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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
"it was ok" perfectly describes how I feel about this book.
"Slow and predictable" also comes to mind.
"Slow and predictable" also comes to mind.
i LOVED this!! ryan graudin needs to write more books i'll read anything she writes after this lmao
the thing i loved most about this book was the relationships! the friendship between dai and jin was so cute and i loved mei yee's dedication and commitment to jin and vice versa.
this book kept me on my toes for the most part—it may be slow for some people (not me bc i was desperate to read a book since i hadn't read in months) but i found it quite intriguing and uhH read like 4/5 of it in one sitting sooo
also the author's note about the end? about the walled city? i'm shaken
the thing i loved most about this book was the relationships! the friendship between dai and jin was so cute and i loved mei yee's dedication and commitment to jin and vice versa.
this book kept me on my toes for the most part—it may be slow for some people (not me bc i was desperate to read a book since i hadn't read in months) but i found it quite intriguing and uhH read like 4/5 of it in one sitting sooo
also the author's note about the end? about the walled city? i'm shaken
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a bad book at all, just a bit drawn out and all the really tense action seemed to be at the end so it felt like what had come before wasn't all that important. I enjoyed the characters and setting somewhat.
Trigger warnings// animal abuse, drug abuse, domestic abuse, violence, implied non-consenting sex.
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The Waller City is a story about a place just as its a story about people. Hak Nam aka the walled city is a brutal and unforgivable place where crime breeds and gangs create their own laws. I an surprised that some people found it slow when it was a quick read for me. Although, there was the problem of repetition of some scenes in different narration but apart from that I think the author did a good in making me care for the characters. Some scenes were so disturbing that I wondered about the publisher's decision to release it as YA at all.
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I love the characters and their arc and the city itself intrigued me.
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The Waller City is a story about a place just as its a story about people. Hak Nam aka the walled city is a brutal and unforgivable place where crime breeds and gangs create their own laws. I an surprised that some people found it slow when it was a quick read for me. Although, there was the problem of repetition of some scenes in different narration but apart from that I think the author did a good in making me care for the characters. Some scenes were so disturbing that I wondered about the publisher's decision to release it as YA at all.
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I love the characters and their arc and the city itself intrigued me.
I'm starting to think that Ryan Graudin is going to be one of my fave authors. Of course, this is the 2nd book I've read from her, but I just have a feeling. (I'm kind of tempted to try reading [b:All That Glows|12711662|All That Glows (All That Glows, #1)|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1371657763s/12711662.jpg|17845486] but the ratings and reviews are off-putting.) I loved [b:Wolf by Wolf|24807186|Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1)|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1424193184s/24807186.jpg|44446095] and this book was just as lovable. I think I might be a sucker for [a:Ryan Graudin|5228256|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1371310709p2/5228256.jpg]'s historical fiction books. (They just seem so well researched and are so original!)
[b:The Walled City|18196040|The Walled City|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1404844357s/18196040.jpg|25605139] is told from the POV of 3 characters. Jin is basically Mulan. She's disguised as a boy and is trying to find her sister, who was sold into prostitution, in the Walled City. Mei Yee is Jin's sister and she is struggling to have hope as a prostitute for a drug lord. Dai is trying to bring down this drug lord so he can be free of his murder charges. All of these characters meet and they have a relationship that is tested by the Walled City's
The cool thing is that the Walled City was legitimately a place near Hong Kong. There are some pictures at the back of the book that are really fascinating. The other things I liked about this book were the imagery, the characters, and the setting. I was a huge fan of the world this book was set in. Admittedly, it took me a while to figure out this was a historical novel, but I was fascinated with this concept of a city where there are little rules. I could picture this place so vividly simply because of [a:Ryan Graudin|5228256|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1371310709p2/5228256.jpg]'s writing style. I was so happy that she didn't whitewash this Asian city.
I also really liked the characters. I appreciated their strength and I loved seeing them evolve together in this book. Jin and Dai's friendship was my favourite! (With Jin and Chma's relationship in second.) The epilogue was adorable! Guess what, friends? There was no love triangle in this book!
So yes, I loved this book. I could see how some might find it a little slow, but I really do love character driven novels!
[b:The Walled City|18196040|The Walled City|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1404844357s/18196040.jpg|25605139] is told from the POV of 3 characters. Jin is basically Mulan. She's disguised as a boy and is trying to find her sister, who was sold into prostitution, in the Walled City. Mei Yee is Jin's sister and she is struggling to have hope as a prostitute for a drug lord. Dai is trying to bring down this drug lord so he can be free of his murder charges. All of these characters meet and they have a relationship that is tested by the Walled City's
The cool thing is that the Walled City was legitimately a place near Hong Kong. There are some pictures at the back of the book that are really fascinating. The other things I liked about this book were the imagery, the characters, and the setting. I was a huge fan of the world this book was set in. Admittedly, it took me a while to figure out this was a historical novel, but I was fascinated with this concept of a city where there are little rules. I could picture this place so vividly simply because of [a:Ryan Graudin|5228256|Ryan Graudin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1371310709p2/5228256.jpg]'s writing style. I was so happy that she didn't whitewash this Asian city.
I also really liked the characters. I appreciated their strength and I loved seeing them evolve together in this book. Jin and Dai's friendship was my favourite! (With Jin and Chma's relationship in second.) The epilogue was adorable! Guess what, friends? There was no love triangle in this book!
So yes, I loved this book. I could see how some might find it a little slow, but I really do love character driven novels!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes