The entire book is also some sort of modern day pop culture critic to the point that it becomes ridiculous. Some examples from the book: That said, all the snorting, groaning, and developing relationships tired me. The plot, well, I won't spoil it, but I feel it has more than one hole and I disliked the ending. The irony is then that the author makes the male main character a vampire, thus making this book part of the problem she’s trying to criticize? I can agree it’s a problem when a story romanticize truly problematic behavior that has a possibility of manifesting in real life (think all the new adult books in the early 2010 period), when manipulating and controlling behavior is painted as romantic. But I think everyone know that vampires aren’t real and can distinguish between that sort of fiction and real life, otherwise it’s just insulting towards the readers intelligence. I can see what the author tried to do, but it failed tremendously and just became absurd. 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.

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 Hi, everyone, and welcome to my blog! My name is Megan, and I am an avid reader. I love sharing my book journey with others, which is why I decided to start this blog. I hope you enjoy! This gets especially annoying as the book becomes a vehicle for moral and philosophical ranting. It confuses me that this is marketed as being "morally gray" as Ness is so clearly someone you're meant to root for with all her ranting about how everyone has agency to choose good and why vampire movies are perpetuating abusive relationships. This is both confusing and ironic considering Schaeffer's previous series actually did allow characters to be morally gray and did so without preaching morality. Return to the City of Nightmares in the sequel, Cage of Dreams. With more chaos, more monsters, and a lot more nightmares.

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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. The bottle is half-empty,” I whisper, my voice layered with the fear growing like a Nightmare in my chest. I reach out and touch it. “And it’s damp. It’s been opened recently.” And that means you never- never- know where it’s going to go, or what’s even possible. And yet! What does happen always winds up feeling plausible and even foreshadowed! I don’t know how that’s possible.

I fell for Ness and Cy’s friendship, and I still think it’s wonderful, but I have a bad feeling it’s going to turn into a romance, which will be a disappointment for me personally, though I’m sure go over well with some other readers. I just love a platonic coupling! I love a platonic love story! I want those couple of moments implying Ness might actually be aspec to not be accidental! But, well, we’ll see. 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. 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.Goodreads Description: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. Ness herself is a great protagonist. She's decidedly NOT brave, or strong, or clever, or anything that distinguishes many other protagonists; she's a girl trying to do the best she can after withstanding awful trauma. Her arc with trusting Cy was believably paced. 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.

The world-building was really good and leans into the dark and gritty, 1920s-style comic book aesthetic that paired well with all the morally ambiguous characters we encounter. Most of whom had some rather big personalities, or eccentric quirks that made them really memorable (like keeping a pterodactyl to kidnap or eat your enemies.) Their questionable actions also kept me on my toes, though it’s probably the first time my tendency to suspect everyone has actually paid off. A wonderfully grisly and darkly imaginative tale that will entertain its readers even as it draws them into its web of self-examination.”— School Library Journal (starred review) I tug at my gloves, ensuring they’re secure. I know he’s dead, and his body isn’t even here because he turned into a Nightmare in his sleep, and even if it were, the blue scales weren’t contagious by touch. But I still make sure my gloves are secure. From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, comes a sweeping romance about the sustained power of chance encounters.She ignores me, piling up all the pamphlets she has. A gust of wind chooses that moment to come in through the small, open window and whip the pamphlets around the room, making them soar like it’s raining therapy advertisements. 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. 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. Okay, we deserved that. The woman is clearly in denial and needs help, and we’ve probably made everything worse.