s the only reason I read this. It was one of worst books I’ve ever read and finished. Unbelievable characterizations and plot, and an experimental narrative structure that just didn’t work. By all means, visit the Niceville area (more like Destin if you’re a tourist), but skip this book.

[April (The Steadfast Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the sole reason that I picked up this title was because of the setting, as someone who is intimately acquainted with the greater Niceville metro area (ha!) of course I had to read it.

The problem, is that it's not very good. I grew up with Fear Street (which will always be superior to R.L. Stein's other series, Goosebumps) and Christopher Pike, admittedly it's been a (very) long time since I've read any of those novels but I remember them being better than this. Right down to the title and the cover this seems to be the genre that Cianne is attempting to tap into.

The story is painfully predictable and the characters fail to act with any semblance of realism in a horrific and terrifying situation. Some of the scenes made me a bit uncomfortable as striking too close to home in this age of mass shootings (though Cianne, wisely, chooses to keep guns out of the action). I think had the characters been fuller these scenes might not have been as uncomfortable as they were, but again, because of the lack of realism in the characters actions it seemed a bit ... opportunistic?

Funny personal side note. I wrote a NaNoWriMo novel this year and set it in Crestview, which is about fifteen miles north of Niceville. If I ever decide to share it with anyone other than my close friends I will rename the town, even though I feel like I have some great lines surrounding it. (Kill your darlings, as Stephen King advises.) So I am not completely unsympathetic in the 'writing what you know' thought process.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

My copy was provided to me by Netgalley.

This book was like a cheesy horror movie to me. It read like a movie to me and it was very predictable. Lily moved to Niceville after some problems in her past and she's accepted that Niceville is her life. Niceville seemed stupid to me. Like it's name, everyone is all nice and no city is like that. People scream and yell, people get arrested for stupid things. No city is perfect, but apparently Niceville is.

The boring was boring to me. Lily is living her normal life and the guy she's had a crush on for years might actually be interested in her. In the beginning, the book had paragraph long descriptions on characters that barely appeared in the book. I couldn't keep track of all the names. Especially during the end when the point of view kept changing. Some characters barely showed up and were flat, making it hard to remember them even when they show up later in the book.

This book was very predictable. The cover kind of gives away what happens in the book. It was cliché and artificial.

I did like the cover and how it kind of reminded me of And Then There Were None. That was what I first thought the book was going to be like. I also liked how the book gave a point of view to The Man. It was interesting to know his thoughts and how his past affected him and why he wants to hunt Lily down.

This book was alright to me. It wasn't horrible. It was just too predictable for me. But if horror movies are your thing, read this book!

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Nightmare in Niceville
Author: Amberle Cianne
Published: 10-12-2011
Publisher: BQB Publishing
Pages: 136
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 13-978-1937084424
ASIN: B00PZ6J57S
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
My Rating: 4 Stars



I recieved an ARC of Nightmare in Niceville in an exchange for a posting of my honest review.

.
Lily Strykes, her mother and sister have settled in Niceville, Florida when the remenants of their past finds them and destroys the peace they have built for themselves. The plot is suspenseful and the characters believable. I did find one or two parts that were a bit predictable, but on the whole I found the story interesting even though my preferred reading subject is a lighter style mystery. If you enjoy the darker thriller then this is a book you will want to add to your to be read list.



Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PZ6J57S/...


Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night...


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[Lab · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters were flat, the dialogue is very clunky and not very life-like (esp. considering that most of it is written from the point of view of a teenager), and the whole novel felt very artificial to me, but not in a good way (i.e. a parody of suburbia like Pleasantville, which I'd hoped for, given the title). The promised nightmare doesn't hold. I think the concept of the title and the cover has potential, it's a shame that this novel is something entirely different from what its cover promises.

[AJ Fairchild · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the first page, Nightmare in Niceville immediately puts you in mind of a B-list horror movie, with C-list actors. It feels like it could have been written by R.L. Stine's teenage cousin. I tried to research to author to see if a teen had written it, but came up empty. But that had more to do with curiosity than being pertinent to the storyline.

The story had a decent premise, but the characters, both main and secondary, felt fake. Flat. Emotionless. Because of this, so did I.

Thank you to NetGalley and BQB Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Lauri Rottmayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an author, it's difficult to put yourself out there knowing that people will read, and critique your work. I give the author kudos for having the courage to put herself out there at such a young age.

The story itself was kind of predictable. I think that the author is good with description and could "see" much of the story. I had a hard time with word usage and grammar issues. I do hope she will continue her craft, perfecting it along the way.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stuck with this until I was almost half way through thinking that, sure, this is another stalker tale like many another, and perhaps for the 12-13 year old set, but then the writing seemed to deteriorate,
my English teacher red pen wanted to begin making corrections and rewriting sentences – and then it just became ludicrous.

Forget this one.

[Noomay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lily Strykes lives in the town of Niceville. And true to it's name everyone is very very very....nice. Until an ordinary night out at the movies with friends turns into a nightmare. I could see this book a B movie on TV. It was hard to remember all the characters because they were not fully developed, I had to go back and reread some pages because I couldn't remember who the character was.

[Stacy Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm from Niceville, so Amberle had me with the title! This was obviously written by a teenager, but that didn't make me like it any less. It gave the book a fresh, young feel to it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great job, Amberle!

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intricate multi-viewpoint tale of a family in crisis, determined to not just survive but to persevere and achieve quality of life. YA directed, but suitable for adults, and for mature younger readers (middle grades).

[steen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I admittedly couldn't get past the first two chapters. The sentences are all short and choppy with no variation or flow and the dialogue is worse than anything George Lucas could have dreamed up. It was all incredibly flat, to include the characters.

** Copy provided by Netgalley **

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. It just didn't keep my attention.

[Orsayor · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://bookreferees.blogspot.com/2014...

[Katarina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrifying

[Jazzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not for me