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hoila's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
scarbaur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
pagesofash's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
eesh25's review against another edition
DNF! Stopped after 60%.
At first I gave it three stars because I couldn't ignore that a lot of effort was put into writing this book.
Even though I had every reason to hate it (like the fact that it was a pain in the ass to read, I didn't like the protagonist or any other character except Mulaghesh and I'm pretty sure it has gotten me into a reading slump), I didn't think it would be fair to rate it badly but then I decided that two stars is as fair as I can get for a book I couldn't even finish.
Now, the effort I was talking about.
The world created by the author is very complex. There is so much history and so much to know that you could write a whole book just explaining different aspects of it. A lot of planning was done, obviously.
But here's where things went wrong as well because the author did write a whole book explaining different aspects of the world.
I swear to God, this book is an endless history lesson. There is so much information dumping that there's hardly time for anything else. And while it's also interesting, it can get tiring too. And it makes the pace of the story slower than a snail's.
Not to mention, all the aspects are very derivitive. I had trouble finiding anything that wasn't reminescent of something else. A large part world built is, I'm sure, from the muslim religion and greek mythology. There are probably other religions and mythologies incorporated that I'm umfamiliar with as well. It even reminded me of Harry Potter. So yeah, it lacks originality.
About the protagonist.
Shara is a very undecided character. She doesn't have much of an opinion and so she doesn't fight for anything. She's like a soldier mindlessly following orders and not wondering whether she's on the right side. Except she's crap at that too. She's a historian with the wrong job (I'm not sure what her job is. It got lost in the history lessons) and she is completely and utterly useless. Hasn't done anything since the beginning of the book.
Finally, the voice of the protagonist doesn't sound 35. It sounds 25, at most.
And there are moments of random swearing that are very out of place. Maybe it was an effort to make the book more adult but it's just awkward. One minute they're talking like someone from the late 19th century and the next, someone's dropping f-bombs. Wierd.
Overall, I didn't like it and I don't recommed it. Read at your own risk. You might enjoy it if you're a history buff. I'm not.
At first I gave it three stars because I couldn't ignore that a lot of effort was put into writing this book.
Even though I had every reason to hate it (like the fact that it was a pain in the ass to read, I didn't like the protagonist or any other character except Mulaghesh and I'm pretty sure it has gotten me into a reading slump), I didn't think it would be fair to rate it badly but then I decided that two stars is as fair as I can get for a book I couldn't even finish.
Now, the effort I was talking about.
The world created by the author is very complex. There is so much history and so much to know that you could write a whole book just explaining different aspects of it. A lot of planning was done, obviously.
But here's where things went wrong as well because the author did write a whole book explaining different aspects of the world.
I swear to God, this book is an endless history lesson. There is so much information dumping that there's hardly time for anything else. And while it's also interesting, it can get tiring too. And it makes the pace of the story slower than a snail's.
Not to mention, all the aspects are very derivitive. I had trouble finiding anything that wasn't reminescent of something else. A large part world built is, I'm sure, from the muslim religion and greek mythology. There are probably other religions and mythologies incorporated that I'm umfamiliar with as well. It even reminded me of Harry Potter. So yeah, it lacks originality.
About the protagonist.
Shara is a very undecided character. She doesn't have much of an opinion and so she doesn't fight for anything. She's like a soldier mindlessly following orders and not wondering whether she's on the right side. Except she's crap at that too. She's a historian with the wrong job (I'm not sure what her job is. It got lost in the history lessons) and she is completely and utterly useless. Hasn't done anything since the beginning of the book.
Finally, the voice of the protagonist doesn't sound 35. It sounds 25, at most.
And there are moments of random swearing that are very out of place. Maybe it was an effort to make the book more adult but it's just awkward. One minute they're talking like someone from the late 19th century and the next, someone's dropping f-bombs. Wierd.
Overall, I didn't like it and I don't recommed it. Read at your own risk. You might enjoy it if you're a history buff. I'm not.
kivt's review against another edition
5.0
this was super fun! my brain really wants to compare it to The City and the City, but there’s not really a comparison other than City Geography Gone Wacky....Or Has It? i’m definitely reading the rest, but trying to space them out a little.
shandyt's review against another edition
It is to my very great shame that I have to mark this book as my first DNF in quite a long time. The book itself seemed interesting (although I suspected one particular character was on a trajectory I didn't want to see completed). The narration killed it for me. My husband loved the narrator, but I absolutely LOATHED her. Awkward pauses, no variation in voices, every sentence the same intensity... I had to rewind several times just to figure out what this woman was saying. If I ever get my hands on a print copy of this book, I'd be happy to give it another shot. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will stay DNF forever.
gooeykablooie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Loved it. A plot that kept me turning pages and characters I was invested in. The world is wonderful and I like forward to the next book.
periparaparasakura's review against another edition
The characters don't feel cool enough at this point and keep over sharing despite roles as operatives.
laura_mayfair's review against another edition
4.0
Extraordinary world building. "City of Stairs" is a bit slow to get into but it's well worth it as there is a payoff for being patient -- many payoffs, actually. The multi-faceted characters and unique setting make this one stand out. I'm really glad I picked this up.