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

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It's a really compelling and terrifying concept that demands digging deep into characters and understanding both what they fear most and what that fear would manifest as physically, while also leading to some incredibly disturbing body horror. And I'll give the book credit, it's pretty frightening and disturbing. It could be more creative with some aspects of it, like why would their only be twelve types of vampires? But it's overall pretty solid. From start to finish, City of Nightmares was a wild ride that constantly kept me on my toes. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys paranormal or urban fantasy with a little bit of a spook factor. 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.

But being part of Friends of the Restful means contributing to the group. And when her assigned voluntary job ends in disaster—AGAIN—she cons her way into delivery duty as penance. Until that too ends in chaos. 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. I took a whopping zero notes whilst reading this book, so please excuse me if this review is short. 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.

Ness lives in a crime filled city where people's worst nightmares happen to wander the street, just your normal, average, every day type of thing. And then we have Cyril (Cy) Coatas III. Cy is an ACTUAL, LIVING nightmare. I mean, he literally went to sleep one night, dreamt about his worst nightmare, and then became it the next morning. He is labeled as a violent and contagious nightmare. However, he is truly a beautiful soul who is carrying so much pain. Ness meets Cy during the aftermath of her last task, for The Friends of the Restful Soul, that she practically lies, scams, and begs for. Their meeting is what caused me to truly fall in love with this story. EVERYTHING intensifies once Cy enters the picture. I mean, we learn that a dozen of different characters are keeping secrets. Get loads of dark humor. Multiple encounters with a number of different nightmares. Discussions of weird and wild conspiracy theories. Even a murder mystery element becomes a major focus point by chapter 15. Cy even comes with SEVERAL secrets of his own. What I loved the most about Cy and Ness’s relationship was that it appears that a romance may be developing but their friendship development was so beautiful. I am looking forward to getting more of Cy, as well, in Book #2. 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. A large wooden telephone watches me from the wall, the two brass bells on the front eerily resembling eyes and a long speaker dangling beneath like an elephant’s nose.

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. Overall, City of Nightmares is my first major let down of my 2023 releases. Despite it's terrifying concept, it fumbles in execution thanks to shitty writing, one note characters, and a plot that is neither gripping nor entirely it's own. Oh, also Ness's sister turns into a giant spider and eats their dad alive, btw. In case you missed that. Did the pacing lag a bit? Yeah. Did we also kind of rush things there at the end of this first book? Maybe. But honestly, I had such a good time that I don't really care about that. Ness watched her sister turn into a giant spider, kill her parents and die. Now, she is acting as a courier for a secretive society. When her life becomes at risk, the only person who can help her uncover a web of deception and murder is a mysterious nightmare boy.

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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! Overall, a deliciously thrilling and utterly entertaining read that lovers of morally grey characters,Gotham or stories of pure unadulterated chaos are gonna love!

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!!! 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 Of course, it hasn’t stopped people bootlegging and making their own liquor. Because some people are stupid enough to take the risk—after all, you don’t dream every time you sleep.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. Today’s excerpt is the first book in a new duology from Rebecca Schaeffer. Ever since Ness’ sister became a man eating spider, she’s been terrified. And she’ll do anything to avoid becoming the victim again, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organization that may or may not be a cult. Crooked politicians. Sinister cults. And dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare. Welcome to the City of Nightmares. 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. The characters are charming- Schaeffer hasn't lost her ability to write characters you actually like to follow, thought their interactions can sometimes feel a little wooden. I really enjoyed Ness's relationship with Cy, the nightmare boy that saves her life. There is absolutely potential here and I think a lot of folks will find themselves attached to these characters.

Priya’s eyes are shining with anger, or maybe reverence. They kind of look the same on Priya. “They took out a monster.” The twists in the plot are decent, particularly in the first 3/4 of the book. I'm not a big fan of the very end, because the book enters the paranormal realm there more distinctly than sci-fi, but overall it works.

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There's a subtle romance happening between Ness and Cy, me being me though I also ship her with the Phantom so we'll see where it goes. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Mrs. Sanden,” I reassure her, pressing the pamphlet into her hand. She stares at it as though not sure how she managed to end up holding it. 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. She’s small and looks even smaller in her tiny apartment. Like most apartments in Newham, it’s basically one room—double bed in one corner across from a tiny kitchenette against the wall and an attempt at a sitting room with one skinny sofa and table. Every available surface is covered in flowers. The city buzzes with life in City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer. Citizens piss on the grimy walls. Pterodactyls fly above tall buildings. Speakeasies hide beneath the city’s secrets while Nightmare hunters fly in from the sky to slay dragons. Casinos shaped like golden dragon eggs encase villains and their sharp smirks. Advertisements promise Newham’s fearful citizens a life of immortality. The world is refreshing, funny, and dark.