Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
The author tried too hard and suffocated the reader in purple prose. Every character sounded the same not much distinction in voice. They were portrayed as hardened guilt ridden kids but were quick to trust each other and seemed very sensitive and emotional. Also insta-love which is always annoying.
Despite all this, the premise was soo good and I didn't want to put the book down. It would have benefited from a longer time line. I think the major problem is the time progression, things had to happen too soon.
But the story was good and had me yelling at the book I. Anger or joy so I gave it a 3.5out of five.
I did like the characters which helped, despite their insta love none of them were really annoying and I hated the villains though I hated one more than the other.
Despite all this, the premise was soo good and I didn't want to put the book down. It would have benefited from a longer time line. I think the major problem is the time progression, things had to happen too soon.
But the story was good and had me yelling at the book I. Anger or joy so I gave it a 3.5out of five.
I did like the characters which helped, despite their insta love none of them were really annoying and I hated the villains though I hated one more than the other.
The Walled City had a fantastic premise. I love the tagline for it "There are three rules to the Walled City. Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run."
Told from three different perspectives it follows a a girl, Jin, disguising herself as a boy in order to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, the lost sister that was sold to a brother by her own father, and Jin, the boy who found himself in the walled city, a filthy, dirty, and dangerous world unaccustomed to. I really liked how different each character was even though I am not the biggest fan of multiple POVs.
I have to admit though… the book slightly bored me. There wasn't enough action and character depth for me to invest in either one. I know all three have it tough for them, but I felt that an emotional connection between the reader and the characters was lacking, at least for me. I do love how Graudin created this chinese inspired dystopian world. I'm all for diverse cultural characters and settings. I wish we got to know more people outside of these three. It seemed somewhat ridiculous how only three characters set up the whole book with little to no exposure to other characters. I personally can't put my finger on why exactly I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped, but it comes down to me not being invested in the story as well as reading it for long periods of time.
I love the gender bender theme in The Walled City, with Jin disguising herself as a guy, but I wish Graudin played more with the idea, used it to better the book. It just seemed as a convenient placement in the book to allow Jin to search for her sister, I wish it had more of a purpose. As for the romance.. I did not like it. It does involve Dai but which of the sisters? I can't say without spooling. All I can say is that I disliked the direction Graudin did and hoped with all my heart, while halfway through the book, it wouldn't go that way but alas.. it did.
The action scenes though, when they appeared, were fantastic, especially Jin and her quick thinking and smart execution. I really did like Jin and wished she led the show. I would look forward to her chapters as opposed to Mei Yee… who I somehow didn't really like or care for. One thing to note is that Graudin painted a harsh world, but it was very realistic. I dislike how sometimes YA books gloss horrific events and situations in our world and I appreciated Graudin for not shying away from giving us as realistic of a picture as possible. I did end up liking The Walled City, I just wish I liked it more. My emotional disconnection with the characters was the main reason why I didn't enjoy it. So if you think you could connect with these characters, then I suggest you pick up The Walled City.
Told from three different perspectives it follows a a girl, Jin, disguising herself as a boy in order to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, the lost sister that was sold to a brother by her own father, and Jin, the boy who found himself in the walled city, a filthy, dirty, and dangerous world unaccustomed to. I really liked how different each character was even though I am not the biggest fan of multiple POVs.
I have to admit though… the book slightly bored me. There wasn't enough action and character depth for me to invest in either one. I know all three have it tough for them, but I felt that an emotional connection between the reader and the characters was lacking, at least for me. I do love how Graudin created this chinese inspired dystopian world. I'm all for diverse cultural characters and settings. I wish we got to know more people outside of these three. It seemed somewhat ridiculous how only three characters set up the whole book with little to no exposure to other characters. I personally can't put my finger on why exactly I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped, but it comes down to me not being invested in the story as well as reading it for long periods of time.
I love the gender bender theme in The Walled City, with Jin disguising herself as a guy, but I wish Graudin played more with the idea, used it to better the book. It just seemed as a convenient placement in the book to allow Jin to search for her sister, I wish it had more of a purpose. As for the romance.. I did not like it. It does involve Dai but which of the sisters? I can't say without spooling. All I can say is that I disliked the direction Graudin did and hoped with all my heart, while halfway through the book, it wouldn't go that way but alas.. it did.
