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gay101's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
jrlittlejohn97's review against another edition
I read the first 33% then skipped around, and skimmed the last chunk.
I was really, really ezcited about the premise, but what the author did with was really not to my taste. On paper it seems right up my alley, even digging a little bit into character traits and dynamocs, but I spent most of my time with this book extremely frustrated. I do have a number of actual critiques on the execution. The book is clunky. For example, I think a lot of the social issues were brought up unnaturally, I didnt like the pacing of the central friendship, and i didnt think the way vampirism was used as a metaphor was effective. But my biggest issue is I wanted it to be something other than it was. My issues with execution wouldnt have killed the book for me if it spoke to me. It was a real bummer, because I really liked the premise and the world that was set up.
I will say, the Gotham comparison is completely apt. I have seen reviews that dont seem to get the spirit of that comparison. Gotham is a a cartoonishly corrupt, absolutely off the wall, batshit crazy place to live. Im pretty sure some comics have offered the explanation that the reason its SO bad is supernatural.
I was really, really ezcited about the premise, but what the author did with was really not to my taste. On paper it seems right up my alley, even digging a little bit into character traits and dynamocs, but I spent most of my time with this book extremely frustrated. I do have a number of actual critiques on the execution. The book is clunky. For example, I think a lot of the social issues were brought up unnaturally, I didnt like the pacing of the central friendship, and i didnt think the way vampirism was used as a metaphor was effective. But my biggest issue is I wanted it to be something other than it was. My issues with execution wouldnt have killed the book for me if it spoke to me. It was a real bummer, because I really liked the premise and the world that was set up.
I will say, the Gotham comparison is completely apt. I have seen reviews that dont seem to get the spirit of that comparison. Gotham is a a cartoonishly corrupt, absolutely off the wall, batshit crazy place to live. Im pretty sure some comics have offered the explanation that the reason its SO bad is supernatural.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Rape
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Writing: 3⭐️/5
The writing was substantial, but not remarkable. It got the job done and didn’t get in the way of the storytelling, but it wasn’t the strongest part of my read. However, I do believe that the potential for stronger writing could be seen – little kernels of it, if you will – and so I look forward to future books by Schaeffer.
Characters: 3.75⭐️/5
I’m torn here because while the characters definitely pushed the story forward in areas, they also held it back in others. I wanted a bit more from the characters that wasn’t so focused on shock value. I mean, I love that the characters are vibrant and unique, but I wanted to know them deeper and more personally than that.
Plot: 4.25⭐️/5
Okay, so here’s why you should pick up this book: it’s a brilliant concept. I loved learning about the world and how unique the characters had to become in order to survive. I loved the worldbuilding, the substance of the story, and the driving force behind the characters. While certain moments were predictable, the world in which they were happening never was, which made old tropes feel gorgeous and fresh. I personally can’t wait for the next book, despite wanting more from this one. In a way, I think I may be grading it harder because I expect so much next time.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Those looking for a unique fantasy read
- Those who love unconventional worlds
- Fans of enemies to lovers
- Young adult readers who want a memorable world
Content Warnings?
- Death, murder, violence, blood, grief, injury, fire, confinement, toxic relationships,
Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Very fun. Will read the next one.
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Trafficking, and Car accident
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an incredible book! I loved it so much and can’t wait for the second! I was hooked from the start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug abuse
prikaboo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, and Murder
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
Schaeffer manages what so many YA authors before her have tried and failed to do: How do you make the loser kid without powers or training into the main character who's supposed to save the world? Easy, they're not going to save the world.
There's so many characters in this book who would've been better suited as a YA-saviour, there's Ness' best friend, Priya, whose biggest dream is fighting the Nightmares or the charming vampire Cy, who Ness is starting to like more and more. But we're stuck with Ness — and it's great!
It was so fun seeing her work around trying to do everything on her own. She makes other people work for her, put her info out into the world without risking too much herself. She's isolated, doesn't want anymore friends than she already has and where there's danger, she's already running away from it.
