I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this story! Since it's the 8th book of a series that I've never read before, I was apprehensive at first, but I found it easy to slip into the world of Nightmare and its inhabitants. The supernatural aspect of a murder mystery is unique and not something I've ever read before, but I found it interesting and entertaining to read!

This series is so fun
love a desert community with some cryptids
It's a great morning dog walk audio
Quick and fun

This audiobook feels like Rose from the Golden girls telling you a story of her hometown. But instead of Saint Olaf, you get nightmare, Arizona. Period.
This is a pretty fast pace book. It’s a super quick read. Our main character, Olivia solves murders this book is like a supernatural hallmark mystery movie.
This is the eighth book in the series, but can be read out of order and still makes sense. There will be some things that you don’t understand that happened to in previous parts but they do kinda go over what happened. I enjoyed reading this one.

Fatality at the Festival by Beth Dolgner is a very short read that was primarily info dumping and over-explaining. I understand that as an 8th installment in a series that there is backstory to be understood. But that information should be delivered more naturally rather than bringing an already tedious narrative to a standstill every few seconds to recap. The way that the motivations and feelings were overly detailed also made the story drag. A character would say or do something, which was followed by detailed explanations of why and how they were feeling. Then the next character would say or do something, again followed by detailed descriptions of their motivation. For an adult work, there was far too much handholding for the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the arc of this book. This was a cute little YA murder mystery book! I was unaware it was in the middle of a series so it would have been nice to have read all of those before this one but I still enjoyed it! I wasn’t the biggest fan of the audio narrator but I have heard worse. I would still recommend reading this book! I would give it 3 and a half stars.

Entertaining paranormal cozy mystery. I like the idea of the paranormal characters hiding in plain sight. The story was quick and fun with slight twist. A solid read

Having not read any of the other titles in this series and given that this instalment is relatively short, I actually really enjoyed it. I do enjoy a cozy mystery, add a little paranormal to the coziness and you’re onto a winner. I definitely did sense I was missing out on some back story, which can be inevitable diving into a series, yet I didn’t feel that it set me at a complete disadvantage. I’d be quite interested in reading more in the series.

Cute, short and cozy, gave me winter by the fire vibes, which actually isn’t far off on a Scottish Easter Monday.

I loved the audio narration, the voice added to the cozy feel.

Huge thanks to Tantor Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

In Nightmare, Arizona, Olivia is a conjurer with a group of paranormal friends. Book 8 of a 10-book series, I enjoyed this one so much! The quirky characters and murder mystery reminded me a lot of a Sookie Stackhouse novel. If you enjoy a cozy mystery, this series is perfect for you. The audiobook version of this one is available tomorrow. The narrator was great!

Bonus: Right now, the series (all but the 10th book, which isn’t out yet) is on Kindle Unlimited!

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook version of this novel. All opinions are my own.

High quality audio. Thus is a quick listen a nice cozy mystery with a range of supernatural characters but a bit of a easy a to b kind of plot was entertaining .I wanted to know more about the characters and there seemed very basic on their interactions. Perfect as part of a series which could grow if the characters are developed. This is a nice no nonsense lusten. Thanks netgallery. Publisher author and narrator. I Hooe to find these characters again.

I was a little nervous jumping into a series at the 8th book, but the author did such a great job of introducing the characters and general ongoing plot that I felt right at home with this close-to-cozy mystery.
I consumed this audiobook in one day. It was a nice, fast paced book that kept me engaged and constantly guessing.
The characters were easy to love and felt dynamic, even in the short time I spent with them.
The narrator was also very pleasant to listen to and the audio production was top notch.
Thank you, netgalley, for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been curious about the Nightmare, Arizona series by Beth Dolgner, but hadn’t read anything yet. An audiobook was a fun way to get acquainted. I enjoyed the narrator. The festival sounds fun. I didn’t realize the extent of the paranormal aspect, and I liked it.
Olivia sounds like she has been busy in the time she has been in Nightmare, especially since this is book 8. The festival sounds like a good time, but stay away from the corn dogs.
I enjoyed getting to know the variety of characters in the Sanctuary.
I didn’t pick up on everything since I started mid-series, but I enjoyed reading Fatality at the Festival. I recommend reading especially if you enjoy paranormal stories.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tantor Media for the opportunity to read the book.

