City of Nightmares: The thrilling, surprising young adult urban fantasy

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I did like Ness, though she is a complex and utterly flawed character still coming to terms with her PTSD-like childhood trauma. She can be selfish, cruel, and a little unlikable at first but I did find her really relatable—particularly in terms of her fear. I mean, if I lived in a city that’s nearly destroyed by dragons, dinosaurs or giant carnivorous creatures on a weekly basis, I’d be terrified too! Ness takes refuge in the Friends of the Restful Soul, a totally-not-cult offering Nightmare therapy. All is well in the world, Ness safe in her ex-janitor's closet of a bedroom, before a Bad Day at Work leads to the threat of that safety being ripped from her. As a last ditch effort to remain with the Friends, Ness cons her way into the only remaining job in the organisation, but - as this book's synopsis will tell you - it blows up in her face. Like, actually blows up. It's through this assassination attempt that Ness meets Cy, a vampire who has to make a fair few reassurances that he won't eat Ness over the course of the book. Oh no,” Mrs. Sanden says, marching forward. “You keep that. I’m not going to therapy or talking about my feelings or any of that nonsense. Especially not with you.” Behind me, Priya is practically dancing with excitement as she rips off her coat to reveal all the weapons underneath. She has a utility belt with so many different implements of murder it can’t possibly be legal, but that’s never stopped anyone from doing anything in Newham.

Cheesy, camp, hilarious and so much fun, this was so much fun to read. I liked that it had the gritty, urban vibes of Repo The Genetic Opera and V For Vendetta, plunging us into a dark, grimy city where everyone's just trying to survive day to day. Oh, and then there's the Nightmare that ends up in (and on) the same boat she's in, who just might turn out to be her only friend. Priya’s mouth clamps shut and she frowns, casting me an annoyed look. I’ve won and she knows it. She may not like this gig, but she needs it. They’re going to put a fancy blurb up here soon, but I want you all to have the fun chaotic description a book like this truly deserves, so here’s how I would pitch it:I cannot remember the last time that I have been so eager to wake up every morning and choose reading a book over watching television. I mean, I truly had SSSOOO MUCH FUN with beautiful but messy masterpiece!!! I used to be a big fan of Rebecca Schaeffer (who incidentally shares her name with a murdered model). I LOVED the first two Market of Monsters books, but they built a romance which was totally deflated in the final book with the revelation that both characters are asexual. That's fine in general, BUT since they had kissed previously and looked to be establishing a romance, it felt a lot like readers had been misled. A wonderfully grisly and darkly imaginative tale that will entertain its readers even as it draws them into its web of self-examination.”— School Library Journal (starred review) Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that's monstrous only in appearance, or transforming into a twisted, unrecognizable creature that terrorizes the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult.

City of Nightmares was a fast-paced, thrilling read that kept me constantly guessing. I thought the idea of nightmares coming to life after dreaming was such a cool concept, and one that was expertly explored. As someone who had a lot of nightmares as a kid, this book was both fascinating and kind of terrifying, because I’m pretty sure I even had a nightmare about my nightmares coming to life at one point! I question if most of this media is actually made by people who are genuinely bad and trying to convince people their behavior isn't bad, it seems to me we more so live in a patriarchal culture and so creators often perpetuate that. There's also a line about the men who watch those movies and how that makes them think it's okay to be abusive, but I assure you men are very much not the target audience of the media being criticized and that male romantic leads are not, in fact, aspirational for most men. I actually burst out laughing at that line. But rest assured, there is plenty of male centered media that tells them it's okay to hurt women. I also like Cy and the Phantom. Both are cool, and I hope they become a trio in the sequel, they'd be unstoppable.I’m blind underneath the couch, but I don’t need sight to figure out what’s happening. It’s perfectly clear from the crash of breaking pottery, the crunch of wood as Priya destroys the table, the angry and murderous wails of the Nightmare. Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified - terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear. Ness's new home is with a group called Friends of the Restful Soul, everyone else in the city thinks it is a cult but to Ness it is the place where she is laying low with all of her fears and hiding in a room most of the time curled up on a bed just wishing the world outside away. When Ness's place at the could be cult's sanctuary is threatened, she is willing to go outside the current jobs she has been doing there in hopes of making herself useful so she doesn't get sent away. That is when everything goes wrong and Ness learns that the life she held onto for safety was probably just a big lie, as she tries to find out why now someone is trying to kill her.

