Face your fear . . . or become your nightmare.

Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the center of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.

Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider, Ness has been terrified of waking up as her own Nightmare. Because in the city that never sleeps, dreaming means becoming your worst fear.

Ness seeks protection with the Friends of the Restful Soul, which may or may not be a cult. To prove her worth, she accepts what is meant to be a simple job. Only for it to blow up in her face. Literally.

Ness and the only other survivor of the explosion - a Nightmare boy with an agenda of his own - must find their way back to the city and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack...

"Rebecca Schaeffer delivers another dose of morally ambiguous, delightful chaos" - Xiran Jay Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow

"One of my favorite books of the year! Phenomenally fun, with a vivid, vicious world that's stuffed with monsters (both human and otherwise) and a heroine you'll root for. I absolutely loved it!" - Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of THE QUEENS OF RENTHIA series

"Thrilling, atmospheric and wonderfully original! In a world where people become their worst nightmares, Ness has to contend with explosions, monsters, assassins - and a cute vampire boy! Rebecca Schaeffer's City of Nightmares is a page-turning read full of twists and mysteries. I loved it!" - Vanessa Len, author of Only a Monster

"Not for the faint-hearted" - BBC Online

"This fantasy adventure is set in a world where bad dreams come to terrifying life, as two teens are thrown together in a chilling fight for survival" - Cosmo

"The story takes us on a fantasy adventure, a journey of self-discovery and growth for the girls ... a good read" - ReadingZone