Reviews tagging 'Racism'

La Cité de Laiton by S.A. Chakraborty

57 reviews

bobbyeight's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am unwell. Just couldn't put the book down, it's 1am and now I don't know what to do with my life 😂 (thankfully I have book 2 to jump into)
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

queerreaderchaos's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lesliehirgelt's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pandaintheshelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I loved this book. 

 I enjoyed the Middle Eastern mythology and the Muslim rep in a fantasy setting. Can't attest for their accuracy because I don't belong to the culture, but it was a nice change of pace. So, if you're a fantasy lover looking to diversify your readings, I'd definitely recommend this one. 

The FMC is resourceful, brave, and witty, without falling into the "I'm not like other girls" type. She's also morally grey, impulsive, and relatable as a young character in a dangerous world with very high stakes she's learning to navigate. And she's not the only interesting one

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book is that every single character has its own voice. No one feels flat, and you end up caring for them no matter how little time they appear. 

Yes, this is a YA story (or at least is how it's marketed around here) but it has very adult themes. Also, there are moments of very explicit violence. So, please, check the content warnings. 

What could be a deal breaker for some readers but wasn't for me? 

It's slow-paced, especially at the beginning. But as the first book of a trilogy, that's not surprising. Around the 50% mark, things start moving faster. 

Also, the world-building takes a lot of pages. But given the complexity of the universe we're reading here, and the way it was balanced with presenting the characters and their conflicts, I was not bothered. 

If you're a fast-paced, give-me-some-action-now kind of reader, this may not be for you. But if you want to give it a try anyway, I'd recommend the audiobook. 

Also, I would like to clarify THIS IS NOT A ROMANTASY BOOK. Yes, there's romance, but it's not the center of the story. This is high-stakes fantasy WITH a romantic subplot.

Having said that, I loved the banter between the characters involved romantically. Some of the scenes got me giggling and kicking my feet in the air while making tea kettle noises. 


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.5

When I read this one, I was convinced I found the next best epic fantasy featuring people that may look like me and I hadn't had that since Sabaa Tahir's Ember of Ashes series and I was right. I loved this from the very start, completely hooked with every fiber of my being. The characters are immensely flawed and complex and I admit getting annoyed with a few of them probably more than others but that didn't make me love this series any less. Hell, even with my least favorite trope (a potential love triangle/corner), I couldn't put this down. So glad I started to read this when the whole series was finished because this does have a cliffhanger ending and I was screaming into the void when I got to it and went straight into holding the next one at the library. S.A. Chakraborty has become my new favorite of 2023. This is sure to be a reread in the future.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ka_ke's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mirifairy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookforthought's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Ok, so this one had been sitting on my digital shelf for so long I had almost forgotten all about it until I randomly decided to pick it up in the summer. Oh, the joys of mood reading... I was actually really excited about a Middle Eastern fantasy since it seems to be a setting I usually enjoy but, I'll admit, some of the reviews I'd read mentioning heavy politics had me worried for a minute. Seems I worried for nothing though, because I ended up liking this one a lot!

Everything about this book was fascinating: the plot, the setting, the characters, the writing... I also started listening to the audiobook because I couldn't bear to tear myself away from it while walking or doing chores. That's quite rare for me, so it was an excellent sign. The way it was all woven together actually felt new and refreshing, even though it builds on several common tropes and mythology. Still, it never feels that way, certainly thanks to the author's amazing writing.

The worldbuilding was a bit intricate and I'll admit to getting lost at times (and I'm still not sure about a few things), but I did like the focus on the politics and the relations between different social groups in Daevabad. I decided to just roll with it and enjoy the ride, which proved to be the winning choice as otherwise I would have ended up too confused to appreciate the settings and the relationships between the characters. Speaking of which, the characters were one of the things I liked the most here: morally grey, flawed and with plenty of secrets to hide... just what we like to read about! I will admit to rolling my eyes a bit when a love triangle reared its head, especially since I definitely wasn't a fan of one of the pairings.

Now, I did have some issues with the pace, which felt very uneven. After a great start, things sort of dragged along for a while and then exploded again towards the end. While the emotions stirred up by the end were plenty and made up for the slight boredom in the middle, it still felt unbalanced. Still, I had a great time with this and definitely hope to pick up the second book in the trilogy in the New Year!

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pbeeandj's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

angiethebanangie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Best Book i have read this year!
everybody is racist. Alle san sie rassisten (ausgenommen Nahri) Jamshid is auch a Nahid???? Alo is besically zum Tod verurteilt worden in dem er in die Heimat geschickt wird. Muntadhir is a trottrl lets be real (und schwul für Jamshid) Jamshid is der MVP, der König is echt beschissen. Die Daeva san am rebellieren, die Shafit am randalieren und der Köngi denkt sich lei so LOL. I weiß nit ob i auf irgendeiner Seite bin. Des einzige was i will is das es Nahri, Jamshid und Ali gut geht. I bin hin und her gerissen welche Gruppe gut is, es einzige was i weiß is das alle scheiße san aber besonders der Klnig. Dara geht mir aufn Sack und i bet das sie ihn nit zurückholen. 
Minthadir war eigentlich es ganze Buch super er is für Ali eingestanden (Weil ali echt dumm is manchmal) aber bei gott warum muss Brudi auf einmal ein 189 grad wendung machen. Ich bete das Ali nkt stirbt im nöchsten Band. Und Nahri i alteady see her slaying, wie sie am Ende einfach gesagt hat sie sieht schon wie sie den König übers Ohr hauen wird wwil die Daeva hinter ihr stehen SLay 💅 alta Queen einfach. Jeez. Bestes Buch des Jahres! < /spoiler>
Expand filter menu Content Warnings