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catherine325's review against another edition
Will probably start over in further just not in mood now
morag's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
storytimed's review against another edition
2.0
Arch, edgy sense of humor that I did not enjoy. None of the characters are as cool as the writer thinks they are. Irregulars all badly done collection of one-note stereotypes. New York exceptionalism is in full force here, except it's all lily-white Upper West Side NYC. Gross.
Prose was okay, and there were hints of interesting ideas in the concept of the shadow city. Shame it didn't pan out.
Prose was okay, and there were hints of interesting ideas in the concept of the shadow city. Shame it didn't pan out.
franzivagen's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
piperhudsburn's review against another edition
4.0
"When I grow up, I'd like to be dangerous."
This is probably one of the most influential books I read as a socially awkward 11 year old. I don't know why, but even today, as I near the age of 20 (nooooo), I always regard this novel as some form of feminist bible. It truly is a gift to young girls everywhere. What can I say? It's about a diverse group of girls who discover a shadow city, use their gifts to infiltrate a political conspiracy, all without sacrificing their true selves.
For Netgalley, I read a lot of books about fickle, vacuous children that aren't anything like the kids I've known in real life. The truth is, children are wise and observant, strong and intelligent. In my time spent as a teacher's assistant in both public academic education and theological education, I have noticed that kids need books like this- that reaffirm their right to knowledge, to discover things about the world they live in without a filter. Kirsten Miller is a genius to construct a story in which young female children are able to shine their brightest despite their young years.
"The Girl Scouts believe in truth, justice, and the American way. Which part did I violate? In my opinion, nothing could be less American than distorting other people's gardens."
It's got heart, action and some serious mayhem. My only gripe is that is just too short for my tastes. But fear not, it's sequel, The Empress's Tomb definitely fixes this issue.
greenldydragon's review against another edition
3.0
This characters in this book are really quirky and fun, but the plot itself felt disjointed to me. First, the narrator, Ananka, becomes curious about Kiki Strike, a girl who tells their principal that her goal in life is to be dangerous. Cool. I can get behind that. Then, she stalks her..... doesn't go up and simply ask "why do you want to be dangerous?" Nope. Skip that step. Let's follow her around for a while. Then, Kiki confronts Ananka and gets invited to join the Irregulars.
The Irregulars were by far my favorite part of the book (as well as the interesting chapter endings). Each character as her own specialty, be it document forging (and lockpicking), disguises, engineering, chemicals, or encyclopedic knowledge. They are all fun and smart and, for the most part, act like how friends in real life do. They band together under Kiki to investigate the Shadow City under NY City. Again, awesome. It's when this goes a foul and Kiki disappears then reappears.... I'll spare the spoilers, but there were a lot of moving parts and it didn't all read as believable to me.
Awesome characters, poor plot. May or may not read the next book in the series.
The Irregulars were by far my favorite part of the book (as well as the interesting chapter endings). Each character as her own specialty, be it document forging (and lockpicking), disguises, engineering, chemicals, or encyclopedic knowledge. They are all fun and smart and, for the most part, act like how friends in real life do. They band together under Kiki to investigate the Shadow City under NY City. Again, awesome. It's when this goes a foul and Kiki disappears then reappears.... I'll spare the spoilers, but there were a lot of moving parts and it didn't all read as believable to me.
Awesome characters, poor plot. May or may not read the next book in the series.
missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
At first I was hard pressed to say that I enjoyed this book because it was a struggle to finish it. Looking back I can now say that I did like and look forward to reading the next Kiki Strike book because I think the series can only improve with time.
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is Kirsten Miller's first novel. It follows Ananka Fishbein, a New York native, as she discovers a sink hole in her neighborhood when she is twelve. Not one to miss out on a good adventure, Ananka decides to investigate. In the hole she finds a hidden underground city and Kiki Strike, girl spy extraordinaire.
Spy that she is, Kiki disappears before Ananka can find out who she is. Luckily, Kiki stands out in a crowd thanks to her small size, pale skin, and blonde-white hair. Eventually the girls meet up again and Kiki begins to assemble a band of reject Girl Scouts to map the shadow city (note the title). The girls that Kiki finds are not what could be called realistic characters. In addition to a girl spy, Miller introduces girl master-forger, chemist, and master of disguise. In other words, this is one of those novels that really does require a willing suspension of disbelief. Probable or not, the girls definitely kick butt. Here's a set of girl-power-embodying characters without all the messy contradictions common to the girl power feminist movement.
The first hundred pages or so is set up for the actual plot. At this point the narrator (Ananka) is 12 but still sounds like an annoying grandmother talking down to the readers--a fact that I found particularly annoying even if Ananka does offer some useful advice at the end of each chapter (how to be a master of disguise, how to avoid being followed, etc.) The story gets interesting around 150 pages in, which would be too late if the last half of the book wasn't so good.
Some books can be described as noir films, others are color movies. This one is definitely a cartoon. But a really well-animated, thoughtful cartoon. It's silly, but in this case that isn't a bad thing.
Despite my misgivings, the story is interesting (especially after the set up phase) and Ananka becomes significantly less irritating when the narrative catches up to the present time of the story. It's a good book for girls who are trying to break away from the damsel in distress formula common to traditional fairy tales.
Some parts had me laughing out loud. Some parts were written down for future reference. In this book it seemed like Miller was still trying to define her writing voice, so hopefully things will only get better in the next installment.
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is Kirsten Miller's first novel. It follows Ananka Fishbein, a New York native, as she discovers a sink hole in her neighborhood when she is twelve. Not one to miss out on a good adventure, Ananka decides to investigate. In the hole she finds a hidden underground city and Kiki Strike, girl spy extraordinaire.
Spy that she is, Kiki disappears before Ananka can find out who she is. Luckily, Kiki stands out in a crowd thanks to her small size, pale skin, and blonde-white hair. Eventually the girls meet up again and Kiki begins to assemble a band of reject Girl Scouts to map the shadow city (note the title). The girls that Kiki finds are not what could be called realistic characters. In addition to a girl spy, Miller introduces girl master-forger, chemist, and master of disguise. In other words, this is one of those novels that really does require a willing suspension of disbelief. Probable or not, the girls definitely kick butt. Here's a set of girl-power-embodying characters without all the messy contradictions common to the girl power feminist movement.
The first hundred pages or so is set up for the actual plot. At this point the narrator (Ananka) is 12 but still sounds like an annoying grandmother talking down to the readers--a fact that I found particularly annoying even if Ananka does offer some useful advice at the end of each chapter (how to be a master of disguise, how to avoid being followed, etc.) The story gets interesting around 150 pages in, which would be too late if the last half of the book wasn't so good.
Some books can be described as noir films, others are color movies. This one is definitely a cartoon. But a really well-animated, thoughtful cartoon. It's silly, but in this case that isn't a bad thing.
Despite my misgivings, the story is interesting (especially after the set up phase) and Ananka becomes significantly less irritating when the narrative catches up to the present time of the story. It's a good book for girls who are trying to break away from the damsel in distress formula common to traditional fairy tales.
Some parts had me laughing out loud. Some parts were written down for future reference. In this book it seemed like Miller was still trying to define her writing voice, so hopefully things will only get better in the next installment.
alexatheoracle's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a very intense 10 minutes on Google to find this book. Another one from my childhood that I'd like to revisit. I remember it being super cool. I might have to check out book 3 sometime.
colleenaf's review against another edition
3.0
Adored, adored, adored the idea of the book, but was a little disapointed with the execution. Would have probably been four stars if it weren't for the "how-tos" between chapters, which I think took away from the story and the fact the last chapter reeks of "wait for the sequel" a little too much. If this were a stand along with more of Shadow City, I think I would have really loved it. Truth be told, if I read this as a kid I would have had a new favorite book. Total girl appeal.
cubergirl420's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0