The action scenes though, when they appeared, were fantastic, especially Jin and her quick thinking and smart execution. I really did like Jin and wished she led the show. I would look forward to her chapters as opposed to Mei Yee… who I somehow didn't really like or care for. One thing to note is that Graudin painted a harsh world, but it was very realistic. I dislike how sometimes YA books gloss horrific events and situations in our world and I appreciated Graudin for not shying away from giving us as realistic of a picture as possible. I did end up liking The Walled City, I just wish I liked it more. My emotional disconnection with the characters was the main reason why I didn't enjoy it. So if you think you could connect with these characters, then I suggest you pick up The Walled City.
"...the Hak Nam Walled City. A recipe of humanity's darkest ingredients--thieves, whores, murderers, addicts--all mashed into six and a half acres. Hell on earth, he called it. A place so ruthless even the sunlight won't enter."
"City of Darkness. That's what the people of Seng Ngoi calls this place when they glimpse it from their penthouse apartments and high-rise offices. A black spot of slum and crime in their shining city. A better name, would be City of Pain."
The Walled City is perhaps one of the grittiest YA novels out there this year. It pulls no punches. Here kids are getting killed, sold for money, put into brothels, condemned like adults by adults... It is strong, maybe for a more mature YA crowd. Overall I really liked it and the pages just flew right on by. I was intrigued by all the characters, they all had an equally important part of the story to tell. The Walled City is full of sibling love, loyalty, darkness, broken dreams, and traumatic childhoods. One heck of a ride.
"I was always stronger than Mei Yee. I knew I wasn't beautiful. My feet were tough with calluses, my skin dark, my nose too large. whenever out mother wound my hair back into a bun and sent me to the pond for water, I saw a boy's face staring back at me.
Sometimes I wish it were true."
Jin is inspirational. Two years ago her sister was sold by their drunken father to one of the baddest gang leaders in the Walled City. Two years ago Jin left her life behind in search of her sister. She changed, adjusted to her new reality. She is the fastest runner in the Walled City, and everyone thinks she is a boy. It is her best bet at staying alive. Girls are just taken advantage of in every step of the way. Jin is a likable character, strong, relentless, a tigress. She is a badass who just doesn't give up or walk away. If she says she is going to help you you must shut up and let her. She is my favorite character in the book, head strong and kind and just a great role model.
"... I remember the way Jin Ling made her wishes. How she said I wish we could be together forever with the bite of a tigress. Nothing would be impossible enough to keep her wishes from being fulfilled. Not even the Walled City."
"I'm one of the lucky ones. Girls like Yin YU are forced to take in three, four men a night. The ambassador is my only client. He pays our master dearly for the favor--to have me all to himself. I don't know why he chose me out of all the girls. I just know that one day he stopped seeing the rest of them, and stopped the rest of the men from seeing me.
I'm exclusively his--cornered and prized."
The Walled City pulls no punches. Mei Yee, Jin's dear sister, was sold into the brothel and thus her line of work is prostitution. Of course she didn't choose it for herself, but the world of the City of Darkness is a scary one where no one is safe. Mei at the beginning is soft and not strong willed. Until she meets Dai and hangs on to his promise of freedom. She then starts rethinking her approach to life, and how much she is willing to sacrifice in order to see her sister again.
"The suffering is everywhere here. Crouching inside the steel workshops and weaving mills, where workers hunch over their machines for fourteen hours every single day. Threading through the corridors of strung-out prostitutes and knife-scarred youths. Lurking around the tables where drunken men toss money at one another and curse at the speed of their betting pigeons.
Usually I can ignore it, look the other way, keep walking.
Not this time."
Dai is the ex-rich kid who committed a terrible mistake. In order to escape his nightmare Dai dives into the Walled City in look of some redemption. He spends months and months thinking up plans but nothing seems to come together until he meets Jin, the fastest person in the Walled City. Together with Jin, Dai might have a chance to redeem himself and go back home.
I liked the point POV. Each character brought something to the table and it just kept the story going at a fast pace. It also had an overall countdown which made it that much more exciting feeling that time was running out. I liked the characters, the plot, the pace... pretty much everything. The only thing I couldn't quite put my head around was how this scary ass city is supposed to only cover 6.5 acres. That is not a lot of space, but because of Ryan Graudin's constant description of the city I could very well picture this desolate place, I just somehow picture it being a tad bigger? This is however inconsequential to the overall enjoyment of the story.
I am glad this is a stand alone. While the world was incredibly well done I felt like it was perfectly done and didn't need to be overstretched. Now we get to look forward to Ryan Graudin's next book!
