I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for this arc of City of Nightmares I was completely consumed by it from the first few pages in!

City of nightmares is based on a story about Ness who is petrified of nightmares due to the fact you become what your nightmares are if you don’t take the medication provided to stop you having a nightmare. She’s frightened of her past and it consumes her present until she figures out a way to over come her fears.

I don’t want to give to much away but I loved this story it was so well executed I loved Ness and Priya I loved Ness and Cy and Priya’s sister and partner there is diversity in this LBTGQ+ it’s just a brilliant over all read and it’s definitely a 5 star read!!

City of Nightmares is available now to PRE Order and is out on 23rd February I can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for my advanced copy, my opinion is entirely my own!

"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."

This single phrase has gripped my attention, long before I started reading this book! It is definitely a plot-driven story, where the different events, consequences of acts pull you in and kinda never let's you get out of the flow!

Ness is a really shympatic character, with room to grow and change - what she does throughout the book. She ends up working for a cult-like group (?) that leads her on a not so simple task. She finds courage and bravery after being totally the opposite.

This book was easy to read since the plot just kept going and going, it was fun and mind-blowing! It is a bit too gory for my liking, but it was not a distraction at all, was relevant to the book's setting! A gripping and unique story for sure!

DNF at 35%

I don't dislike this book. The premise of this book really drew me in, and I think the potential here was insane, but it just didn't keep me hooked after drawing me in. The writing is a little juvenile and I found a lot of the prose to be a bit lacking. I also wasn't hooked by any of the characters. I know people have fears and that they can be immobilising, but seeing the world through Ness was just irritating very quickly. I didn't dislike Cy, but their instant friendship and him opening up to her during their first proper conversation was a little unbelievable. Yes - it was more unbelievable than the fact vampires and general nightmares exist.

I really wanted to enjoy this but when I reached the 35% mark and was becoming impatient and already wanting the story to be over, I knew it wasn't for me.

That isn't to say it isn't for everyone. The premise really is interesting. I think I maybe went into this thinking it was going to be more of a Love and Monsters vibe, but that's not what happens in this story.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the description of this story, Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer add spoof? I was hesitant to start, it seemed pretty camp, and that’s not my usual cup of tea, but I couldn’t resist the idea that it might all come together. And it very much did, The City of Nightmares was a pleasant surprise. Fast paced, twisty and tender.

It follows our main girl, Ness, who, in her own words… and deeds, is a spineless coward. But aside from that, Ness is a traumatized orphaned girl, living in a world in which you can transform into your worst fears as you dream.

And you might have guessed it, based on the description but the source of her trauma was her beloved older sister turning into a giant spider and consuming her father…. A few neighbors too.

Now not all nightmares are homicidal man-eaters, some are perfectly kind vegan vampires or ogres or even pterodactyls! After all the nightmares are spawned from whatever the mind can think up to fear.

Our Ness has two problems, and they’re certainly linked. The first problem is that she has a larger than usual fear of Nightmares.

(Seemed like a perfectly reasonable fear to me! But what do I know!)

Nevertheless, that fear and it’s subsequent instinctive survival response (aka haul tail back to her room at the Friends for the Restful Soul) has caused her second problem.

How can one effectively spread the gospel of the benefits of the free therapy and other services offered by the Friends for the Restful Soul, including visiting the bereaved, if even glimpsing the ubiquitous nightmares going about their daily lives send you into a tailspin?

Spoiler alert, you can’t, and if you can’t there goes your cushy, free room and board at the cult.

I loved the themes explored in this story of phobias and how they alienate you (from community, from yourself), how our choices are what makes us monsters and how our understanding of others decisions are clouded by our own preconceived notions. I do think that there were some aspects that I felt that the author was just using the MC as a mouthpiece for their own views on the responsibilities of media in their depiction of the relationships between men and women. Which took me out of the story a bit.

I loved the setting of this story, the mundanity of life in a city filled with corrupt politicians, back alley deals and so much haphazard crime, I saw the Gotham inspiration here, but there was a this underlining humor about it all that kinda morbidly enjoyed.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This book calls to readers who love weird and quirky plots. The book is both vibrant and dark at the same time- we get to experience Ness (who has a phobia of nightmares ever since her sister turned into a man-eating monster) find out the truth about the society.

The writing is beautiful- the plot and the delivery of it was done exquisitely. I am definitely excited to read the series as more chaos unfolds. There were moments of laughter and darkness which made the writing even more beautiful.

Overall, this book is a five star read for me due to its adventure.

Probably closer to 2.5 stars.

This book had a super fun premise that I think overall it delivered on well! The world was a bit over-the-top but I think that worked well with the plot, vibes, and this sort of superhero-adjacent type world.
The characters were all likeable and Ness had pretty good development over the course of the story.
I thought the plot was entertaining enough over all, though there was a bit where it sagged/felt a bit directionless in the middle, but then it picked up again.

I do think this book would actually have benefited from being aged down slightly, despite the dark aspects. The main character came across quite young to me-closer to 15 than the 19 she's supposed to be. And to be honest the others felt quite young as well. I think I would have loved this as a 13 year old. Perhaps some of the sexual references would have needed to be removed, but writing and plot wise it overall felt more suited to a younger YA audience.

I also had an issue with the weird soapbox over romanticising toxic relationships. I get not wanting to put abusive relationships in a positive light, especially in media aimed at teens. But I have two issues with how the author addresses it here. First, I don't really agree with the way she raises the issue. Romanticising toxic dynamics does not cause abuse or create abuse victims...abusers do that. Secondly... it's SO hamfisted. It's really ranty and overtly preachy and feels almost OOC. Also imo it doesn't really fit in well with the themes of the novel... and especially not enough to justify the extent of the ranting on it. Which makes it feel very awkward and out of place, like you're being taken out of the story to get lectured on a tangential personal interest of the author. The whole part with Cy's dad funding an entire film industry to make people accept his behaviour was absolutely ludicrous and imo not how these things work at alllll.

I would still consider reading the sequel or other books by this author. Overall it was still a fun and quick read.

Thanks Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC.

Ness is terrified, but it’s not surprising given that she lives in a world where nightmares walk the streets (and corrupt cops, and gangs, and assassins). In an attempt to protect herself from the nightmares Ness has joined a maybe-cult, the Friends of the Restful Soul. While working for the Friends, Ness is involved in an explosive assassination attempt, and has to rely on a nightmare boy for help, challenging some of her ideas about nightmares.

I really enjoyed City of Nightmares. Ness’s voice is strong, likeable and funny, and she is an excellent narrator for this extremely imaginative story. The premise of the story, that you can dream yourself into being your own worst nightmare is highly original and well realised. The book deals with some tough topics such as panic disorder and consent issues in an accessible way, whilst not making light of them. The story is well paced and readable, and I found it hard to put down.

Oh how rare I find a book like this! 380 pages of pure entertainment, perfect for fans of Gotham (Just like advertised, which surprisingly isnt always a given). The characters are all likeable and I find Ness's trauma/panic attacks realistic and handled well. I dont often say this, because female MCs tend to be on the annoying spectrum for me most of the time, but Ness was likeable and kinda cool in her own way, despite her cowardly personality (again, this was something I actually liked, her being a coward - all books these days have these G. I. Jane personas for women and is getting boring.)
It is original and super entertaining, the humor just fits this kind of story. Major points for the gore and dark stuff, I feel this is usually renderred PG in YA, so extra love for City of Nightmares to go bold on the darker elements while staying within YA boundaries.
Edgy and cool, highly recommend :)

* Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book, will be buying and so will my friends *

Unfortunately the narrator and I did not vibe. I switched between the ebook and the audiobook. I guess, this just wasn't for me.

My main problems weren't related to the narrator though. The writing in my opinion was really bad and repetitive, as if the author thought, we readers wouldn't remember anything. I get it, Ness thinks of her as a coward. Telling me over and over again only makes me more annoyed. Additional it was told not shown ... Could have been done so much better.
Also the way, how the author includes topics such as how fiction romanticises abuse felt unnaturally and forced.

