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 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. 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!!! 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! Man, I really wish I'd gotten around to my advanced reading copy sooner so that I could have been an AGGRESSIVE promoter of it during its release week. I have fallen down on my duties!!

Cheesy, camp, hilarious and so much fun, this was so much fun to read. I liked that it had the gritty, urban vibes of Repo The Genetic Opera and V For Vendetta, plunging us into a dark, grimy city where everyone's just trying to survive day to day. I scream, loud and sharp, diving away from the monstrosity, smashing into the hardwood floor. I scramble across it on my hands and knees. A broken piece of the vase caught in the rug cuts my glove, slicing my skin beneath. I leave drops of blood behind as I scuttle away. 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. Of course the Mayor has a pet pterodactyl that randomly eats citizens. At this point, I don’t even consider this an odd thing to happen in Newham.Our main character Ness was much too cowardly for me. Yes, that makes her more real and maybe relatable? But I just thought she was a bit too much. I wasn’t expecting her to be Katniss or Batman or something but she was too pathetic for me. I think that took away from the story for me personally. She does become a bit more brave at the end but by then, the book was over. 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. 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. The sci-fi-esque elements of the book work better than the paranormal elements, such as the Nightmare Boy. My sister’s worst nightmare was a giant, man-eating spider. I know because that’s what she turned into when she went to sleep for the last time.

Something I especially enjoyed about City of Nightmares was the protagonist’s personality. Unlike many other MCs in YA fiction, Ness was terrified of almost everything, and very rarely willing to put herself on the line to face those fears. It was rather refreshing to see and set up some interesting plot points. Additionally, her personality made for an excellent character arc that was done believably. I enjoyed being in her thoughts, and I’m excited to see what adventures she gets up to in the sequel.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. To prevent you from dreaming and turning into your worst nightmare, there are drugs. Alcohol nullifies their effect, so alcohol is bad.