She ignores me, piling up all the pamphlets she has. A gust of wind chooses that moment to come in through the small, open window and whip the pamphlets around the room, making them soar like it’s raining therapy advertisements. Every single Nightmare is different, because every person’s idea of what would stop their own personal monster is different. Priya rolls her eyes. In Priya’s world, everything is practice for an interview to join Nightmare Defense.And the plot is meandering and weirdly a little too close to the Market of Monsters series. Girl works for someone shady, girl meets a bad boy who's literally a monster that has prey to on people to survive, things go haywire and girl and bad boy work together to survive, girl and bad boy return to society and find out that the shady person was in fact bad while also becoming close friends (but no romance, something I like about both of Schaeffer's works is how she makes the central relationships friendships between a guy and girl, Ness is also implied to be aroace). The big difference is that one of these books did that in an interesting way while the other is City of Nightmares. I also weirdly love everyone in this book. In particular I, of course, love Ness and her willingness to break ankles, and I have a soft spot for Cy, but I also absolutely love the Nightmare Phantom, without even getting to know him more than about chapter. This is one of the big reasons I needed a sequel- I absolutely must see how this plays out. By the way, what was with those vampire movie rants? Because the movies are clearly a stand in for darker and/or paranormal romance movies and novels such as Twilight. You see in this book there is an Evil Vampire Director™ who makes Evil Vampire Romance Movies™ that are Evil Vampire Propaganda™ that enforce the idea that Evil Vampires™ are sexy and that consent ain't important. This lore is unimportant to the plot and simply there for the characters to talk about how bad these movies are. Now I do think there is a conversation to be had about how the media being criticized here have some very valid critiques and how they can normalize abuse and rape culture, so I don't disagree with Schaeffer's thesis, I disagree with her arguments. The bottle is half-empty,” I whisper, my voice layered with the fear growing like a Nightmare in my chest. I reach out and touch it. “And it’s damp. It’s been opened recently.” I genuinely hope an anti-substance abuse organization like D.A.R.E. paid this author to write this novel about a city where drinking alcohol transforms Teens Who Think They're Cool into monsters, because the idea that someone would sit down and write this story just as a creative passion project is the bleakest thing I can imagine. I don't think "alcohol reacts with chemical in water supply to transform people into monsters" is an inherently terrible idea for a story, I actually think it could be very complex and cool, but this narrator happens to be the world's biggest wet blanket straight-edge judgmental goody two-shoes, and she stays that way throughout the entire novel.

Ah, Bestie Priya was everything girl could ask for in a friend. She is the definition of a Badass Female Character. I mean, Priya has no fears and literally can conquer anything. What I loved the most about Priya, though, was her constant support and love for Ness. Priya admits that she needs Ness as much, if not more, than Ness needs her. She was never ashamed in admitting how much their friendship meant to her. I am MOST DEFINITELY looking forward to getting more of Badass Priya in Book #2. I loved going on this journey with Ness, Cy and Priya. I loved this book from beginning to end. The development that Ness went through was amazing and I felt like it went very realistic and smoothly. Everything made sense. The setting of this book was amazing and I loved that the MC in this wasn't some strong, brave heroine like in so many other books. Following Ness from her scared, running away self to the brave and strong MC who overcame her fears was the absolute best and I loved every single minute of it! This book begins quite unassuming. The reader follows Ness, a terrified girl who wants nothing more than to feel safe and secure. Unfortunately for Ness, safety is just an illusion in the corrupt and dark city of Newham, and she soon finds herself caught in a conspiracy that would see her dead. I really enjoyed how the book started almost quietly—introducing us to Newham and all its horrors, while still shielding us from some of the grimmer parts of the city. Gradually, though, and almost imperceptibly, the stakes were raised so high that it became impossible for us or for Ness to ignore. Each chapter increased the anticipation that little bit more, so skillfully I didn’t always notice until I felt suffocated by the suspense. Every time this happens, I know it’s going to have consequences. But in those moments, I don’t care. It’s like my mind goes blank, and there’s only the fear.I’m afraid we never had the pleasure of meeting your husband,” I say, stepping into the apartment. The door will be open for the next few hours, and people who knew the deceased will come and pay their respects. Priya leans against the wall in the hall—there isn’t really room for both of us in the entryway. Of course the Mayor has a pet pterodactyl that randomly eats citizens. At this point, I don’t even consider this an odd thing to happen in Newham. An original concept, sparky dialogue and solid character growth are the hallmarks of this twisted fantasy tale. I thought the concept of the story sounded intriguing. In a town where going to sleep can mean waking up as your worst nightmare… literally. Ness has seen it up close and personal. Her sister woke up as a giant spider and killed their dad right in front of her. This made Ness terrified of everything. The only place that she could feel safe was at the Friends of the Restless Soul. There you train to fight and vanquish nightmares. Ness makes sure she does just enough at the organization to keep herself there but also just a little less to keep her out of harm’s way. The city is full of nightmares though and there is no way to hide from them forever. Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare. Perfect for readers who want: