"City of Nightmares" is, as the description says, a mix of Gotham and Strange the Dreamer. Big shoes to fill, I'd say, and as someone who hasn't read Schaeffer's work so far, I was excited to experience this new author. And damn, it was a fun ride! "City of Nightmares" is weird, original and fun. I read it in one sitting and gosh, I loved the premise of people turning into their worst nightmares, of a city filled with monsters made from dreams. There were so many creative ideas, though I would have loved to see even more - especially more abstract nightmares. It's a truly fascinating premise and I had a lot of fun diving into this world. Our protagonist is Ness, who is deadly afraid of nightmares ever since her beloved sister turned into a giant spider and ate their dad. The book doesn't necessarily take her fear serious, it's more used in a comedic way most of the time - which I did take issue with at some points. In the end, that is kind of this book's thing: It doesn't take itself too seriously, and despite all the horrors presented to us it prefers to be funny instead of terrifying.

The writing is rather simplistic and honestly, sometimes reads almost... juvenile? It does make it easy to read, but it's not the most beautifully written novel. The subject matter, the content, could have benefitted from a more mature voice. This is especially obvious in some cringey dialogue, when it's clear that Schaeffer tried to hard to make her characters sound funny, and descriptions, be it of places or people, the latter being afforded only barebones descriptions á la "tall, blue eyes, dark hair". That's not really very engaging and doesn't help the readers trying to picture your world. There are also instances that took me out of the story completely because the author clearly used her book to voice her own opinions (about love, monogamy, romanticised abuse and so on). Now, that is perfectly fine, but she does it in such an inorganic, on the nose kind of way that it was jarring. It reads like the author talking, not the characters on the page, which - in a fiction novel - is not ideal. So that was a bit of a weird choice.

The characters are relatable and fun to follow, each with their own issues, some more complex than others, but they all have potential. Honestly, I will read the sequel for Priya alone, hoping for her to get more to do - and maybe not to get sidelined because she's "having a fight with her sister", just so that the future lovebirds can spend some questing time alone. Again, the writing, as in the actual craft of it, is a bit iffy sometimes. Ness is a good protagonist with clear character development. Cy, the nightmare who saved her life and makes her slowly realize that maybe not all nightmares are evil, is charming and sweet, and I'm absolutely rooting for them.
The plot is exciting, with lots of stuff happening in a relatively short amount of time, meaning that at no point does the story get boring. It's greatly paced, it's super fun, and the villains introduced have a lot of potential. So despite the okay-ish writing and some comedic issues, this is just a really fun, really engaging quick read and a great beginning of a new series. There's quite a bit of wasted potential, too, which I hope will be adressed in the sequel, but there is a lot to love.
3,5 stars.

An upbeat, quirky modern fantasy brought down by poor writing and plot development. If you can overlook its flaws, CITY OF NIGHTMARES is a light-hearted fantasy thrill ride.

This book was absolutely not what I was expecting, not in a good way – and yet I still had a lot of fun reading this.

The covers made me think this was a semi-serious adult fantasy, but instead this is a light-hearted YA sci-fantasy thriller. The voice is fast-paced, energetic 1POV from the book's sassy main character, the cowardly nineteen-year-old Ness Near. You do wonder why or how you could root for a character who exploits others in for selfish gain, and who therefore doesn't have a purpose in life other than to survive – but then, Ness also deliberately threatens to break someone's ankle to get her way, so I didn't really get a true cowardly feel from her, which only muddied the messages of bravery this book was trying to push.

Because of this, Ness doesn't push CITY OF NIGHTMARES’ plot. Things happen to her and most of the book is her reacting to them; she stumbles upon most answers to her questions by sheer coincidence, rather than any active seeking on her part. However, she is still somehow a fun character to follow, and has a great dynamic with her peers, like Cy and her best friend Priya. There's an eclectic side cast as well, given the book's fundamental focus on Nightmarish aspects – there are lizards and living blobs and wolves and phantoms. The premise is totally absurd and book rolls with it anyway.

The plot did leave a lot to be desired as well, for aforementioned no-agency Ness, but also because a lot of factors of plot movement hinged on coincidences, and all the good twists are given to random, one-note side characters. The book also goes on many unnecessary and sometimes incoherent tangents that feel like padding.

Without a doubt, however, the poorest aspect of the book was the repetitive, juvenile writing. I absolutely did not get 'established author' vibes from Schaeffer's prose, who has her characters repeatedly grin, blink, and shrug, with little variation. Each quirk is so noticeable because they're always in-between dialogue exchanges, turning what should be short conversations into several pages.

CITY OF NIGHTMARES is flawed, BUT when you manage to overlook the flaws, you can enjoy this exactly for what it is trying to be: a solid YA sci-fantasy ride of thrills and black humour. Genuinely, if they redid the covers to be more tonally appropriate and ran this through another edit to get rid of the repetitions, the book would benefit massively.

WILL I READ ON? Maybe.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this title, in exchange for this honest review.

This book was a gift that kept giving. I loved the characters, the world, the plot and oh my god the twist. The twist! It was so well executed. The story literally almost directly spoiled it once, but immediately drew our attention away from that, whilst sprinkling implications throughout the rest of the story. This made the twist incredibly satisfying, as looking back all the pieces of the puzzle were there, but they were never the focus of the scene they appeared in.

I also loved how this book wasn’t romance-centric, but focused on the main character, her trauma and past, and well, friendship. Incredibly excited for the sequel, because I’m very curious to see what a certain character will do.

The first chapter of this book made me think "oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?" But over the next couple of chapters I actually started to like this book.

The fantastic elements are interesting and well thought through. They leave a lot of space for imagination and offer many possibilities. The nightmares can be literally anything, so there are barely any rules, which leads to a fantastic chaos of never quite knowing what might happen next.

Newham as a city is awesome. Kind of like New York on crack. It's big, it's dark, it's cutthroat. People are crazy and don't even try to hide it. Leave the house and be prepared to be murdered by some strange creature. Or maybe just murdered. Fun stuff.

But fact is, this book doesn't take itself seriously and that's what makes it so great. It's completely over the top, sarcastic and has fabulous dark humor.
But despite that, there are a couple of deeper and sometimes quite grim topics. There is one discussion about abusive relationships that stuck in my mind.
Especially the quote "Why do people get so wrapped up in romance?" concerning the topic of having close friends in relationships, resonated with me. There aren't many books about just friendship, as opposed to the millions of rmances. This book is not a romance. Maybe the next instalment will have romantic elements, as there were a couple of hints towards that, but this one is about friendship and it was lovely and pure and sweet.

The characters were fun. Especially Ness was a nice change to the usual kickass female fighter. She's not kickass or a fighter, she's traumatised, more than just slightly paranoid and a coward. She's trying her best to simply survive and work through her trauma. Obviously we've got character development over the course of the book, but it was believable and didn't immediately turn her into a super hero.
Cy is also amazing and I really really loved him.

Over the course of the book, the overall plot gets hinted at. When it first appeared to be solved, I was a bit disappointed as I had expected something more, but I got my wish before the book was over. I wouldn't call it epic, but it was exciting and I didn't want to put the book down.

Looking forward to the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and of course Hodder&Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is on the lower 4/3.5 stars!
When i heard the premise of this book and that it was based in a city that is described as a dark Gotham with vampires and other nightmares, i was immediately sold on the idea (Gotham is a fave tv series for me)

The book didnt disappoint on the Gotham vibes.
I liked the characters alot but wanted more. The book felt like an opening chapter to a much bigger book concept so everything for me felt like just a teaser and made me ask more questions than it actually answered.

I think my preferences have definitely started to learn towards Adult audiences which may be why i felt it lacked ever so slightly, BUT this dark world and story would have benefitted far more is it were to be written for an older/ darker audience!

Over all i did really enjoy it and binged it within a day! The Audio book is really great, pacing and narrator are on point for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot for this story was well developed and I thoroughly enjoyed going through the ups and downs of Ness’s tale. Ness is a coward living in a world of nightmares. A world were falling asleep could literally be the end, and we’re it was the end of Ness’s sister. However, after Ness is on a boat travelling on a mission the boat explodes causing both a vampire called Cy, and Ness, to face their fears.

