Reviews with content warning for Cursing - City of Nightmares

Think Gotham but no Batman justice and the people are all corrupt, plus the villains are 90% murderous people turned into their greatest fear if they dream while sleeping.

The concept was brilliant and well executed. The storyline progressed at a good pace.

Things to know:
1. It's not a cult
2. No one is trustworthy
3.... Maybe don't read if you are easily scared if your sister turns into a giant spider who eats your dad

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Imagine a world where dreams come true. Ah — no, no, not daydreams and hopes, but those horrifying nightmares that get a stranglehold on you in your sleep. This is the world of Newham. It's a world where people distort in their sleep, where vampires become real and your sister just might turn into a man-eating giant spider. Which happened to Ness. She lives in a state of crippling fear after her sister's incident, petrified by living Nightmares and manipulating her way to survival in an unscrupulous city... until she accidentally gets caught up in a scheme that ties her to the very Nightmares and fears she tries to run from.

First off, I read this really quickly. Like really quick. Like in one day quick. That is rare for me.

This is a bonkers book. It's dark (and bloody and nightmare-filled) but at the same time a total romp. I'm not a horror lover in any way, but this book somehow remained fun and light. Everything about the world created within those pages is slightly off... but in a free-wheeling way. There are coffee shops where the characters get fluffy, sugary coffees while at the same time being in awe of the new black-and-white TV inventions. There are giant talking lizards, gangs that take each other down suddenly in the streets, superhero-esque groups that fight the Nightmares, bloody skirmishes every day, mindful cults that pass out flyers to any passersby... an imbalance all stemming from the chaos caused by Nightmares appearing in the world. It's like stepping into a dream world, a comic book world. It works.

The writing is rather simple. There are also a lot of "morals" or opinions very blatantly spelled out through the book. But most of these are well-meaning takes on how to respect other living beings or how to exist better in the world... and for the younger readers that this novel is targeting, I think that's okay.

The relationships are very sweet. The book tries hard, despite the evils rampant in the story, to keep hold of a sense of goodness. And it succeeds, it seems — somehow the assassins, and gang warfare, and child kidnappings belong to the dreamlike comic-book world, and the care for others becomes the real heart.

CW: It's not as graphic as it sounds, in any way. But... limbs being torn off, people contorting into monsters, children being kidnapped, parents being eaten, gun battles, assassination attempts, explosions...

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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