What I also loved was that all this "not like other people" business didn't at all turn into "not like other girls", which we often see with FMCs.
The world Schaeffer has creted is intriguing and offers enough potential for so many more books. The Nightmares, how they are created and why, all gets more and more mysterious and I'm so ready to see where this story takes us next!
The only thing that I didn't really like was the "explanation" that all nightmares retain their minds because that's a lot of murderous people running around and I just can't believe that all people who turn into non-humans want to go on killing sprees. Or maybe I'm just as naive as Ness 😉
There's so many characters in this book who would've been better suited as a YA-saviour, there's Ness' best friend, Priya, whose biggest dream is fighting the Nightmares or the charming vampire Cy, who Ness is starting to like more and more. But we're stuck with Ness — and it's great!
It was so fun seeing her work around trying to do everything on her own. She makes other people work for her, put her info out into the world without risking too much herself. She's isolated, doesn't want anymore friends than she already has and where there's danger, she's already running away from it.
What I also loved was that all this "not like other people" business didn't at all turn into "not like other girls", which we often see with FMCs.
The world Schaeffer has creted is intriguing and offers enough potential for so many more books. The Nightmares, how they are created and why, all gets more and more mysterious and I'm so ready to see where this story takes us next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Trafficking and Alcohol
azrah786's review against another edition
2.5
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, injury, gore, body horror, murder, death, death of parent, child death, grief, police brutality, animal cruelty, kidnapping, panic attacks/disorders
--
Despite the promising initial concepts and the Gotham vibes of the setting I did not enjoy this one. I feel like this story had so much potential but for me the primary plotline just bored me to tears.
I think a lot of this comes down to the protagonist. Now there are times when books have leading protagonists who aren’t the “chosen one” or have anything special going on that have been written really well but I sadly didn’t find that to be the case here. Ness very much felt like a side character in her own story to me throughout the whole book, nothing about her journey ever stood out and just felt very minor in the whole scope of things especially when there are more interesting things occurring in the background.
I managed to push through because I wanted to see who was behind some of the more unknown elements of these background plot points but the story never fully followed these other elements.
Ness’s perspective just felt very repetitive and it got tedious fast and I also found literally every supporting character to be more interesting than her. The relationships that formed between the characters were well written but I don’t think they were given enough room to grow.
So it’s safe to say I won’t be picking up the sequel.
Final Rating – 2.5/5 Stars
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, injury, gore, body horror, murder, death, death of parent, child death, grief, police brutality, animal cruelty, kidnapping, panic attacks/disorders
--
Despite the promising initial concepts and the Gotham vibes of the setting I did not enjoy this one. I feel like this story had so much potential but for me the primary plotline just bored me to tears.
I think a lot of this comes down to the protagonist. Now there are times when books have leading protagonists who aren’t the “chosen one” or have anything special going on that have been written really well but I sadly didn’t find that to be the case here. Ness very much felt like a side character in her own story to me throughout the whole book, nothing about her journey ever stood out and just felt very minor in the whole scope of things especially when there are more interesting things occurring in the background.
I managed to push through because I wanted to see who was behind some of the more unknown elements of these background plot points but the story never fully followed these other elements.
Ness’s perspective just felt very repetitive and it got tedious fast and I also found literally every supporting character to be more interesting than her. The relationships that formed between the characters were well written but I don’t think they were given enough room to grow.
So it’s safe to say I won’t be picking up the sequel.
Final Rating – 2.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Police brutality
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Minor: Police brutality and Kidnapping
snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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
3.0
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
If you think dreaming about your worst nightmare is frightening enough, what about actually becoming it?
