It’s a good thing she has her badass best friend, Priya, to protect her and the brick box that she calls home (previously the janitor’s closet), the only place she feels safe. She runs away from any person, location or situation that could maybe, possibly be dangerous. I was hooked by the second page and I read nonstop until I finished. I wanted to hold onto my hope so much that I put off reading it for weeks. I had such high expectations for this book that I didn’t think it was possible for it to meet them. Dreaming results in you waking up as your worst fear. Don’t understand the difference? Well, a Nightmare is what happens when you don’t drink the tap water laced with Helomine or remember to down some Nightmare-prevention drugs and allow yourself to dream. See, this is a world where your nightmares become Nightmares. Ness has been a coward (her words, not mine, but she’s not wrong…) for eight years, ever since her sister turned into a giant spider and started eating people. Uh huh… It’s called Friends of the Restful Soul. It’s mouldy, it’s smoggy, it smells like “urine and dust, barbecue and burnt coal.” It’s also where you’ll find the the cult that Nessa joined three years ago. Welcome to Gotham Newham, a city that can literally crawl with villains, where the authorities are more likely to bribe you than help you.

City of nightmares rebecca schaeffer