City of Nightmares: The thrilling, surprising young adult urban fantasy

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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. Ness's feisty best friend, Priya (a wannabe Nightmare hunter), was also a great addition to the cast, and I loved her back and forth banter with Ness.

When that day rears its horrifying head, the director of the organization kicks Ness out for repeated mistakes, leaving her with no place to stay.There is never a dull moment, never a “stop and rationalize” narrative pause, never a need to be down to earth or moral with it.

Luckily, even though it is closer to the end, she does start to find her way and get a lot more confidence. It was playing out in my head like a movie (this would make a great mini-series) and I could not put it down. It doesn’t feel like anything was forced into this book to make this eccentric city of Nightmares work. This is one of the few books where I didn't see many of the twists coming and was surprised every time. I weigh my options and then decide I’m screwed anyway, so I might as well go out by being an absolute bitch.

Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. But when she gets blown up in some random villain’s plot, she need to grow a semblance of a spine before she ends up a casualty in multiple villainous wars.

The Nightmares feel like a natural part of this world, and I loved how their origins and rules were explored in this book. It became disheartening for me to read about how Ness just didn’t feel like she was enough and how she needed to force herself to be like someone else just to function on a daily basis. She didn’t offer you the mail run, you threatened her because you’re totally worthless at doing simple tasks?Ness takes refuge in the Friends of the Restful Soul, a totally-not-cult offering Nightmare therapy.

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! Adults create their world, but it’s the kids that are forced into heartbreaking decisions within this monstrous world. I scrabble for the cupboard doors, holding tight to them as the air whips around me, yanking me toward the Nightmare like a tornado.One of my issues with this book is simply that there is SO much focus on b Issues that, despite the absurdity and fantastical elements of the plot are sadly but unsurprisingly rather relevant in the world’s current social climate. And this book sends a good message too, that you are not your fears and you shouldn't let them control you. Now Ness is tangled in the aftermath of the explosion and, alongside the only other survivor, decides to look for answers.