Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Black is for Beginnings - #5 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

Click here: Silver is for Secrets to read my review of the third book in the series.

Click here: Red is for Remembrance to read my review of the fourth book in the series.

Freshman year at college is over. Now Stacey and Amber are taking summer classes to make up for taking their first semester off. 

After a horrible spring break visit to Colorado to visit Jacob, Stacey's unsure where her and Jacob stand. He was hanging out with his ex-girlfriend trying to remember everything in his past. 

The part that bothered Stacey the most was that Jacob never, not once, mentioned his ex-girlfriend Kira. The fact that Jacob and Kira were "taking a break" when he came to rescue Stacey makes Stacey unsure where they stand. 

Before they can figure anything out, Stacey goes back to school. Jacob had just remembered everything that had happened in the past, but he wasn't able to tell Stacey. 

Will Stacey and Jacob be able to communicate and find out if they are meant to be together, as soulmates? Read Black is for Beginnings to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections

Graphic Novel? That's a new twist to this series! It was nice, though, to see the characters as the artist portrayed them. 

It might not have been how I saw them through books 1-4, but it was a nice change. 

This didn't go too much into Stacey's magic, nor were there any life threatening events that she had to save the day. 

It was definitely more about Stacey and Jacob's relationship and what was going to happen in the future. 

The Blue is for Nightmares series is now complete with this graphic novel - a great addition and completion to the series!

Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance - #4 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

Click here: Silver is for Secrets to read my review of the third book in the series.

Stacey is now at college, on her full ride scholarship at a prestigious school. She doesn't really care, though. After Jacob was proclaimed dead after months of search for him, Stacey has no reason to live. 

However, Amber and her mother want her to start living again. For their sake, Stacey goes to Beacon University. 

The first week, Stacey didn't go to classes. All she wanted to do was dream of Jacob, get premonitions that he was still alive. 

When the president of the university wants to talk to Stacey, she thinks she's in trouble for missing all of her classes. 

But really, the president's daughter, Porsha, has been having nightmares - the same as what Stacey got during prep school. The president heard of Stacey and her time at prep school and realized that she could help his daughter. 

At first, Porsha was not willing to talk to anyone about her nightmares. Whenever she did in the past, she was sent to doctors, psychiatrists, and was told that she was crazy and insane. 

Stacey was able to get through to Porsha, though, and get her to talk about what she was dreaming. A boy is going to die and Porsha needs to stop it. 

While all of this is going on with Porsha and Stacey, there is another story being told, through a boy's perspective named Shell. He is living in a camp where there is no electricity, no TV, just the simple life. 

That simple life also means "stealing" from rich people. They aren't really stealing though.... They are taking what the rich people don't need and they won't miss the items. 

Shell doesn't like this way of living, but he has no where else to go and this is his life... Or is it?

Read Red is for Remembrance to find out what happens to Stacey, Porsha, and Shell!

My Thoughts/Reflections

So, this is a spoiler for the third book about Jacob - it couldn't be helped. However, I didn't spoil this book. 

I have enjoyed this series so far. Not only has Stacey had different dream/nightmares but they aren't all the same, which is nice because that can be repetitive. 

Now Stacey is in college. She realized it was definitely different than her prep school because the teachers don't let her give lame excuses for missing the first week of classes. She has to cram hard and fast to catch up in hopes of keeping her scholarship. 

This was a little different than the other books in the series because there were two narratives: Stacey and Shell. 

For Stacey, it was first person like usual but for Shell it was in third person. This gave the reader two stories to follow which would end up combining together at the end of the novel.

Again, there are a ton of subjects in this series, including witchcraft, first year in college, losing a loved one, and premonitions of the future. Many readers can find something in this novel to relate to while also getting a fun and new storyline they may not have read before. 

There is one last book in the series before Stacey's story is finished. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Silver is for Secrets - #3 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

Click here: White is for Magic to read my review of the second book in the series.

It's the summer before Stacey and her friends, Drea, Amber, Chad, PJ, and Jacob, are leaving for college. They want one last trip together before everyone goes their separate ways.

Stacey just wants a nice, normal, stress free vacation, especially after her last nightmare/premonition during senior year. She was actually getting her wish.

Until Clara comes to their cabin on the beach and Stacey feels a cold, dead feeling when shaking Clara's hand.

It wasn't until Stacey had another nightmare, though, and woke up with a nose bleed, that Stacey realized that Clara was going to die.

Now, instead of a relaxing vacation, Stacey has to try to convince Clara that someone is going to kill her. Along with trying to get Clara to believe her, Stacey also has to keep peace in her cabin - Clara likes to snatch other girls boyfriends including Amber's and Drea's.

