City of Nightmares

Dream situations manifest as real-life horrors upon waking in this rollicking fantasy adventure from Schaeffer (the Market of Monsters trilogy), set in the Gotham-esque city of Newham. After her sister neglected to take dream-prevention drugs before bed, she turned into a giant spider and ate the girls’ father, forcing then 11-year-old Ness to flee. Now 19 and struggling to survive, Ness—terrified of becoming, or falling prey to, a Nightmare—belongs to the Friends of the Restful Soul, a cult dedicated to helping those affected by Nightmares that provides room and board to initiates. After Ness’s nerves cause her to botch yet another work assignment, she volunteers for the Friends’ onerous weekly mail run to avoid expulsion. But her ferry explodes on the job, and Ness is rescued by the tragedy’s only other survivor: 19-year-old Cy, who recently woke up as a vampire. Despite his heroics, Ness is too frightened to trust Cy—until subsequent events force them to team up. Schaeffer’s worldbuilding is economical and inventive, and snappy dialogue, breezy first-person-present narration, and a quirky, ethnically diverse cast add levity, counterbalancing ruminations on fear. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.)