Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'City of Nightmares' by Rebecca Schaeffer.

So I was first introduced to Rebecca Schaeffer by the webtoon adaptation of 'Not Even Bones' and instantly fell in love with the writing style. Sadly, the book never got imported to the UK - please Hodder do it for me - so I have been dying for a full authentic story. When I received the ARC of her newest book, 'City of Nightmares' I was instantly excited. Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer wasn't exactly up my alley but honestly, this book was a beauty. Schaeffer's storytelling is perfectly for me, sometimes abrupt in short sentences but it works spectacularly with the story and it felt perfect. The worldbuilding and the characters was perfect to me and overall I just adored this.

I am so so so excited for book 2 and you bet I'll be buying my own physical copy of this ASAP.

4,5/5 ⭐ This book is so well written. It's so funny and hilarious and creepy. Love the story it's unique, fresh and when I started I didn't expect this. It's more then what I expected and I never that ending coming. The main characters are so loveable and relateable. I do have some loophole questions but overall loved it!

What a great story. It's dark, complex and gripping. A story that can cause nightmare but there's also a lot of dark humour and emotions.
I think it's a mix of noir, dystopia and urban fantasy that works well and kept me turning pages.
My only issue is that there's a lot of repetition that slow the pace of the story.
Entertaining and original.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A really cool premise and lots to enjoy, the book felt quite original with a mix of action, romance and thriller. I'm looking forward to checking out the next step in the story.

Nineteen-year-old Ness lives in a dark Gotham City-style world, ruled by gangs and corrupt politicians, but even worse, everyone is at risk of irreversibly transforming into their worst nightmare and Ness has never recovered from the trauma of her beloved sister changing into a giant spider and going on a murderous rampage. Now alone in the world, Ness has survived by making a home amongst the 'Friends of the Restful Soul' which is possibly a cult but also provides counselling and support for those traumatised by Nightmares. But the Friends are becoming tired of Ness's fearful responses to Nightmares and her general lack of usefulness after years of trauma therapy, and she suspects she might soon be evicted from her safe haven. She grasps at a courier job as an opportunity to redeem herself but it unexpectedly thrusts her into danger and a vast conspiracy that undermines everything she thought she knew. However, she also finds an unlikely ally...

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but I was thoroughly beguiled - the world that Rebecca Shaeffer has created is equally thrilling and terrifying. I love the fact that Ness is irredeemably cowardly for most of the book but her slowly kindling courage is revealed as she begins to trust and open up to Cy. I also loved her relationship with her friend Priya and the narrative device of having to face your worst fears for fear of turning into them. A witty, fast-paced and engaging read - I can't wait for the next instalment.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this early!

I don't even know where to start, this was a bizarre, crazy, chaotic story and many elements I thuroughly enjoyed but some didnt work quite so well for me. This felt like Gotham meets Crescent City.

I should start by saying I do not think I would have gotten through this if not for the audiobook. It came to my attention fairly early on this wasnt quite the book for me in terms of world building, magic and setting. I not a fan of urban fantasy. I don't like when the magic of a world is just so chaotic and feels like it doesnt make sense.

On the one hand I loved the idea of the nightmares and the idea of this sort of being a future earth. I found the protagonist super funny and intersting. But I also found teh writing SUPER repetitive. We were told no less than 50 times how cowardly the protagonist is, and how "crazy" the city is. Over and over.

This is a great book by Schaeffer. A dark and compelling novel. A good twist to a Gotham-like world inside an apocalyptic world. looking forward to other books by her!

I didn't expect to love this, but wow was I surprised! This is such a complex world with a diverse range of personalities and characters that are ALIVE. I liked the writing and the pacing was quite fast. There's plenty of action in here that kept me on the edge of my chair, and I adored the main character. The grimdark vibes were definitely present!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

City of Nightmares is set in a Gotham-inspired world where people are at risk of turning into their worst nightmares every time they go to sleep. The main character Ness, is part of a, as she insists not-cult offering people counsel to family members of killed Nightmares. When one of those offers of counsel goes horribly wrong, Ness is send on mail-duty which sets off a crazy chain of events that includes explosions, multiple assassination attempts and of course, horrific Nightmares.

Ness was a great main character to follow. She has a lot of childhood trauma surrounding her sister, who turned into a giant spider and devoured their father. As a result, Ness has a debilitating fear of Nightmares and has lived most of her life as a coward. She's not brave, she's not a fighter and definitely not a chosen one or someone you would want to save you. And I loved her.Having an MC who is a self-serving liar and self-admitted coward was a breath of fresh air compared to goody-two-shoes Chosen Ones the YA fantasy genre usually offers. Seeing Ness overcome her fears and be brave for her friends was amazing. Her trauma as well as her growth were potrayed realistically and with empathy. Friendship was another big theme in the story Ness' friendship with her fellow not-a-cult member Priya was the heart of the story to me.

