City of Nightmares Review – Face your fears

Hi friends! Welcome to my review of City of Nightmares! This was such a fun book to read, and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you. Let’s hop in!

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Quick Synopsis

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.

Perfect for readers who want:

• Paranormal elements like vampires, werewolves, and more!
• Morally questionable main character you can root for
• Queernormative world
• Strong friendships and great banter

About City of Nightmares

Purchase Links

Purchase City of Nightmares Here

Publisher | LibroFM

City of Nightmares Review

Characters – 8/10

The characters in this book really stood out to me. Ness, our main character, is described as a coward, but it runs much deeper than that. I love a good unlikable character, and Ness is definitely one. She’s on the morally grey side, and she’ll do anything to ensure her safety. I loved her character arc, and I’m really excited to see where this series will go.

While Ness was my favourite character, I really liked Cy and Priya as well. All of them were really well fleshed out, and I need them to spend more time together as a group in the next book.

Atmosphere – 8/10

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.

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

I didn’t have high expectations going into this. The premise sounded intriguing, but I had never read anything from Schaeffer before. I honestly forgot I was reading most of the time, I was just so gripped by the story. It was playing out in my head like a movie (this would make a great mini-series) and I could not put it down.

Plot – 7/10

At times the book feels a bit slow, and it’s not always clear where the plot is going next. There are quite a few moving parts, but overall it worked well. The real action starts at about the 30% mark, and after that, you won’t be able to put it down.

Intrigue – 7/10

This book is weird, but I loved it. I was fascinated and I could not put it down. City of Nightmares has cults, assassinations, vampires, dragons, and so much more. And it all makes sense. It doesn’t feel like anything was forced into this book to make this eccentric city of Nightmares work.

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

The way the magic system (the Nightmares) in this book works is also fascinating, and I loved learning about every part of the process. Book two might delve even more into the science of the Nightmares, considering the events of the last 80 pages. And I cannot wait.

Enjoyment – 8/10

It’s safe to say that I really enjoyed this book, and I am so glad I won’t be turning into my Nightmares anytime soon. (Does anyone else have nightmares about sharks and matric exams as much as I do?)

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