Gravebooks

**Spoilers if you haven't read Nightbooks.**

In Nightbooks (which is brilliantly recapped in the first chapter), Alex and Yasmin escaped from the evil witch Natacha who was forcing Alex to write stories for her. Both children are dealing with their trauma in different ways, and Yasmin finds it difficult to talk to Alex and also sleep at night, so the two don't see each other much. However, when Alex is visited by Natacha in a dream, and she tells him that he must write a story for her every night or she will visit him, he needs to seek out his former co-captive to figure things out. Natacha is dead, but visiting him in the dream, and needs Alex's stories to grow flowers. Why does she need the flowers? Alex tries to write stories, but is struggling with a lot of blockage. In his dreams, there is a greaveyard filled with the "graves" of his half-finished stories. He does successfully write some of them; the ones that are good enough burst into flames and provide Natacha with flowers. Alex and Yasmin try to figure out how to defeat her, but soon are dealing instead with Simeon, who had been masquerading as Natacha's familiar, but is really a nachpyr, a type of vampire who feeds on energy instead of humans. The flowers caused by the stories provide him with power. Yasmin seeks out the help of a witch to whom Natacha delivered oils, and finds Ms. Goffel in a hard-to-find barber shop, where she is imprisoned and sentenced to cut the hair of the dead. At first, she refuses to help Yasmin, but as the girl visits, brings her coffee and crullers, and adds some color to her otherwise drab existence, Ms. Goffel offers to help. Will Alex and Yasmin be able to collect totems and weave a spell that will do away with Simeon? And will Alex overcome his writers block so that he doesn't have to give into Simeon's offer of becoming a nachpyr so he will have all the time in the world to write?

What worked:
This book is the sequel to Nightbooks, but it’s not essential that you’ve read it first. The prologue provides enough information about the evil witch Natacha that readers can easily jump right into this new adventure. The premise of the story is reminiscent of The Arabian Nights where Scheherazade must make up new stories every day to avoid being killed by the king. Natacha enters Alex’s dreams and won’t allow him to wake up until he’s written her an original story. She expects a new one every night, although she often requires Alex to write multiple tales before she deems one of them acceptable. The stories appear on gravestones and cause flowers to grow. Natacha is expecting unique flowers, and her jackal’s sniff determines the worthiness of Alex’s efforts. The importance of the flowers will be revealed later in the book. The author provides multiple surprises as the plot nears its climax.
A fun twist to the book is the fact that the plot includes the short stories written by Alex. They’re supposed to be original and scary, because Natacha won’t accept them if they’re not. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself judging the quality of the stories just like Natacha. For the most part, Alex is successful, so readers are able to enjoy many spooky stories within the pages of one book. Another novel approach by the author occurs when Alex discusses his writing process, so readers can learn about how author’s craft new stories. Alex considers the origin of new ideas, characterization, plot development, word choice, conflict, and creative endings. He also battles writer’s block, which presents an additional problem while trying to escape his dreams.
The author’s creativity is highlighted in this book. The dreamworld appears as a graveyard of Alex’s abandoned writing topics and it’s very real for him. It’s frightening how he can’t escape his own mind unless the witch allows it. After choosing a tombstone, Alex drops into another dreamworld based on an idea from his past, and he’s forced to compose a story before he can leave it. He’s trapped in a dream within dream that has infinite possibilities. The additional characters, conflicts, and solutions allow plenty of room for healthy imaginations. Alex must also learn to understand his friendship with Yasmin, and she’s forced to deal with her terrors from the first book.
What didn’t work as well:
While not a huge issue, the characters reference events from the first book, so readers may feel like they’re missing something. The easy solution to the problem is to read Nightbooks first. I’ve not read it yet, but I was easily able to enjoy the suspense and eeriness found in Gravebooks.
The Final Verdict:
It’s not safe to dream anymore. The overall book is scary, but the short stories included are even more frightening. The author is skillfully able to evoke feelings of uneasiness and fear, and I highly recommend you give it a shot.