Sadly after the first few chapters, the story gets a bit overtaken by the arrival of the character Cy and whole concept of vampires in this world. Since lots of people have nightmares about folklore creatures, vampires are quite common. There are as many strains of vampires as twelve with different characteristics. Cy is one of those and this is where the book went in-depth about the concept of vampires and the romanticization of predatory relationships in vampire media, etc. etc. The commentary here, while not bad inherently, was very on-the-nose and the paragraphs upon paragraphs about it felt like being preached at. While Ness' friendship with Cy was okay, I didn't care about the whole vampire shebang at all and just wanted to know more about the other Nightmares. There was also some mystery surrounding Ness' sister which wasn't set up very well at all and more preaching about relationship dynamics.

The story is set in the perpetually gloomy and overcast city of Newham where every organization is corrupt and crime is rampant. This Gotham inspired setting worked very well with the overall concept of Nightmares and was one of my favorite parts of the book. I found the, for lack of a better word, magic system of Nightmares to be well thought out. Sadly, we didn't find out too much about it since, like I said, it got overshadowed by vampires. Luckily, with how the sequel is setup, it seems like we will get more into the Nightmares and how they came to be.

All in all, a gritty fast paced book that feels a bit on the younger side of YA. 3.75/5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder and stoughton for the e-Arc for exchange for my honest review and opinions.
This was a thrilling young adult urban fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat, from the opening page I was drawn in to this beak world of nightmares coming true.
This was my first time reading a book by Rebecca Schaeffer and I was utterly impressed by the world building and characters.
Highly recommended read I will definitely be ordering a copy for my library and recommending it for book club.

Very unique and interesting world building. The world is full of nightmares. Unless they take drugs or drink the water with supplements, people fall asleep and get turned into their worst nightmares. Some people come through it and retain their minds even as their bodies change into vampires, lizards, giant slugs and even roaches.

Ness is traumatized after her sister turns into a giant spider and kills their father and 2 other people. She develops a phobia of all nightmares regardless of whether they are the benign or placid types. She’s even more paranoid of becoming a nightmare herself and goes out of her way in almost OCD type ways to avoid dreaming or coming into contact with nightmares. It is fascinating seeing her character development from scared of everything, to having the strength to face her fears and stop them from controlling her life.

There are lots of twists and turns and questions about this book which I hope is the start of a series. Ness allows her fears to blind her to the reality of the situations she finds herself in and the people around her. It’s hard to give more detail without giving spoilers but I found this to be a very enjoyable and engaging read. It’s YA but with a dark edge and a mysterious element that leaves you guessing till the very end. I really hope there’s a second book as I can’t wait to delve back into this world.

The vibes of this book were amazing it remaindered me of This Savage song a lot, which i enjoyed as its a fav book of mine. The plot and characters were loveable and i definitely love reading a thriller after so much fantasy. Overall it was a nice change from high fantasy book which i had been reading and a solid book. But it just wasn't a 5 star for me i can't quite say why maybe bc it was very like This savage song but i don't know. What i do know is that enjoyed it.

This is such a good story. It was like a cross between Gotham and Penny Dreadful. Ness's character development was wonderful and the vampire twist with Cy was interesting. It was very cinematic and would make a great exciting movie. More please .......

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

“Deep breath” SPIDERS!!!!!!! Why did it have to be spiders?

I’ve heard people describe this as Half-Life having a baby with Gotham and you cannot get a more fitting description in this spider-filled dystopia. The book itself is pretty good, both freaky and forlorn discussing trauma from seeing giant monsters eat people, well worth it. Managing to balance both the darker and more comedic aspects if those are fairly black. Balancing the sci-fi fantasy horror aspect quite nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stroughton for providing me with an e-arc of this book

A parody of Gotham. In the city of Newham where you can literally turn in to your worst nightmare?! Giant cockroaches, vampirism, blue scales, growing red warts, the nightmares are endless. To dream, means to put yourself in great peril. And a protagonist who has to team up with a vampire to find the root of a conspiracy.

This book is one of the most inventive and interesting books I have read in a while. I enjoyed the unique world-building of how nightmares came to exist. There were also some surprising twists that kept me going until the very the end. I can't wait to read the sequel and find out about any other books Rebecca writes!

Characters – 8/10
The characters in this book really stood out to me. Ness, our main character, is described as a coward, but it runs much deeper than that. I love a good unlikable character, and Ness is definitely one. She’s on the morally grey side, and she’ll do anything to ensure her safety. I loved her character arc, and I’m really excited to see where this series will go.

While Ness was my favourite character, I really liked Cy and Priya as well. All of them were really well fleshed out, and I need them to spend more time together as a group in the next book.

Atmosphere – 8/10
City of Nightmares has such a cool premise. The city is a lot like Gotham – corrupt and full of crime. It might even be more over-the-top corrupt than Gotham is. What makes the crime even worse is the fact that when you go to sleep, you turn into your worst nightmare. There are vampires, huge spiders, and pterodactyls. It might sound a bit cheesy, but it really works.

