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branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
I'd read two previous books by Williams, including Snake Agent, the first book in this series, and I remember both as being slightly above average, though in the end I gave both of them three stars. And the same thing has happened with this one.
In the beginning I was thinking four stars - unique environment, interesting characters, and importantly, narration with just the right level of seriousness. For me, urban fantasy can either be too serious, and thus overly dramatic and humorless, or else it can be too silly, constantly winking at the reader about how ridiculous all of this is. Williams manages to find the perfect balance between these two tonal extremes - up to a point. Throughout the first half of the book, the supernatural aspects are matter-of-fact and yet subtle.
But at a certain point things start to go off the rails, and as the truth of the situation is spelled out in greater detail, there's a profusion of entities and the story verges on over the top. Events and characters are reined back in fairly well for the conclusion, so overall it was a fun story, and I definitely like the writing style, but the somewhat out of control segment makes it a three star read for me.
In the beginning I was thinking four stars - unique environment, interesting characters, and importantly, narration with just the right level of seriousness. For me, urban fantasy can either be too serious, and thus overly dramatic and humorless, or else it can be too silly, constantly winking at the reader about how ridiculous all of this is. Williams manages to find the perfect balance between these two tonal extremes - up to a point. Throughout the first half of the book, the supernatural aspects are matter-of-fact and yet subtle.
But at a certain point things start to go off the rails, and as the truth of the situation is spelled out in greater detail, there's a profusion of entities and the story verges on over the top. Events and characters are reined back in fairly well for the conclusion, so overall it was a fun story, and I definitely like the writing style, but the somewhat out of control segment makes it a three star read for me.
brightshiny's review against another edition
3.0
I started this book miffed at the 3.8 star average reading and muttering that some random group of people couldn't possibly accurately judge this book. After all, I had liked the first book very much and I was sure I'd like this one as much. While reading the book, I had conversations at work about self-selection. The people rating this were not a random group. Collectively we all selected this book for some common reasons. Now that I've finished the book, I find myself agreeing with the others. This is a fine book, but nothing all that special.
eol's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
octavietullier's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
eclipse777's review
2.0
Such a promising start to the series in Snake agent then I read this what a let down, won't be carrying on with the series.
ssminski's review
3.0
I wish Inspector Chen appeared more in this book. While I like the demon, he is not really enough for this series, even with the love interest. This book was also really confusing to me in the beginning, sort of disjointed and not organized. I really enjoyed all of the mythology and the scenery, but the mystery was confusing and the scenes did not flow well. Will definitely be reading the third book because I think the series has a lot of potential, I just hope it brings more to the table.
abookishtype's review
The Demon and the City is the sequel to Snake Agent, a book I picked up a while ago and enjoyed very much. Liz Williams’ The Demon and the City, unfortunately I think, takes the story away from Inspector Chen and gives it to Chen’s partner, Zhu Irzh–who is the eponymous demon. While I like Zhu Irzh, he just doesn’t appeal to me as much as Chen did. I like him much better in small doses, like in the last book...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
kellanemc's review against another edition
2.0
Kind of disappointing sequel to the excellent Snake Agent
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I went in this book knowing Chen wasn't the main character and that Inari was not in it either. Knowing this I wasn't annoyed by the focus on Zhu Irzh and how he finds his balance and fits in Singapore 3.
Againg the world building is interesting and kept me reading. The new character, Jhai Teserai, I'm on the fence about. She did felt like a variation of the damsel in distress. Especially since it's having a physical relationship with Zhu Irzh that kinda 'saves' her.
Still the plot kept me reading, I love Zhu Irzh and eventually Chen arrived back from vacation and they were off again trying to save the city and well.. the world.
Againg the world building is interesting and kept me reading. The new character, Jhai Teserai, I'm on the fence about. She did felt like a variation of the damsel in distress. Especially since it's having a physical relationship with Zhu Irzh that kinda 'saves' her.
Still the plot kept me reading, I love Zhu Irzh and eventually Chen arrived back from vacation and they were off again trying to save the city and well.. the world.
ssminski's review against another edition
3.0
I wish Inspector Chen appeared more in this book. While I like the demon, he is not really enough for this series, even with the love interest. This book was also really confusing to me in the beginning, sort of disjointed and not organized. I really enjoyed all of the mythology and the scenery, but the mystery was confusing and the scenes did not flow well. Will definitely be reading the third book because I think the series has a lot of potential, I just hope it brings more to the table.