To top it all off, Stacey's boyfriend Jacob is keeping secrets. She knows that he is having nightmares, which means bad news like Stacey because he's a witch as well, but Jacob won't tell her what they are about.

By keeping secrets from one another, it is straining their relationship, and their friendship to the point where Stacey is unsure if she can talk to him about her nightmares.

Can Stacey save Clara from her predicted death? Will Jacob be able to open up to Stacey and tell her what is wrong so she can help him?

Read Silver is for Secrets to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow, Laurie Faria Stolarz is a great writer! She is very creative and has a knack for writing new mysteries to keep the reader in suspense to figure out who is the killer!

As always, I try to figure out who the culprit is before the book reveals it for me. I went through so many different characters, I lost track. I did not, however, see this ending at all!

Which was nice because I like to be kept on my toes and it also means that Stolarz pulled a 180 on the reader.

I was a little sad that things were on the rocks between Stacey and Jacob throughout this book. I wanted to see them as the newly-in-a-relationship couple from the last book, but in this book they were distant because Jacob was keeping secrets.

I also hated Clara. Which I think I was supposed to. She was so annoying and trying to snatch any boy that walked 10 feet from her, whether they were taken or not.

I'm really excited to read the next novel in the series to see what other mystery Stolarz has thought of. I also hope that a certain character comes back, but I'm not going to say too much because I will be giving away a major ending spoiler.

However, for the next book review, I may have to spoil the end of this novel. Just to forewarn you.

White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz

White is for Magic - #2 in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Click here: Blue is for Nightmares to read my review of the first book in the series.

It's been one year since Stacey saved her friend, Drea, from her crazy stalker/murderer. The girls, along with their new roommate and best friend Amber, have been harassed by the newbie's of their boarding school, treating their horrible experience as nothing more than a joke.

When Stacey starts to have nightmares again, she's not sure what to do. She doesn't want to tell Drea because of what she went through a year ago, but when Stacey has her nightmares, she wakes up throwing up - nothing something that is easily hidden.

What's weird about Stacey's dreams is that she is reliving her nightmares about the little girl, Maura, who Stacey was unable to save 4 years ago. She's also dreaming about Veronica, a student that was killed by Drea's crazy stalker/murderer last year.

Stacey has never had nightmares about the past - they were all foreshadowing something horrible in the future.

When Stacey meets Jacob, a new boy at her school, she is shocked that he knows all of her secrets. He knows her current nightmares and seems to know what she's thinking or feeling.

As the time approaches Stacey's deadline to find out what the horrible nightmares mean, Stacey has to figure out who is after her and why.

Will Stacey figure out in time before her predicted death comes? Is Jacob somehow responsible for what's about to happen? And why, even though Stacey is having a hard time trusting Jacob, does Stacey feel a connection with him that she doesn't feel toward her boyfriend anymore?

Read White is for Magic to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was wondering how Laurie Faria Stolarz would continue this series, since the first book was wrapped up and had a very solid ending. And let's just say that Stolarz wrote another great mystery that involved Stacey's "premonition" nightmares and magic!

I am growing more and more in love with Stolarz's stories! She is able to keep the reader in suspense, trying to guess who the culprit is way before he/she is revealed in the novel. I think I guessed about 5 people in this novel before I figured out who the culprit was.

Again, I loved Stacey as the character. She may complain a little bit throughout the novel, but if I was her? I would crawl up in a ball and will the nightmares to go away from frustration, being afraid, and just wanting the nightmare to stop.

Stacey is very brave. She goes to extreme levels to figure out what her nightmares are telling her. She goes through plans that are not so smart at first because she wants to find answers.

I don't think I gave too many spoilers from the first book, but I would definitely recommend that you read the first one before this novel as a lot of the key information from Maura's death was in the first novel.

Again, I think that this would be a great book for a variety of people because of the various topics that I've put as the label.

Just a reminder, THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK IN A SERIES. Also, there are FIVE books total, all of which will be reviewed this week on my blog!

Off to enjoy book number 3 and see what Stacey is up to next!

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Blue is for Nightmares - #1 in the Blue is for Nightmare series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. 

Stacey has just started her junior year at her boarding school. She's having a tough time right off the bat, though. At night, Stacey has nightmares. Nightmares about her best friend and roommate, Drea.

In the nightmares, someone is trying to kill Drea. For any normal person, this would be just a nightmare.