I loved the prospect of this novel, it was a really cool idea however, I feel as though more editing needed to go into the writing of this. Many sentences throughout didn’t make sense and needed either further explaining or rewriting.

Thank you Netgalley and Edelweiss for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Ness has been scared of Nightmares since her older sister became a giant spider and 2 persons, including her father. Dreaming means becoming your worst fear, it could be becoming a monster or looking like one.

Ness messes up a job and finds herself hiding once again, this time delivering mail on a boat thinking she will be safer. This however turns out to be the opposite as the boat literally blows up and throws her to the sea alongside a boy who is one of the nightmares she fears so much. Now Ness finds herself stuck in a web of sinister truths, kidnapping attempts and assasinations.

First, i loved Ness as a charatcter. She is flawed and imperfect. I found the portrayal of what i consider to be anxiety incredibly well done. Anxiety is a complex thing and its almost impossible to control it, it doesnt matter knowing what is going on and knowing your fears are irranital, you still suffer. I loved her relationship with Priya and how not all friendships are the same and how friendship change through time.
I missed some more in depth on Cy to be honest but i hope we will see it in future books.

The pacing was extrange bcs while i understood the why i couldnt feel as nothing was happening and when something did happened it felt anticlimatic like i needed more build up for it. I can clearly see this is a first book in a series.


Overall, i really enjoyed it and wish to read the sequel already!

When I read Rebecca’s first trilogy, Not Even Bones, I fell head over heels in love with everything about it. Ever since, Ive been recommending the books to everyone—yes, everyone—I know. I even read the webtoon version despite my disinterest in comics! Understandably, I screamed when I saw City of Nightmares added to Goodreads in January. especially since I’ve been thinking about it until I got the acceptance mail, I know I manifested this copy of the book.

Anyway, I loved it. The premise, set in a world I would have never thought of if I wondered a few hundred years, a scary, scary place, the characters, so like everyone i know, yet so different and otherworldly.

A few complaints, though. The book was too short for this amount of interesting ideas. I think adding a few more character storylines with different sides of the world would have greatly altered the book for me. This way, the book feels like a sneak peek of what is to come, which never comes. I did not see why Cy and Ness mattered to each other, as there weren’t many high stakes things that would’ve bonded them. Yes, they are in dangerous situations, but they aren’t saved/protected by each other, or fear loss in any way. Otherwise, something both of them really, really cared for could’ve been a great way to see shift in their focus and feelings for each other. I hope the sequel will answer more questions & develop characters more.

However, there is ONE thing that actually annoyed me about this book. Beth’s character and storyline. The hell was that? I found it like a very, very lazy bandaid on a plot hole. Her character motivation was so “crazy ex-gf” that I audibly reacted “the fuck?”.

Other than that, great novel! I’ll definitely buy a physical copy to support Rebecca <3

"Ever since Ness her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town Ness has been terrified of nightmares, wether this means another nightmare murdering her or being turned into one. No one is safe in Newham, Ness will do anything to avoid being turned into a nightmare or being killed by one."

I feel like the author woke up and went "I crave violence" and I loved every single second of that. The character journeys were engaging and I had to keep reading to know what would happen to them next. And that's partly why it gets 5 stars, I loved every page from the start to end. Ness has an amazing character arc that made sense to the setting and there wasn't a moment where I felt confused or left behind. The setting of this book was wild which adds to the character of it and I loved that the MC in this wasn't invincible, she is human and has fears and needs to grow. Loved every single minute of reading this and I'm going to recommend it to everyone

A very enjoyable book! I practically breezed through it. It's an easy read that has you follow a sympathetic protagonist that lives in a chaotic, near-lawless, Gotham-like city with supernatural twists. I love the contrast between the personalities of Ness and Priya, and Ness and Cy. I particularly appreciate that we are not immediately and illogically building up a romance between the latter pair and simply letting their friendship grow first. It's noteworthy that the novel pauses here and there to have conversations about consent in romance—something that seems certain to be paid off in the second novel. It's mildly reminiscent of Marissa Meyer's Renegades trilogy but with a smaller cast, greyer morals and a far more mysterious antagonist that will, hopefully, cause exciting consequences in the next instalment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer takes us to a world where going to sleep can change everything!