This was such a fun listen. Most of the action happens down at the festival and it was nice to see the vendors and new characters. So much drama, death and mystery happens in this town!
Petrea Burchard does a good job bringing the story to life. While some character voices worked better for me than others, overall she captured the tone and personalities well.

Fatality at the Festival is the 8th book in the Nightmare Arizona series. I have been devouring all these books for the past week and can't wait to read more! I do suggest that you read them in order so as not to get confused or get some of the previous books spoiled. I loved following Olivia and the Nightmare Sanctuary Haunted House gang as they tried to solve the murder of a food truck vendor at the local arts and crafts festival. I highly recommend all of these books; they're the perfect palate cleanser between heavy reads! I've been exclusively listening to them on audio, and the narrator does an amazing job!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the audiobook!

3.5 rounded up

This was a relatively short easy listen and one of those murder mystery type of who done it but cozy audiobook not your psychological thriller type which was a pleasant change for me. I enjoyed the characters in this and found the storyline easy to follow even if it was a little obvious scenarios this is the style of book and it is exactly what I needed at the time so for me it is precisely as the book description says! The way in which all the different characters are brought together is just fun the dynamic of this audiobook is just lighthearted and easy!

This is well narrated with all characters easy to follow found pitch and tone were great.

With thanks to NetGalley & Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ELC in return for this review. Best wishes with publication on 22nd April 2025 📚🙏🏼❤️

I would love to live in Nightmare, Arizona, right alongside all the fun and charming characters from Fatality at the Festival! This is the 8th installment in a cozy mystery series set in one of the most interesting small towns I've ever read about. The pacing is as perfect as the plot, fast enough to keep you hooked, but cozy enough to savor every twist and turn.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Fun, quick little read. I've not read any others in the series so probably missed out on a bit but I still enjoyed it despite that as it can be read as a standalone. For its length it had a decent plot and good characters.

Now this was just plain cool!

A supernatural mystery series?! Something I’d never delved into before and boy am I glad I did.

I had no idea who the killer was but it was fun to follow along with Olivia & the crew from the sanctuary while they sought out clues, Despite having read no other books in this series it was easy to pick up on the character dynamics and the narrator was fantastic at portraying each one’s different voices & personalities.

I’m keen to keep journeying along with Olivia in her accidental role as the local paranormal detective of Nightmare, maybe she’ll actually get qualified to do police work in a future book!

This was also such a cozy time, perfect to curl up with on a rainy afternoon with a tea.

Beth Dolgner has certainly carved out her place in this niche genre and I’m here for it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & author for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC!

Such a cute, fun, spooky little read!! I had no idea this was actually book 8 in a series, but honestly, it didn’t throw me off at all — there was plenty of context from the characters and story to feel totally caught up. It’s the perfect bite-sized mystery, whether you’re deep in spooky season or just craving those eerie vibes in the middle of summer!

First and foremost, I was unaware that this was the eighth book in a series when I received it from Netgalley and while that did affect my overall enjoyment and understanding of the context of the book, I do believe that the character work in this book is very well done.
I did listen to this book via audio and I really enjoyed the narrator! She was very expressive even at 2x speed, my only note is there was once male voice she did that I didn't care for.
This book is a typical cozy mystery formula with an exciting paranormal twist that makes it appeal to a wide variety of readers. The interesting cast of supernatural characters, combined with the female MC's bubbly and slightly snarky personality made for an enjoyable time.
However, because I am coming in to this story in the middle the series I did feel as though there was some imperative context that I missed out on. The introductory chapters of the story provide the slightest recap, but not to the depth that one would need to be coming in with no previous knowledge. I continues to feel that way throughout the book as well, with characters calling back to things that I assume happened in earlier books.
That being said, at no point did I want to put the book down and the characters themselves were so well fleshed out that they saved this book for me! The female MC is a lot of fun to follow as are the side characters! I would recommend this to anyone who loves paranormal/urban fantasy and/or cozy mysteries, I would however recommend starting with book 1.

This just wasn't for me. A little too simple and silly, and I wasn't aware I was jumping into the 8th book in a series. The magical creatures in the town of Nightmare were less mysterious than the humans, which was a bit disappointing for a paranormal fan like me.