Schaeffer does a really great job of setting the scene and describing the city. It makes it feel real and lived in. The Nightmares feel like a natural part of this world, and I loved how their origins and rules were explored in this book.

Writing – 8/10
I didn’t have high expectations going into this. The premise sounded intriguing, but I had never read anything from Schaeffer before. I honestly forgot I was reading most of the time, I was just so gripped by the story. It was playing out in my head like a movie (this would make a great mini-series) and I could not put it down.

Plot – 7/10
At times the book feels a bit slow, and it’s not always clear where the plot is going next. There are quite a few moving parts, but overall it worked well. The real action starts at about the 30% mark, and after that, you won’t be able to put it down.

Intrigue – 7/10
This book is weird, but I loved it. I was fascinated and I could not put it down. City of Nightmares has cults, assassinations, vampires, dragons, and so much more. And it all makes sense. It doesn’t feel like anything was forced into this book to make this eccentric city of Nightmares work.

And let’s not forget the actual mystery of the book – who blew up Ness? Just when I thought I had figured it out, the book takes another turn. And it all makes so much sense. This was honestly a joy to read and figure out.

Logic – 8/10
The way the magic system (the Nightmares) in this book works is also fascinating, and I loved learning about every part of the process. Book two might delve even more into the science of the Nightmares, considering the events of the last 80 pages. And I cannot wait.

Enjoyment – 8/10
It’s safe to say that I really enjoyed this book, and I am so glad I won’t be turning into my Nightmares anytime soon. (Does anyone else have nightmares about sharks and matric exams as much as I do?)

In the city of Nightmares, dreams are dreaded. Dreams are to be avoided. Dreams can cause you to turn into your biggest fear.

Ness was ten years old when her big sister turned into a spider and killed their father. Now nineteen, she lives in Newham, ridden with PTSD and is constantly afraid. Which is unlucky, since Newham is THE City of Nightmares. The population takes drugs to stop dreams, every branch of government is corrupt and Nightmares walk amongst them. Ness has one last chance to save her place in the Friends of the Restful Soul (not a cult) before she is made homeless and defenceless in Newham.

Hmmmmmm.... to start, I didn't dislike this book but I didn't love it either. I thought the premise was fantastic. The idea of of a city filled with Nightmares, some intelligent and some not, really appealed to me and I was hoping for a dark and fantastical tale of Newham. Unfortunately, you don't get to see a right lot of Newham. And there isn't a lot of depth on the various Nightmares. It felt like this was a bit of a wasted opportunity to me and left me a bit disappointed.

An issue I did have was I felt like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The premise is a dark paranormal urban fantasy and could have been dank and gritty. But the writing felt young YA, without much depth going on. Also, there is quite a lot of social commentary in the dialogue without the sophistication or story arc to back it up. It left me feeling a bit conflicted about where the book was coming from.

And then there are the characters. Ness is a coward. Priya is a warrior. Cy is a vampire but a Nice vampire. We know this because we are told many many times. And that is the whole sum of their characters, leaving them feeling a bit flat. I get that Ness has PTSD from what happened and that she is afraid, but to be told that she is a coward (her own words) every other sentence started to labour the point a bit. She can also manage to talk about her room at the Society in great length without actually describing it in any detail. Apparently it's small.

On the positive side, the dialogue is full of snark, which is great and to be expected from a bunch of teenagers. Here, the relationships begin to come into their own, especially between Ness and Priya.

In all, this was a fast read for me. I liked it but it's not great. There are plot holes but apparently this is a duology, so it might get tidied up in the second book. More of a blunt weapon than a sharp sword in some of its dealings. If you liked the writing and characterisations in Iron Widow, I would recommend this book to you.

I read Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer a few years ago and absolutely loved it, so I was really excited to hear about City of Nightmares.

The premise was fascinating to me and I really enjoyed learning more about this dark, gritty world, and its inhabitants. However, I have to admit the execution fell short and I found the ending rushed and disappointing.

This was an enjoyable read, but that’s pretty much it.

City of Nightmares is an extremely funny and light book, full of humor and funny dialogues but it is also a book full of different elements, it talks about sponges, monsters, vampires, werewolves and much more and these elements all unite in one book they didn't make me fall in love with the book!
The writing of the book in first person also didn't help because in some types of books I don't particularly like this style!
Maybe I didn't fully appreciate this book also because the dystopian genre is not really my thing but I had a lot of fun reading this book and the characters were very enjoyable.
Watch me read the next book in the series as well because I'm still curious to know what happens!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder&Stoughton for providing me with this ARC!

This was a decent read. It opened with a bang and the concept of nightmares coming alive is so incredibly interesting. A wonderful idea.

I am however a bit surprised at the writing. Schaffer's earlier works really seems to have a much higher standard and this felt a bit juvenile. There was also a little too much "correctness" for my taste. It felt like I was being taught a lesson as I was reading.

But all in all, the plot was there and the idea of this is so good that I found myself enjoying what I was reading.