--------------

After young Ness' older sister turns into a huge, terrifying Spider and ears their father – it's more than a little understandable that Ness, who is now nineteen years old, struggles to find peace in the world. Especially when that world is filled with people who have turned into their nightmares and there's always a chance you could fall asleep and wake up as something else entirely!

Ness does however manage to find a safe haven in the city of Newham, with a group called the Friends of the Restful Soul. However, to keep her place and most importantly her room within the group – she must proof her worth. That's when things go south pretty quickly leading Ness down a dangerous path filled with horrific truths.

I really enjoyed my time with this book. The characters and world kept you invested and there was always a question that you just needed the answers to. I went from interested to hooked pretty quickly and enjoyed the constant twists and turns the story took. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I understood and related to Ness' desperation in trying to keep hold of her safe space in her uncertain life!

Considering how well paced the rest of the book felt, I did feel that the final part of the book felt rushed and I would've liked some more time spent on certain moments and revelations. But overall it's an enjoyable and exciting read which leaves you wondering what could possibly be coming next!

Personally, I'm all in on this excitingly horrifying world and I can't wait for the next book!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Stoughton for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i genuinly do not know how to feel about this book. It does feel quite a young YA novel, the writing was also quite sloppy for me, and the characters not fully fleshed. It wanted to do all the cool stuff, but failed to capture and enthall me as a reader, sadly.

City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer is a fantasy story with a heroine who must face her fear and a world we’re nightmares prevail, and this concept intrigued me from the beginning, and I absolutely love this book.
 
What was most unique to me was the world building. The story is set in Newham and that is a city that never sleeps and where corruption is a common thing. The people in this world must face their fears because if you don’t do that you literally turn into your nightmare. Nightmares are very dangerous, and no one wants to become one. That created such a gloomy and dark atmosphere, and I loved it.
 
The heroine Ness is terrified of nightmares because she experienced her sister becoming one and she is still processing this traumatic event. In the meantime, she works for Friends of the Restful Soul which is an organization and almost cult and a lot is very suspicious. But that is the only home she has and therefore she stays there.
 
However, one day everything chances and her whole world is turned upside down as she learns what is behind that organization and the nightmares. By her side is Cy who has demons of his own and the two are quite the pair and I loved to follow the story alongside them.
 
Overall, City of Nightmares is one of the most unique fantasy stories I’ve ever read, and I got sucked into this world and was sad to leave it once I’ve read the last page. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I have been desperate for a new Rebecca Schaeffer book ever since I finished When Villains Rise several years ago and it was well worth the wait.

It took me a little while to warm up to this story and to Ness's voice and perspective but once it picked up I was all in. The premise of this novel is fascinating. In Ness's world, people can become their worst nightmare; whatever that may be. After her own sister became a giant man-eating spider who killed their father Ness lives in constant fear and it significantly inhibits her life.

I adored the character dynamics in this. This was one of my favorite parts of the Market of Monsters series and I was delighted to see the same strong ties and overarching bond between characters in this book too. Cy and Ness are extremely different characters to Kovit and Nita (in every possible way) but their unlikely friendship and constantly developing relationship is just as strong as fascinating as the one in Schaeffer's previous trilogy. Their banter was also charming and genuinely funny. I loved Cy from the very beginning, he's an absolute delight. Ness took a little longer for me to warm up to but her character development was incredible and believable and by the time the book finished I was completely on her side. I was also a big fan of Priya and the relationship between her and Ness.

The worldbuilding is incredibly strong in this. It's incredibly detailed and laid out in such a manner that it's incredibly easy to grasp. I have so many questions about the rest of this world and how things have been set up. There is so much potential in this world and within the narrative itself.

Overall I loved this book and look forward to seeing what comes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

4.5★

➴I requested it on a whim and didn't read the description, tbh, so when I read it, I thought the concept of people having nightmares and then waking up transformed into monsters or creatures from their dreams was ridiculous. However, as the story progresses, I realise that the issues raised are not merely surface-level, but are extremely relevant to our everyday lives.

➶ I liked the character development of Ness, who is traumatized, and is afraid to leave her comfort zone or try new things to describe the life of a teenager. Ness is gradually overcoming her fear, though it is not easy. Aside from that, Ness must deal with the Nightmares' terror and the people who want to kill her.

➻ The unusual friendship between Ness and vampire boy Cy keeps me entertained; their exchanges always make me laugh. This book will keep you guessing, some of the Nightmares-related puzzles gave me dystopian vibes, and monsters are always associated with scary and cruel figures, but here you will understand the true meaning of monsters.

➴Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me an ARC. This is one of my favorite reads!

I absolutely adored Rebecca Schaeffer's Market of Monsters Trilogy, so when I heard about City of Nightmares it was an immediate preorder. Ness is terrified. Of everything - the world around her, and the people in it. And who can blame her when people who make the mistake of dreaming turn into their worst nightmares?

The world building in this book is incredible. Combined with a main character that I really developed a soft spot for, and enough twists and turns to give a person whiplash, this was one of my favourite reads of the year.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer.

The book follows Ness who has been terrified of Nightmares ever since her sister became a man eating spider and slaughtered their father and others. In Newham dreaming means waking up as your worst fear, this could be becoming an actual monster or just waking up to look like one.

Ness does not want to be a victim so she joins the Friends of the Restful Soul an organisation that may be a cult.

After a job gone wrong Ness needs to prove herself worthy to remain so she takes a job delivering the post via boat. This however blows up in her face quite literally. After the boat is targeted by an assassination attempt Ness is one of the only survivors along with a boy who is a living nightmare. They must work together to uncover the sinister truth and return back to Newham, but can Ness get over her fear of Nightmares and work together with this boy?

I really loved the premise of the book it was a refreshing idea and the story was executed very well! I enjoyed follow Ness's character arc and her bond with her best friend Priya. It was refreshing that as the main heroine in the book Ness is flawed and working through her past trauma to overcome her fear of nightmares.

Helping her to do this is Cy's character who became a vampire via nightmare because his father is one and he did not want to be his father.

This book had lots of good twists and turns. The setting was great reminiscent of Gotham and the monsters ad nightmares were pure chaos you didn't know what would be faced or appear next.

A well crafted fantasy story that I would recommend everyone read, it was a refreshingly different take on the trope of dreams affecting real life and it was highly enjoyable.

The ending leaves the book open to a sequel and I look forward to seeing what comes next in this series.

Thank you again to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the advance reader copy for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Rebecca Schaeffers "Market of Monsters" trilogy, so I was looking forward to read her new book!
The different characters and nightmares were very interesting and I loved the concept of turning into your worst fear. Ness was the perfect character to put into this corrupt and cruel nightmare of a world. Her fears, panic and struggles were described wonderfully.

Rating 4🌟
Plot twist: 3.5🌟


This book was super unique and weird (in a good way).

I'm usually imagining myself living in the book's world, but hell nah, I definitely do not want to live in that one 🤣

People are turning into their worst nightmare left and right, there is so much dark humor that I didn't know if I should be terrified or I should be laughing lol

The plot twists were.. interesting. Definitely not what I expected but they still made sense.

I think this book would be suitable for young adult auditory, despite all the weird creatures that lives inside it.

Overall I did enjoy the book and will be NOT be looking forward to turning into a giant rattle snake with fluffy spider legs LOL.

I absolutely devoured this book within a day. It was fast paced and thrilling to read (especially on a rainy day). Ness was a great character who showed depth and development throughout the story. She is terrified of all nightmares and can’t help but flee instead of fight when she needs to. After begrudgingly teaming up with Cy, a vampire, she learns more about her fear and how to overcome it. It’s a great story that inspires courage but still shows that you are allowed to be scared.

I thought that the plot twist was a bit predictable but either way I loved the world building and the characters. I can’t wait to see where the next book will lead us (especially with Cy and Ness because they are sooo cute together). Im glad the author went with a slow burn and just finished the story with them as tentative friends.