Still, no dnf. Eventually I will read the sequel. The idea overall was creative and had so much potential.

When your used to strong independent heroines this book took a while to get used too. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I grew to like Ness. Yes at times I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow a pair, but it worked for the storyline. And in all honestly, if I woke up and became a monster from my nightmare, well I may also choose to hide in the closet.
A lovely easy read and an author I will continue to follow.

I hate this, but this book just wasn't for me. I loved the idea behind the world & would have enjoyed had it focused on the whole 'why did the nightmares suddenly appear angle' but it just seemed to meander & it seemed like the MC just got dragged along for the ride. It also annoyed me how many times we were reminded of her fear of nightmares, you do not need to tell reads every other page or it just gets repetitive.

A big thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for providing me with an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

City of Nightmares is a dark YA book. It is set in a world where if you have a chance that when you fall a sleep, you wake up to become your greatest Nightmare. The story takes place in the city of Newham, a play on the cities of New York and Gotham, and as is the case with its latter name sake the city is a pit of depravity. Everyone is corrupt, crime is rampant and to make things worse real life nightmares might eat you anytime of the day.

In this world we follow Ness, a girl traumatized because her sister turned into her worst nightmare and ate their dad. This trauma has made Ness scared of everything and turns her into a self proclaimed coward. During the book she will discover what it means to overcome trauma and fear to become a better person.

The world of City of Nightmares is quite interesting. I mean how scary would it be if the person in the next room turns into their worst nightmare. Not to mention you doing so yourself. I did find that the whole corruption thing was a bit overdone, so much so that it reminded me of the Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. It just felt like a bit too much, especially in the way the book keeps making fun of its own setting.

The character of Ness was very one dimensional, she is totally consumed by her fear. This makes it seem that this is the only unique quality she has. The same goes for other characters in the book. Her best friend Priya is the fearless warrior, Cy the male best friend/love interest is of the "nice" guy. We do see a lot of character development in Ness as the book progresses, which makes is a little more dynamic. I also liked the snarkiness that was written into every dialogue, I mean I appreciate a good bit of witty sarcasm and all the characters were well versed in it.

During the course of the book the writer tries to deal with the very heavy underlying themes of consent, assault and male/female relationship dynamics. I really applaud that these themes are handled in a YA book, especially as a lot of the romance tropes in YA are quite toxic and present unhealthy relationships. I do think the way the writer has done so here is not the way to go. For example, she uses vampires and their way of assaulting victims and taking blood without consent as a metaphor for men taking advantage of and assaulting women. As so much in this world is bordering on the ridiculous, including vampires, it makes it hard to take the subject serious, it devalues the argument the same way some other YA books make toxic male dominant relationships seem fantastical due to their setting. On top of that some of the conversations about the more serious topics feel out of place and a tad preachy, as if the author and not the character is speaking directly to the reader.

All in all the this book despite it interesting setting just wasn't for me and I probably wouldn't recommend it to other readers.

This book was weird but in a wonderful way.
I love the idea of turning into your worst nightmare. The world is a crazy one and this is a story different from any I’ve read before.
Vampires shown in a whole new light (definitely not your stereotypical vampire story), a Mayor with a pet pterodactyl (?!), a main characters who’s incredibly flawed but is forced to face those flaws to get through.
Looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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. Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that’s monstrous only in appearance, to 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. But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what’s supposed to be a simple job for the organization—only for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor—a Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her—must find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.

Ness is someone who has allowed fear to rule her life. Terrified of everything and every potential event, she refuses to push herself in any situation. In the beginning, she rather annoyed me. I felt frustrated by just how scared she was of everything. It felt a little much. But as the story progressed, and Ness started to doubt the things around her, her reactions began to change. Instead of instantly running or cowering, she considered ways of fighting, of helping, of simply doing something other than allowing her fear to rule her. It was with this realisation that I started to like her more and more. Her friendship with Priya was great - I think we would all love such a sassy and seemingly fearless friend watching our back, remaining by out sides despite all the craziness. I feel like Ness has a lot of room to grow and it will be interesting to see how she does this and what direction she takes after the events of this book. Colour me intrigued.
Cy is mysterious in the beginning but then turns out to be such a sweetheart. Despite his monstrous abilities, he is gentle and considerate, living his life as normally as he can to blend in with everyone. Determined to be his own person and not compared to others with more devious reputations. I really enjoyed seeing his friendship with Ness bloom. He helped to bring her out of her fear induced armour and encourage her to stand on her own two feet. He helped show her that not all Nightmares are bad. Their fears may be, but there is still a person beneath it all. I’m excited to see where his character goes.

What a story! I could scarcely put it down! I will admit, at first I wasn’t so sure. The description was interesting and I wanted to give this book a go as it didn’t seem like one I would normally be drawn to. By golly, am I glad I did request this one! The characters felt fleshed out, the plot was pretty solid, there are monsters, intrigue, mystery and great friendships which kept my attention throughout. I liked that the moment the reader gets comfortable with an event, something else happens to turn it on its head and make you question “what the hell is going on?!” I love it when that happens. I love to be surprised by books and this one certainly did that. I’m impressed. It looks like the next book is due out in September - I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT TO RELEASE! The ending of this story was solid and has me gripped for what happens next. Well done Schaeffer!

Overall, City of Nightmares is a story filled with monsters that leaves you wanting more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

People go to sleep only to risk waking up as their worst nightmare. Ness knows this all too well, after all, her sister became a spider and ate her father whilst she hid in a cupboard, like a coward.
She’s joined a charity, or rather what everyone else sees as a cult, but her greatest nightmare remains the same: becoming a nightmare.

This book offers engaging discourse on what makes you evil, on what gives our nightmares their reality, what makes us so vulnerable to them, and what it means to give in to them.
It made me pause and think about corruption, morality, and our perceptions and prejudices of people. All people: good, bad, monster, nightmare, normal. This was particularly prevalent as this city is indeed the Gotham the author promoted it as.

The representation, diversity and inclusion is astounding. It isn’t in your face, but it’s subtlety made me quietly punch the air with a victorious yes! Authors don’t have to force their ideals down your throat, they can prove their normality by not drawing undue attention to it.

I loved that our heroine subverted the usual role. She’s not brave: she’s a self-identified coward, one who would rather run away then stay and face her fears, or even help her friends.
All through this, the story is kept entertaining with light-hearted humour and grit, friendships and petty rivalries.

"Ma'am," I tell her. “Your husband was trying to eat you."
“A misunderstanding!" she insists, still waving the only arm she has left.
I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose. “He ripped off your arm."
"An accident."
"He ate it."
"He was hungry. It's a shame to let these things go to waste."

This is a story about dealing with grief, fears, and presumptions. It asks how far people are willing to go to achieve their goals.

It's hard to stop being afraid when the whole world is literally full of monsters.
And anyone could become another one whenever they go to sleep.

I’d recommend this to fans of Renegades by Marissa Meyer, Strange the Dreamer and, also, if you’ve ever watched the TV show Miraculous Ladybug.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

I really loved this book. The idea was great and the execution was greater. It was fast paced and I really loved it. The only thing that I didn't like was that Ness was pictured as coward. If your sister turned out to be a man-eating spider who ate your family (don't hate me it's in the blurb!) wouldn't you be afraid? Would that make you coward? No, it would make you human. Other than that I CAN'T WAIT to read the next book.

I was a massive fan of Rebecca Schaeffer’s debut Not Even Bones and the sequels which concluded her awesome Market of Monsters trilogy, which cleverly blended horror and urban fantasy. City of Nightmares is the first part of a duology, with Cage of Dreams following later this year. I thought this was a great, very quirky and highly original read and am definitely sold on the prospect of the second book. Like, Not Even Bones, City of Nightmares has a great main hook which should be an easy sell to teenagers: for the last hundred years or so when somebody has a nightmare, there is a very good chance they will turn into whatever their nightmare is, which becomes real in our world. For example, early on in the story we find out that the main character Ness’s (short for Vanessa) little sister some years earlier turned into a giant spider monster which then ate their father, a couple of other people, before it was killed by an organisation, a bit like the police, that track and kill nightmares. Once you get your head around how things work in the very weird town of Newham (where nightmare have been becoming real for a century) the book gets easier to follow, as there are rules which make survival possible.

