Author: Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #2
Genre: Horror/Paranormal/Dystopia
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Edition: 352 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's | Thriftbooks
Synopsis:
Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she’s finally working through those fears.
Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.
So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster that turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.
But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself.
In this thrilling sequel and conclusion to the City of Nightmares duology, Ness is forced to make a twisted deal with the Nightmare Phantom—only to find herself embroiled in the explosive fallout of the agreement when a botched assassination attempt unleashes chaos into the City of Newham.
Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.
So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster that turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.
But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself.
In this thrilling sequel and conclusion to the City of Nightmares duology, Ness is forced to make a twisted deal with the Nightmare Phantom—only to find herself embroiled in the explosive fallout of the agreement when a botched assassination attempt unleashes chaos into the City of Newham.
This is my new favorite Duology. The characters, the world, the concept. I love all of it. This book is silly, camp, and a lot of fun.
I love Ness as a character. She is not brave, she is not very skilled. She knows she's not a good person. But that makes her character more realistic as a "hero". She is selfish, she only cares about two people, and her own person safety.
Ness is given a task with a tempting reward, but as she struggles to uphold her end of the deal she starts to unravel the origins of the Nightmare Phantom. While by the end of the book, there are still some questions left unanswered, the road getting there was a lot of fun, with a lot of dark humor.
I honestly love the characters, some are full-on mustache-twirling evil. But I think that's the point. This book lays everything on really thick when it comes to character archetypes.
The side characters are also fantastic. Cy and Ness are kind of adorable. He, even with the trauma and abuse he dealt with from his father still has some rose-tinted glasses when it comes to other people. He's still new to Newham (a bit like Gotham, but worse some how), the city where everybody is out for themselves.
Priya, I love her. She's a badass, and is the complete opposite from Ness. She is brash and brave. She is willing to risk her life to help those close to her. Priya is like a sister to Ness even if she doesn't realize it. Priya is the first person Ness has risked her life for.
The epilogue makes me wonder if there's going to be a spin-off or something, I hope so I don't want to leave these characters or this world yet. And I want to know how Cy and Ness do in the long run. He's still a Vampire, and while Ness got what she wanted from the Nightmare Phantom I don't know how that will effect her physically as far as aging goes.
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