City of Nightmares was on my 'to read' list for while, however it has gotten lost among the tens of books I seem to add to it every day (it's honestly becoming as much of a problem as my book shopping habits). I would probably miss out on this fun, camp adventure if it wasn't for a book subscription box, and it would be a real shame - let me tell you why!
Ness Near’s world revolves around avoiding dangerous situations, which is quite difficult, given she lives in Newham, a city riddled with crime. Oh, and did I mention every person may turn into their worst nightmare as soon as they fall asleep? The odds for survival clearly aren’t great, but Ness does her best to stay out of trouble. Trouble finds her despite that - in form of a simple job meant to preserve her safe haven in the not-cult Friends of the Restful Soul... which literally blows up in her face. Ness and the only other survivor of the catastrophe, Cy, soon find themselves in a race against time to uncover the truth about the sinister attack, while contending with their own past and secrets.
Ness Near, a member of the not-cult Friends of the Restful Soul, is a coward. She’s well aware of it, but given her history, and the fact she lives in a world where anyone might turn into their greatest fear as soon as they succumb to sleep (and crime is absolutely rampant) it’s hard to blame her. In fact, I found Ness to be a refreshing protagonist - her self-awareness is almost meta, and her growth over the course of the novel does not feel rushed or forced at all. Furthermore, her inner monologue had a very distinct voice compared to other characters, and also had me laughing out loud on many occasions.
There’s only a handful of characters that we get to know closely besides Ness, however, they all seem to have their own secrets and demons to contend with, with motivations that are truly grey, which is fantastic. I enjoyed reading about Cy’s internal dilemma, and the unlikely friendship Ness develops with him, as well as Priya’s insistent work towards achieving her goal of getting accepted into Nightmare Defense. As Priya is not present for a big portion of the novel, I hope we’ll get to see a lot more of her in the future. She is currently close to falling into the token best friend category, which would be a shame, given that she is clearly her own, interesting person.
I did have some issues with the dialogue in this novel - it oscillates between funny (the bizarre kind of funny, that is) and almost juvenile. However, given the age of the characters, perhaps that could be excused - on the other hand, they have grown up in incredibly harsh conditions, which in theory would make them more mature faster. The prose also felt a bit off at times, but I wonder if this a stylistic choice, reminiscent of the tone of penny dreadfuls (which also make an appearance here in form of ‘penny novels’). Thankfully, the pacing feels right, without dragging on or trying to cram too much into just shy of 400 pages. The epilogue also piqued my interest on the direction this series is going in.
The worldbuilding in City of Nightmares is one of its best qualities - it kind of feels like Welcome to Nightvale, just with a lot more serious crime and a more pronounced supernatural element. The setting also gives off a rather camp, fun vibe, with the hilarity amplified by the fact our strait laced protagonist who likes order is plunged further into chaos with each chapter.
City of Nightmares is a fun, camp novel with a lot of heart at its core. I would recommend it for anyone looking for an entertaining mystery with a dash of meta, willing to overlook some juvenile dialogue.
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