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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Super fun, easy read with lots of action and likeable characters. Wasn't sure what to expect with this but I loved it and it was nice to read a YA dystopian novel that isn't a series.
I gave this 4.5 stars because it was an enjoyable read, it's not what I usually read but I really enjoyed it!
pretty good plot and characters but the writing could be really purple
This was definitely a book of two halves. The first half really dragged, full of purple prose and characters whose voices all kind of blurred together. The second half, the pacing was much better and I began to be able to distinguish whose voices were whose. My husband bought me this instead of Wolf by Wolf, and while this wasn't a great book I think I saw enough to still give some of the author's other books a shot.
Review posted on Thrice Read
I first heard about Ryan Graudin from booktube. There was a lot of buzz around her book Wolf by Wolf. I absolutely loved Wold by Wolf. (Just ask Eden, I all but forced her to read it. She also enjoyed it an posted her thoughts here.) I hadn’t heard much about The Walled City by Graudin. I saw it at Blue Bicycle Books over the summer and picked it up on a whim. Well, I finally got around to reading it and I am so glad that I picked it up.
This story was like nothing else I’ve ever read. It’s a dystopian novel that feels completely authentic. That is because it is based on a real place. This walled city was a real place that Graudin researched for inspiration. The work that Graudin did to learn about the city and its inhabitants really shows. It is a situation that seems unbelievable yet is entirely realistic.
Beyond the world building I loved the characters and relationships within this book. The focus in this book is familial. Rather than going for the typical love triangle Graudin chose to focus on the love of family. That gave this book a totally fresh feel. Many times with YA we don’t get to see a lot about a character’s family. I really appreciated that Graudin took the relationship of the siblings and put that at the forefront. Those ties were the most important in this story and that made it so much deeper and richer.
This book was much more than I anticipated. I’ve become weary of dystopian because of the overload we had years ago. However, this book goes against the overplayed tropes. It stands out amongst other dystopians and I really appreciate that. If you are looking for an action packed read you should definitely pick up Ryan Graudin’s The Walled City.
I first heard about Ryan Graudin from booktube. There was a lot of buzz around her book Wolf by Wolf. I absolutely loved Wold by Wolf. (Just ask Eden, I all but forced her to read it. She also enjoyed it an posted her thoughts here.) I hadn’t heard much about The Walled City by Graudin. I saw it at Blue Bicycle Books over the summer and picked it up on a whim. Well, I finally got around to reading it and I am so glad that I picked it up.
This story was like nothing else I’ve ever read. It’s a dystopian novel that feels completely authentic. That is because it is based on a real place. This walled city was a real place that Graudin researched for inspiration. The work that Graudin did to learn about the city and its inhabitants really shows. It is a situation that seems unbelievable yet is entirely realistic.
Beyond the world building I loved the characters and relationships within this book. The focus in this book is familial. Rather than going for the typical love triangle Graudin chose to focus on the love of family. That gave this book a totally fresh feel. Many times with YA we don’t get to see a lot about a character’s family. I really appreciated that Graudin took the relationship of the siblings and put that at the forefront. Those ties were the most important in this story and that made it so much deeper and richer.
This book was much more than I anticipated. I’ve become weary of dystopian because of the overload we had years ago. However, this book goes against the overplayed tropes. It stands out amongst other dystopians and I really appreciate that. If you are looking for an action packed read you should definitely pick up Ryan Graudin’s The Walled City.
I made it 3/4 of way through and I just couldn't continue. I just wasn't invested in the characters, and not interested enough to read the outcome. I think the downfall was splitting the narration between 3 people. More history would have been great, loved wolf by wolf but this story just didn't do it for me.
This is certainly a unique and entertaining novel - the concept is certainly amazing - but, unfortunately, I lacked the emotional connection to the characters to truly enjoy it.2.5 stars
730. That's how many days I've been trapped.This story follows three teenagers - Dai, Jin, and Mei Yee - living in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth filled with criminals. If they want to have any chance of escaping, they must work together before the clock runs out.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.
The three characters all have well thought-out backstories and motivations, but I never truly felt any depth or emotion to them. Thus, as a reader, it was difficult to find a reason to truly care or invest in them. They felt extremely two-dimensional and didn't truly come to life for me, which is unfortunate considering this is very much a character-driven novel.
The concept and world-building, however, were strong points. The Walled City is based on the real life Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, and the way Graudin incorporated those historical details into the story was incredible.
In the end, I was just hoping for some more depth and emotion to the characters. It was simply too difficult to invest myself in characters that, frankly, I didn't much care about. Read Graudin's other novel - [b:Wolf By Wolf|24807186|Wolf By Wolf (Wolf By Wolf, #1)|Ryan Graudin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424193184s/24807186.jpg|44446095] - instead.