"City of Darkness. That's what the people of Seng Ngoi calls this place when they glimpse it from their penthouse apartments and high-rise offices. A black spot of slum and crime in their shining city. A better name, would be City of Pain."
The Walled City is perhaps one of the grittiest YA novels out there this year. It pulls no punches. Here kids are getting killed, sold for money, put into brothels, condemned like adults by adults... It is strong, maybe for a more mature YA crowd. Overall I really liked it and the pages just flew right on by. I was intrigued by all the characters, they all had an equally important part of the story to tell. The Walled City is full of sibling love, loyalty, darkness, broken dreams, and traumatic childhoods. One heck of a ride.
"I was always stronger than Mei Yee. I knew I wasn't beautiful. My feet were tough with calluses, my skin dark, my nose too large. whenever out mother wound my hair back into a bun and sent me to the pond for water, I saw a boy's face staring back at me.
Sometimes I wish it were true."
Jin is inspirational. Two years ago her sister was sold by their drunken father to one of the baddest gang leaders in the Walled City. Two years ago Jin left her life behind in search of her sister. She changed, adjusted to her new reality. She is the fastest runner in the Walled City, and everyone thinks she is a boy. It is her best bet at staying alive. Girls are just taken advantage of in every step of the way. Jin is a likable character, strong, relentless, a tigress. She is a badass who just doesn't give up or walk away. If she says she is going to help you you must shut up and let her. She is my favorite character in the book, head strong and kind and just a great role model.
"... I remember the way Jin Ling made her wishes. How she said I wish we could be together forever with the bite of a tigress. Nothing would be impossible enough to keep her wishes from being fulfilled. Not even the Walled City."
"I'm one of the lucky ones. Girls like Yin YU are forced to take in three, four men a night. The ambassador is my only client. He pays our master dearly for the favor--to have me all to himself. I don't know why he chose me out of all the girls. I just know that one day he stopped seeing the rest of them, and stopped the rest of the men from seeing me.
I'm exclusively his--cornered and prized."
The Walled City pulls no punches. Mei Yee, Jin's dear sister, was sold into the brothel and thus her line of work is prostitution. Of course she didn't choose it for herself, but the world of the City of Darkness is a scary one where no one is safe. Mei at the beginning is soft and not strong willed. Until she meets Dai and hangs on to his promise of freedom. She then starts rethinking her approach to life, and how much she is willing to sacrifice in order to see her sister again.
"The suffering is everywhere here. Crouching inside the steel workshops and weaving mills, where workers hunch over their machines for fourteen hours every single day. Threading through the corridors of strung-out prostitutes and knife-scarred youths. Lurking around the tables where drunken men toss money at one another and curse at the speed of their betting pigeons.
Usually I can ignore it, look the other way, keep walking.
Not this time."
Dai is the ex-rich kid who committed a terrible mistake. In order to escape his nightmare Dai dives into the Walled City in look of some redemption. He spends months and months thinking up plans but nothing seems to come together until he meets Jin, the fastest person in the Walled City. Together with Jin, Dai might have a chance to redeem himself and go back home.
I liked the point POV. Each character brought something to the table and it just kept the story going at a fast pace. It also had an overall countdown which made it that much more exciting feeling that time was running out. I liked the characters, the plot, the pace... pretty much everything. The only thing I couldn't quite put my head around was how this scary ass city is supposed to only cover 6.5 acres. That is not a lot of space, but because of Ryan Graudin's constant description of the city I could very well picture this desolate place, I just somehow picture it being a tad bigger? This is however inconsequential to the overall enjoyment of the story.
I am glad this is a stand alone. While the world was incredibly well done I felt like it was perfectly done and didn't need to be overstretched. Now we get to look forward to Ryan Graudin's next book!
Reading this book set my heart at full gallop! ESPECIALLY when the book was coming to an end (NO SPOILERS!!!). It was action packed, went by very fast, and was overall just a very enjoyable book to read.
The story is written in three different point of views (Jin Ling, Mei Yee, and Dai) throughout the book and for me this was the most perfect way to tell this story that would otherwise be VERY confusing. This book had quite a few little details that, when presented throughout the story and characters, made this book all the more memorable.
The Walled City is a very hard book to sum up for me because it gave me all the feels in SO many ways.
Personally, my favorite character was Jin and her cat, Chma (don't ask me how to pronounce his name, because I don't know).
