-Cries-

That was truly spectacular. Amazing. Wondrous. Proper descriptors don't exist.

I loved it. So much.

You are truly a gifted writer.

thanks for the excellent read,
merc

Honestly, I wasn't certain if I'd like this story, but gave it a shot anyway. I was sort of right. I don't like it, I adore it! It's a spectacular story, and it seems to have a very, very large scale. There's something rather -epic- about this one. Love it.

This is an excellent piece, and I'm only pausing long enough to tell you how glad I am that you've written this. Thank you so very much for your writing.

Hugs and continued reading...
Merc

THIS WAS REALLY GOOD AND I JUST HEARD A TRAIN WOW THAT SURPRISED ME OOPS I WAS ACTUALLY GONNA CONTINUE THAT WITH I THINK IT WAS REALLY WELL WRITTEN AND TOOK ME IN UNTIL THE LAST SENTENCE. FINISHED IT IN ONE DAY AND CONTEMPLATING READING THE NEXT ONE DESPITE THE UNFORTUNATE TIME OF 1:30 AM AND SCHOOL DAYS. EITHER WAY I LOVED IT A LOT AND AM DEFINITELY GOING TO BE FOLLOWING THE NEXT ONE. MY CAPITAL LETTERS ARE FROM EXCITEMENT AND THE GIDDY ODD FEELING OF FINISHING A GOOD BOOK.

This is one of my favourite stories on this site. I am blown away by it! The thought you put into this is amazing. The world and characters are so strong and defined, and the writing itself is really great.

My only critique is that Violet flip-flopped a bit in deciding if Alexander was on her side or not. Like, she'd loath him one moment and the next she'd suddenly see he was doing it all for her. This happened a couple times but really, it's not that big of a deal!

I also loved how the expected romance was between Violet and Alexander, but it didn't really go that way. I like that you didn't go for the easy one, and that just because they're bound doesn't mean they're romantically interested.

Can't wait to read the sequel!

ALSO! I must know, have you heard the song "Jetsabel Removes the Undesirables" by Bright Eyes? I was reading this story then listened to the song later at random, and it really goes well with it. It references the Annabel Lee poem, the first line is "My brother finds comfort in calculators" (reminds me of Armand being more studious), there's a line "Oh my Jetsabel, look at this hell that I have made" (a la Alexander). Etc etc, read the lyrics, it's such a match to some aspects.

Thanks for this story!

Okay, can I just say I'm in love with this story? I'm obsessed with this idea of nightmares and dreams and this whole super amazing world you've created. I have never heard or read anything like this before.
You know it's a great story when it makes you want to keep reading, to explore more genres, to fall in love with new characters, places you have never visited and ideas and possibilities you have never fathom before and I think your story has made me feel that way. I have loved the idea of Chimera with breathing and living Nightmares and Dreams with feelings and needs of their own.
Seriously, I'm head over heels with this story and Alex and Violet and Armand. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Oh my Morpheous. That was one of the best stories I have read. The plot was amazing and kept me on the edge of my seat, the dialogue was funny and the story had so many great moments. The characters were amazing and I don't know of I can pick a favorite. I just came across you story and have been reading it each chance I get. I can't wait to read the sequel. This was just amazing and I loved it. The world and characters were so welldone and interesring. It's great.

I really love this story!

Herisihhid.. Your story is awesome!
It literaly transported me into another world, beside the moral lessons about lots of subjects, I liked the little hints :)
I feel sorry for Violet though, wish she didn't lose her dreams entirely - she reminds of myself quite a lot too! Rather living in dreams and rejecting reality landed me in a deep pit of depression that was pretty hard to escape, so I can relate :/
Having fun,
Hanna.

This is clever and fun. Even before thge Nightmare Before Christmas reference, I was thinking about how Tim Burtonesque this is.

Hi! My name is Melissa and I'm from a site called A Drop of Romeo. I think at one time a few years ago you were reviewed by us, but this is a different and fuller version. Here's your review:

Melissa Thinks: Violet Darcey is desperate for an escape. Whether it's through books (gothic literature is her one true love) or through her dreams, she wholeheartedly throws herself into imagining a different reality for herself. Unfortunately, this means she's slowly losing her interest in real life in the process. Then one night everything changes. There's something in her mind - actually inside of her subconscious - and his name is Alexander. Of course, Alexander is not a typical boy, but in fact, a Nightmare. "Once Upon a Nightmare" is a novel in which Dreams and Nightmares are living beings. They have their own world, their own magic system, their own monarchy. Suddenly Violet is sucked into Alexander's strange world. He tells her that not only is he stuck inside of her, but not being able to feed off of her now fearless dreams is slowly killing him. Soon they both learn that setting Alexander free may come at a price.

Anyone in the mood for a good supernatural romance has definitely come to the right place. I remember reading this back before the author revamped the entire thing and I am absolutely thrilled to have been able to reread and review this for ADoR. One of my favorite things about "Once Upon a Nightmare" is the amazing characterization. Immediately the reader is drawn to Violet; her strange passion for reading, her fiery attitude, her indifference towards school, the fact that she wants to spend all her time sleeping - she's someone we can all see ourselves being friends with. Then there's Alexander, who's the perfect balance of an asshole and a nice guy. You can't help but love him, even though some of his actions are pretty questionable.

My favorite scene of the entire story was one in which Violet and Alexander are playing a giant game of Candyland and it's such an amazing and perfect moment it gave me chills. The entire novel was eerie yet light-hearted at the same time, which definitely made it one of my more memorable suggestions. I am smitten with this story; the characters, the setting, the plot, basically everything. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the sequel.

Fan-freaking-tastic. I came back for a re-read, but didn't remember the last half at all. Maybe it was unfinished or mid-edit when I first came across it. In any case. I stayed up way too late but loved it all the way. SO looking forward to the sequel.

This story is one of the best on here, with its plotline... It's nothing I've ever see before. Gah, I love it so much. It's been a favorite on my page for a while now, and I re-read it again. I'm so happy right now!

There's a special word for stories like this... it's Lovely

I stumbled upon your creation in 2010 and reviewed it, obviously overtired.

It has been four years since I have read it and my feelings for it have only gained a greater potency.
Your concept is well thought through, and rather original, the characters well developed (even if some of them are mind virgins), and though this particular ending is rather bitter-sweet- my least favorite type of ending- even before I found out that you had already gotten deep within a sequel I was content. This ending contented me because you resolved all of the immediate problems and my favorite character, the main one, did not die.

Since somehow you were prolific enough to, in these past four years, finish this one and start the next and get 11 chapters in, it behooves me to review, especially because I enjoyed the quality then and enjoy it now. Unfortunately that quality also leave a certain sort of desperation in me to get to the next scene, the end, the sequel. Which means probably no more reviews out of me until I get to your most recent post on The Nightmare King.

Thank you for your hard work.

I went searching for a good supernatural romance with a load of favourites. I found this and I love it so far. Just writing this to say, I checked out your profile and know that you recently updated the sequel - which makes me really happy as it shows you're still alive, and updating on the site. Thank you for that. Keep updating so I have more to read when I can catch up the rest of the chapters (after all my work)

I think it's awesome you haven't denied us authors the honour of reading your material - must people publish and then remove the stories, so we can't read them unless we buy them. Don't do that. Please.