The story is cleverly built around the fact that Ness is a coward, the long term and complex effects of losing her family, who is scared to get close to anybody in case they turn into a nightmare and murder her. However, in Newham everybody takes medication which suppress dreams, but once in a while somebody forgets and something nasty nightmare appears. Once turned into a nightmare this cannot be reversed or turned again into a further nightmare, so this might mean that if a nightmare is not dangerous a person spending their entire life with gills or pincers for hands! (depending on what their dream was). The main thrust of the plot puts poor cowardly Ness into the spotlight after she is one of two survivors of a deliberate bomb blast on a boat, involving her in a conspiracy which takes her close to a friendly vampire and the original cause of the nightmares, which will obviously be explored in the second book. The world building in City of Nightmares was refreshing, original and bold, being so good it matched Frances Hardinge, and if you enjoyed her Unravelled you will love this. It was outstanding to have such an atypical ‘heroine’ who had a captivating narrative with big revelations as the plot moved on. Outstanding stuff. AGE RANGE 12/13+

Have you ever seen those book recommendations on tiktok by Siggy Shade and thought..."Im not old enough for this"? Well this book is perfect for you!

This book contains Man Eating Spiders, Lizard Director, Morally Grey Vampire and a wimp.
Its chaotic, loveable, likeable, so weird and strange yet so addictive.. This is a YA dystopian monster/horror book that contains our FMC (Ness) who clearly is a bit of a wimp at the start but is forced into a predicament so has to grow a backbone.

I absolutely adored this book and its way to entice me in from the very first chapter

Thank you Hodder and NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest opinion/review of this book

Welcome to Newham, a city that can literally crawl with villains, where the authorities are more likely to bribe you than help you. It’s mouldy, it’s smoggy, it smells like “urine and dust, barbecue and burnt coal.” It’s also where you’ll find the the cult that Nessa joined three years ago.

“It’s not a cult.”

Uh huh… It’s called Friends of the Restful Soul. Tell me that’s not a cult!

Ness has been a coward (her words, not mine, but she’s not wrong…) for eight years, ever since her sister turned into a giant spider and started eating people.

See, this is a world where your nightmares become Nightmares. Don’t understand the difference? Well, a Nightmare is what happens when you don’t drink the tap water laced with Helomine or remember to down some Nightmare-prevention drugs and allow yourself to dream. Dreaming results in you waking up as your worst fear.

I had such high expectations for this book that I didn’t think it was possible for it to meet them. I wanted to hold onto my hope so much that I put off reading it for weeks. I needn’t have worried. I was hooked by the second page and I read nonstop until I finished.

Ness is living her best scared life. She runs away from any person, location or situation that could maybe. It’s a good thing she has her badass best friend, Priya, to protect her and the brick box that she calls home (previously the janitor’s closet), the only place she feels safe. Our Ness has trust issues.

“I can’t get too close to anyone, you never know who’s already a Nightmare - or who will turn into one.”

Badass Priya runs towards danger and is looking forward to the day when she gets paid to kill sea monsters and sky monsters. Basically, any monster will do. Just let Priya at ‘em!

“If it’s attacking me, I kill it. If it’s attacking other people, I kill it. If it’s not attacking anyone, I don’t kill it. I feel like it’s a really simple distinction.”

Then there’s Cy the sigher. He’s probably my favourite character. When you get to know him, you’ll want to be his friend too.

The Nightmares are brilliant, the mayor has an attack pterodactyl and Ness is definitely a cult member.

“Still not a cult.”

I urgently need the sequel!

Favourite no context quote: “He was still my husband. We just couldn’t communicate anymore because I don’t speak giant cockroach!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

The blurb drew me in, but I found the execution lacking. Muddled characterisation and the most interesting character was not our protagonist, which was disappointing. Simply not for me!