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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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 stars
Wow, I loved this book! The writing style was fantastic and I fell in love with all of the characters. My only complaint is that I didn't like the romance at the end--I thought it unnecessary and put in quickly at the end for no apparent reason. However, the writing was beautiful, the world was fascinating, and the characters amazing.
Wow, I loved this book! The writing style was fantastic and I fell in love with all of the characters. My only complaint is that I didn't like the romance at the end--I thought it unnecessary and put in quickly at the end for no apparent reason. However, the writing was beautiful, the world was fascinating, and the characters amazing.
There was once a walled city in Hong Kong. This city was called Kowloon. Here the biggest brothels and worst drug lords dwelled. The people suffered on the streets and the buildings towered so close together that the vagrants living in the street couldn't see the light coming from the sky. Girls were sold by their families to work in the brothels and here outlaws ran to a new home where the law could no longer touch. This city stood over a century.
The Walled City by Ryan Graudin tells the stories of those who struggled in the walled city in Kowloon with fictional names and places. Mei Yee is sold by her drunk father for alcohol. Jin is disguised as a boy in the streets, looking to find her sister. Dai, with his mysterious past, is looking to find freedom of his own.
I absolutely loved this book! It reads a little bit like a dystopian YA trilogy, but then it wraps everything up at the end instead of giving you a cliffhanger for another book. I really enjoyed the nostalgia the writing gave me. I predicted the plot pretty early on, but in this situation, I was perfectly okay with it. Most of this high rating comes from how truly enjoyable I found this story.
I read this book thinking it was absolutely fictional, and saying there was no way it was based on truth. I was simply marveling in how graphically and vividly the world was described. (It is pretty graphic for YA.) However, when I finished the novel, I learned about Kowloon. I researched everything I could find on the topic. I'm still shook to the core that something could exist under our noses in such modern times, without my ever hearing about it! The rating was boosted even further because of the historical and cultural importance this book has. This is a topic that should be talked about, and I'm very grateful to the author for bringing it to my attention.
The Walled City by Ryan Graudin tells the stories of those who struggled in the walled city in Kowloon with fictional names and places. Mei Yee is sold by her drunk father for alcohol. Jin is disguised as a boy in the streets, looking to find her sister. Dai, with his mysterious past, is looking to find freedom of his own.
I absolutely loved this book! It reads a little bit like a dystopian YA trilogy, but then it wraps everything up at the end instead of giving you a cliffhanger for another book. I really enjoyed the nostalgia the writing gave me. I predicted the plot pretty early on, but in this situation, I was perfectly okay with it. Most of this high rating comes from how truly enjoyable I found this story.
I read this book thinking it was absolutely fictional, and saying there was no way it was based on truth. I was simply marveling in how graphically and vividly the world was described. (It is pretty graphic for YA.) However, when I finished the novel, I learned about Kowloon. I researched everything I could find on the topic. I'm still shook to the core that something could exist under our noses in such modern times, without my ever hearing about it! The rating was boosted even further because of the historical and cultural importance this book has. This is a topic that should be talked about, and I'm very grateful to the author for bringing it to my attention.
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
This book is one of the most unique books I have ever read. It is action packed, suspenseful, and it ended so well. I highly recommend giving this book a shot as I find it is highly underrated.
A gritty debut (and thank goodness because it's so rare, a standalone) by Ryan Graudin. I haven't read too many YA novels centering around vagrants, prostitutes, and murderers. It was a gripping and brutal novel with a unique setting based on a real walled city. The amount of pages it took to tell the story and see progress in character development was sufficient. Graudin built the world succinctly and kept the pacing the same throughout the novel.
3.5 stars. I liked this and think it’s cool how this is based on a real place. but I don’t think this book will stay with me, it was a good story but I didn’t fall in love with it
One of my favourite books for this year. I loved how real the characters all were and how dark and gritty the setting was.
a couple reviewers i respect HATED this book, and i’m a bit lost on why. it wasnt my favorite thing in the world by any means, but i was invested in the characters and their lives turning out favorably. the ending was satisfactory to me, and tons of its parts were a bit cheesy, but who cares? it gets a solid nod from me.