Reviews with content warning for Slavery - La Cité de Laiton

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.

Content Warnings

ellaa__'s review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0

Content Warnings

hkraftcheck's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

bessadams's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

Content Warnings

kat1105's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

ienbdri's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

francestea's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

An exciting and enjoyable read!

The first hundred pages were slow-medium paced while Chakraborty set the scene, but once I was accustomed to the world and characters I flew through the next 400+ pages completely engrossed. She’s so clever at not giving everything away at once, there are some elements of the story we are kept in the dark about right up until the epilogue and others not resolved at all! This book is laying all the ground work for (what I hope is) very exciting book 2!!

Content Warnings

More...