But not for Stacey. She had these nightmares 3 years ago, with a little girl that she babysat. Stacey didn't think anything of it, didn't tell anyone, and the little girl was murdered, just the way Stacey saw in her nightmares.

Now that it's happening again, Stacey is not going to make the same mistake twice. She's protecting Drea with her magic. Stacey is a witch and she does spells to understand what she is supposed to do.

What really makes Stacey believe this is real is Drea has a "secret admirer" (or stalker) who calls her room and talks to Drea. Drea doesn't know his name, but keeps the conversation going night after night, making her caller keep calling back for more.

On top of all of this nightmares and murderer events, Stacey has a normal girl problem. Chad. She's had a crush on him for years. Unfortunately, Chad is Drea's ex, who they usually have a relationship with an on and off switch.

As much as Stacey likes Chad, she won't ruin her friendship with Drea. But as the nightmares get worse and the stalker gets angry, Stacey is not sure who the mystery man is... It might even be Chad, so Stacey is on high alert, watching out for mysterious men on campus, keeping an eye on Drea, and trying to juggle school.

Will Stacey find out who the killer is in time? Or will she lose another friend because she couldn't figure out her nightmares in time?

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile now! This is the first book in a 5 book series, all of which I will be reviewing back to back (or day to day on the blog) so we'll have the whole story to Laurie Faria Stolarz's tale.

I really liked Stacey. I'm not sure how she ever stayed friends with Drea - she was a bit too drama queen for me to handle, but Stacey was able to stand her somehow.

Stacey really had a handle on the magic that she got throughout her family. She had a book, she knew certain spells, and she kept her cool during her nightmares, and when her nightmare became a reality. I would certainly want her on my side of anything ever happened to me!

Stolarz kept the reader guessing throughout the book who the stalker/killer was. I had my guesses just to keep it entertaining, and I was not disappointed by the ending and the revelation of who the stalker/killer was.

I would definitely recommend this book to others! Even guys might enjoy this book as it's about a mystery and Stacey trying to figure out who it is before they get to Drea.

As you can see from the labels I've included at the bottom of this post, there are a lot of topics covered in this book - something for everyone!

And, since the series is complete, there will be no wait to dive into the next book!

Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Nicole: Pinning for a boy is one thing. Pinning for her best friend's boyfriend? Bad idea. But even worse: acting out those feelings and betraying a friendship... What has Nicole done?

Maria: Maria's not sure who her true friends are. So to figure out who's really a true friend to Maria, she tests them. Only her true friends would pass... Right?

Kelly: Kelly has a secret admirer via letters. He's been in prison, but Kelly knows he is innocent of his crime. After 5 years of writing letters, Kelly meets him. But will her fantasy live up to her expectations?

Derik: Derik can get any girl he wants, except the girl he can't seem to talk to. Will he find the courage to finally meet the girl of his infatuation?

Sadie: Home is rough for Sadie. Her mom keeps saying she's overweight, whereas her sisters are perfectly shape. Because of this, Sadie is not allowed to eat snacks and has to weigh herself every week. Will Sadie give in to temptation when left alone in the house?

Robbie: Robbie just got out of prison for murdering his last girlfriend. He's been anxiously waiting to meet Kelly, but things don't go the way he foresaw. All he wants is true love, and will do anything to get it...

Mearl: After moving around to various town, Mearl was told to come to Salem because that is where her biological family used to live. Only, she doesn't know the family name. Will she ever figure out who she really is?

Ginger: Even though Ginger is skinny, a ballet dancer, and has friends, she's still picked on by the older girls in school. In order to get even, Ginger digs up dirt about the most popular girl to ruin her reputation. But will Ginger go too far?

Joy: Joy hates boys. She's always being picked on or used, so now she's going to get revenge. But when her plans falls through, Joy will be shocked at the outcome of saying something through anger.

Sean: Confused about his feelings between two girls, Sean struggles to figure out who is the right one for him. The longer he hangs out with one, the more right it feels. Will Sean pick the right girl?

10 people whose lives are about to change. All in one summer day.

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an interesting book. It wasn't what I thought it was at first, so it definitely surprised me. There are 10 main characters, not all of them relating to each other, who all have some major event happening during one day.

The reader goes from one character to another, reading each of their stories, which miraculously intertwine with the other characters.

There wasn't a main plot that had to be fixed during this novel. It was just one day that changed the rest of their lives, finding new love, losing a fantasy, making new friends, destroying other friendships.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to everyone. I would say older teens could read this, with the content.

It's an easy read, great writing, and a good overall moral to the story. Readers will have their favorite character that they follow and will be wanting more by the end of the book.