City of Nightmares is the place where this happens and to prevent it from happening, the people have to drink water laced with dream-prevention drugs or pop those pills directly into their mouths. Alcohol is also banned because it messes with the effectiveness of the drugs — but, of course, humans aren’t infallible. As such, new human-turned-nightmares do appear every so often and those with enough humanity in them are left to walk among the humans, creating a new world where vampires, anthropomorphic creatures, pterodactyls, dragons and such are the norm.
Our main character is Ness who, as a child, witnessed her sister turn into a giant spider that ate their father while she hid in a nearby cupboard. This, understandably, messes her up so much that she develops a phobia of nightmares. However, with nowhere to go, she ends up working for Friends of the Restful Soul, a society that helps others recover from nightmare trauma, and somehow, gets tangled in a series of events where she uncovers a web of lies and befriends the not-like-other-vampires cute guy called Cy.
What stood out most to me in City of Nightmares was the friendship, though there were aspects that could’ve been better done. For instance, the interactions were very hit-or-miss. Some dialogue felt really unnatural or stiff, and it didn’t help that the prose reads very young. A reviewer said it read like an early teenager’s fanfic published on Wattpad and I can’t help but to agree because that’s the most apt way to describe the writing.
Additionally, in comparison to the friendship Ness has with Cy, the one Ness has with Priya felt decorative after a few chapters. Don’t get me wrong, I like all three of these characters. It’s just that despite the strong intro Priya has, she later fades away to make room for Ness and Cy. On one hand, this makes sense as there are many different types of friendships, plus Priya can’t really just drop her whole life to play detective with Ness and Cy. But, on the other hand, I can’t help wishing they formed a balanced trio. Still, I did enjoy Ness’ growth as a character as her friendship with Cy progressed.
Other than that, the story was average. As incredible as the premise is, the execution of the story brought City of Nightmares down. Juvenile writing aside, the plot was too convenient and events happened as expected. Nothing phased or amazed me, though it was a fun junk food-like read.
If you think dreaming about your worst nightmare is frightening enough, what about actually becoming it?
City of Nightmares is the place where this happens and to prevent it from happening, the people have to drink water laced with dream-prevention drugs or pop those pills directly into their mouths. Alcohol is also banned because it messes with the effectiveness of the drugs — but, of course, humans aren’t infallible. As such, new human-turned-nightmares do appear every so often and those with enough humanity in them are left to walk among the humans, creating a new world where vampires, anthropomorphic creatures, pterodactyls, dragons and such are the norm.
Our main character is Ness who, as a child, witnessed her sister turn into a giant spider that ate their father while she hid in a nearby cupboard. This, understandably, messes her up so much that she develops a phobia of nightmares. However, with nowhere to go, she ends up working for Friends of the Restful Soul, a society that helps others recover from nightmare trauma, and somehow, gets tangled in a series of events where she uncovers a web of lies and befriends the not-like-other-vampires cute guy called Cy.
What stood out most to me in City of Nightmares was the friendship, though there were aspects that could’ve been better done. For instance, the interactions were very hit-or-miss. Some dialogue felt really unnatural or stiff, and it didn’t help that the prose reads very young. A reviewer said it read like an early teenager’s fanfic published on Wattpad and I can’t help but to agree because that’s the most apt way to describe the writing.
Additionally, in comparison to the friendship Ness has with Cy, the one Ness has with Priya felt decorative after a few chapters. Don’t get me wrong, I like all three of these characters. It’s just that despite the strong intro Priya has, she later fades away to make room for Ness and Cy. On one hand, this makes sense as there are many different types of friendships, plus Priya can’t really just drop her whole life to play detective with Ness and Cy. But, on the other hand, I can’t help wishing they formed a balanced trio. Still, I did enjoy Ness’ growth as a character as her friendship with Cy progressed.
Other than that, the story was average. As incredible as the premise is, the execution of the story brought City of Nightmares down. Juvenile writing aside, the plot was too convenient and events happened as expected. Nothing phased or amazed me, though it was a fun junk food-like read.
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Death, Blood, and Trafficking
tspice24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail