I absolutely loved this book! Definitely a five star read for me. City of Nightmares instantly pulled me in and didn’t let go. I did not want this one to end.

City of Nightmares follows Ness, a reluctant member of Friends of the Restful Soul, as she does her best to avoid nightmares. Ever since Ness’s older sister turned into a huge man-eating spider, Ness has become terrified of nightmares and becoming a victim of one. In this world, if you go to sleep and have a nightmare, you’ll wake up as a physical manifestation of that nightmare. The Friends of the Restful Soul, have taken Ness in after her aunt died and given her a sense of security. Although she’s not to most dedicated follower of the doctrine, Ness will do whatever it takes to stay with the group. It’s the only way she can stay safe.

Everything changes for Ness when she takes over a simple job of delivering some mail and inadvertently almost gets blown up. Now she’s forced to face her fears and join forces with a vampire in order to survive. Ness just wants to get back to her old life, but soon old secrets are brought to life and she’s dodging multiple assassination attempts. Ness will have to let go of her fear and trust her new vampire friend if she hopes to make it out alive.

This was such a fun and quick read. I really enjoyed the world building in this one. Ness is such a wonderful character and I loved seeing her growth. I cannot wait for book two to see what happens next.

This was an interesting read. A world of nightmares written into a book. Kind of reminded me of Clive Barker's book that I read when I was sixteen. I don't remember the book well but I remember the experience of reading it. And that it is something I'll not forget.

This book was weird and just so hard to get through. I didn't like the characters at all or the premise for that matter. I had high hopes for this book being that it was pitched Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer but it let me down majorly.

To be honest I wasn't sure if this would be a book for me but it sounded cool so I grabbed it. I really enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It had an interesting atmosphere and characters. I will admit that the MC sort of annoyed me with her PTSD about nightmares, I mean it was getting annoying. I did like though that the more she had to face them the better she got about it. I loved the vampire guy (whose name escapes me) as soon as Ness met him I figured he would end up being a part of the book. I loved all the paranormal type creatures and the concept of the nightmares was interesting. I am curious to see how it will wrap up in the next book!

This was a deeply intriguing book and very unexpected. I liked the vibes and it had a unique plot (to me). I thought it very well done, just not my favorite!

I really wanted to like this book because the premise was interesting and original, and the world was fresh and gripping from the first page.

However, unfortunately this was a DNF pretty early on for me--the narration was just so on the nose and the dialogue unrealistic, both of which made the characters (especially the main character) annoying and unlikeable. I just didn't connect to her at all, and once she met Cy, it felt much more like his story than hers. Which I didn't actually mind, since she had pretty much no stake in the story. The intriguing plot just wasn't enough to overcome the flimsy characters and cringeworthy writing style. Overall this read like a first draft of a middle grade novel, not a polished version of a young adult story.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

City of Nightmares is a book that deseves more love. It's slightly different from books I might usually read, but I loved it. It was a lot fun and was such an unexpected surprise that I had to give it five stars.

It’s a dark, gritty novel set in a Gotham-like city where all seems hopeless. Criminals run free and people turn into their nightmares. At the center of the novel is Ness, a cowardly girl who has to somehow find the courage to do more than hide and save herself. One of the rare times she does try ends with an explosion and her being stranded with a Nightmare boy...so it's a bit iffy whether she will overcome her crippling fear. 

As someone who loves a kickass heroine, I was often frustrated with Ness’s difficulty to overcome her fears--I swear I would feel differently if it was real though. They controlled her and adversely affected the people around her. Of course, it was understandable why fear maintained such a tight grip on her–her sister turned into a giant man-eating spider. While Ness has limited agency, her potential to be more pops out at various points in the novel. Her transformation from the beginning of the novel to the end was one I was proud of.

Overall good book. It was very fast paced with interesting characters, but it wasn't the best book Ive read.

This book definitely had an interesting premise, a person can turn into their worst nightmare. This is what happened to the main character's sister and she turned into a big freaking spider and ate their dad! What?!?! Needless to say, there are drugs to stop you from dreaming and turning into a man-eating spider, but alcohol nullifies the drugs. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hold my attention and I struggled to get through it. I didn't care much for the main character, I didn't really find her likable. I think the overall concept was good so it was a 3.5 star book for me.

3.5 stars

I was inspired to read this after I saw comparisons to strange the dreamer and the bone season by Samantha Shannon. Overall, I can see the similarities, but this novel just didn’t quite come together for me.

I enjoyed this read, unique concept (a bit creepy-scary) but it was fun. Got some Sandman vibes while reading. The characters, banter and worldbuilding was good too. I like originality that surprises me and this book did just that.

City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer - 3.5/5
Sci Fi & Fantasy - Teen & YA


This book honestly threw my mind for a bit, it was a struggle for finish, but towards the end I was becoming invested. A fantasy/horror book that left me curious for the sequel. In a city filled with crime and corruption, everyone is shattered when a man-eating spider is causing murder and destruction throughout the city. Ness is trying to survive in this world knowing the man-eating spider is her sister, and trying to find a way to fix what has happened.

Available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookShop.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the eARC.

I liked this book a lot. It was fun and unique, with a lot of heartfelt moments. The characters were the strongest aspect. I feel like the plot was enjoyable, but that it's not going to stick with me. Like I'll have to reread this before the sequel because I won't remember anything about it. So not a favorite, but definitely not one I regret reading at all.

Struggled with this story. I had such high hopes when I was reading the description, however it was just one that I could not get into. I might try again at some point, but at this time I did not find it overly enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the Gothum-esque world, a main character that is flawed, and the whole idea of this book. I'm very excited to read the next book in the duology to see what happens next.

A wonderful fantasy horror book. Everyone needs to take medications to stop dreaming. If one dreams you will become your own worst nightmare. The protagonist Ness has a fear of Nightmares, ever since someone she loved turned into a spider and ate her father. The plot is wonderful and fascinating. City of Nightmares is very well executed. .

A delicious piece of fantasy horror. Newham is a city chock full of crime and corruption... and nightmare inspired monsters. In this world, everyone has to take medication to prevent dreaming; if you dream, you are basically guaranteed to physically turn into your worst nightmare. Protagonist Ness has a crippling fear of Nightmares, ever since her sister turned into a giant spider and devoured their father several years before. Understandable. The one place she feels safe is in her closet sized room at the Friends of the Restful Soul charity/(maybe cult) that took her in when she needed it. Discovering that she's at risk of being kicked out due to her inability to overcome her panic attacks and succeed in her job, Ness offers to do a mail run in one last attempt to prove her usefulness. Of course it turns into a flaming disaster, throwing Ness way out of her comfort zone. She has to rely on a Nightmare, a vampire named Cy, to survive. This really opens her eyes to the true state of the world. Humans can be just as monstrous, and some Nightmares are more human than they seem.

I ate this story right up. The plot of nightmares becoming reality is fascinating and nothing I've read before. Newham is a horrifying place to imagine, but definitely makes for a great setting. I loved following Ness as she worked to overcome her panic and fear. Her process of fear was well described and easy to relate to. It's inspiring to see, even in fantasy. I also loved her friendship with Priya- it feels genuine and sweet, as well as with Cy, as she sees beyond his Nightmare status to the person he clearly is. I truly cannot wait to see where the sequel goes.

It's an interesting concept, a world where people are turned into what they fear the most. I do wish we got a bit more on the dream world and the guy who controls it. Hopefully, we will get more in the next book. I also have some theories about some of the plot lines that I can't wait to see if I'm right or not.
I thought it was a really neat idea that our MC struggled with paranoia and severe anxiety. She is extremely meek in the beginning and we get to see her grow and shift her beliefs by being brave and experiencing more of her world.
Overall an enjoyable, easy read with likeable characters and a great plot

Thank you so much to Clarion Books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of City of Nightmares! This book came out back in January and I read it back in January, but I’m finally getting around to writing my review now!
City of Nightmares 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: 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.
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.
City of Nightmares was such a fun book! I read it by the pool, and I highly recommend it as a fun pool read, because it’s not super serious, but so much happens during the book and it’s super plot driven, so you’re always reading about something or the other happening. I really enjoyed Ness and Cy as main characters and Priya was for sure my favorite side character. I thought the whole premise of people turning into their nightmares was super cool. I loved how that played out throughout the book and how that really changed the course of so many people’s lives. Overall, I really liked City of Nightmares as a book and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Link to be added once post goes live

Huge thanks to HarperCollins Children's Publishing, Clarion Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a gigantic fan of DC Comics so this book hit straight to my Gotham City loving heart. I like the world building with this. While there could have been just a little more background, I still grasped the overall setting. The main character hit along the lines of an early YA female MC which I wasn't mad about. The only thing that got me on this was the pacing. There was alot of build up with very little payoff. However, we will see where that lands us in the next book.

Overall, 3.5 stars. I did have a hard time staying engaged and did have to convince myself at times to pick this back. However, I would recommend this to those that like Batman and the Gotham City atmosphere.