Overall, I thought this was a great story, even though half the time I couldn't pronounce the character's names. :-)
The story is written in three different point of views (Jin Ling, Mei Yee, and Dai) throughout the book and for me this was the most perfect way to tell this story that would otherwise be VERY confusing. This book had quite a few little details that, when presented throughout the story and characters, made this book all the more memorable.
The Walled City is a very hard book to sum up for me because it gave me all the feels in SO many ways.
Personally, my favorite character was Jin and her cat, Chma (don't ask me how to pronounce his name, because I don't know).
Overall, I thought this was a great story, even though half the time I couldn't pronounce the character's names. :-)
Obi Wan Kenobi said to Luke Skywalker "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." He was of course speaking of Mos Eisley, but these very words and what they represented could easily have been applied to Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City. It is a fascinating place in Hong Kong's history, a place which grew up organically and was destroyed by governmental decree in 1987. In 'Walled City' Ryan Graudin documents the last days of the walled city through the eyes of its three teenaged protagonists, siblings Jin Ling and Mei Yee separated in the wake of their abusive upbringing, and Dai a young man who's past has exiled him to Hak Nam.
Graudin's plot is fast paced and involving. The characters are well thought out and believable, but clearly targeted to a Western audience. I could have been reading a dystopian western future rather than an Asian past. It didn't make the book bad, because it was full of twists and I was carried along with the story, but it certainly didn't feel very true to the culture or time from which it came. I got the impression that the setting was more an inspiration to the story rather than being a work of historical fiction. And that is ok. It never claimed to be more than that.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has a complex plot, is fast paced, well written and just a really great read. It has equal elements of dark and light, it's more grim and visceral moments were described in sensations rather than gore, which was masterful in getting the reader to identify with the characters. If you're after an enjoyable and tense read you can't do better than this book no matter what your age.
Graudin's plot is fast paced and involving. The characters are well thought out and believable, but clearly targeted to a Western audience. I could have been reading a dystopian western future rather than an Asian past. It didn't make the book bad, because it was full of twists and I was carried along with the story, but it certainly didn't feel very true to the culture or time from which it came. I got the impression that the setting was more an inspiration to the story rather than being a work of historical fiction. And that is ok. It never claimed to be more than that.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has a complex plot, is fast paced, well written and just a really great read. It has equal elements of dark and light, it's more grim and visceral moments were described in sensations rather than gore, which was masterful in getting the reader to identify with the characters. If you're after an enjoyable and tense read you can't do better than this book no matter what your age.
* This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
The Walled City is that book you hope for after reading so many duds. It's not the dystopian novel that it sounds like, but it makes it far more interesting that this place was once real. The author breathes life into the characters and the historic place that was once Kowloon Walled City. I found the writing, often in the form of similes and analogies, to be wonderful. I will definitely be reading more of Ryan Graudin's books in the future.
The Walled City follows the stories of three people. Jin Ling is a young woman pretending to be a boy in Hak Nam (Kowloon) searching for her older sister who was sold by their father into prostitution. Mei Yee, the sister, struggles day to day with her life of confinement, with hopes of freedom. Dai is a young man with a dark past whose agenda involves taking down the powerful drug lord and owner of Mei Yee's brothel, Longwai. Their stories come together for a powerful tale of hope and resilience. The fact that the story is based on a real place draws you in even more. I would recommend this book highly for anyone to read.
The Walled City is that book you hope for after reading so many duds. It's not the dystopian novel that it sounds like, but it makes it far more interesting that this place was once real. The author breathes life into the characters and the historic place that was once Kowloon Walled City. I found the writing, often in the form of similes and analogies, to be wonderful. I will definitely be reading more of Ryan Graudin's books in the future.
The Walled City follows the stories of three people. Jin Ling is a young woman pretending to be a boy in Hak Nam (Kowloon) searching for her older sister who was sold by their father into prostitution. Mei Yee, the sister, struggles day to day with her life of confinement, with hopes of freedom. Dai is a young man with a dark past whose agenda involves taking down the powerful drug lord and owner of Mei Yee's brothel, Longwai. Their stories come together for a powerful tale of hope and resilience. The fact that the story is based on a real place draws you in even more. I would recommend this book highly for anyone to read.
2.5
The problem with The Walled City is that the scope was too narrow. Honestly, I would not be upset that at all if the story was a lot more character focused. But, it felt shallow throughout.
One highlight was that the writing was beautiful, and the story had its moment were it was intense and insanely interesting. My problem here was that the themes the book tried to tackle were never an intricate part of the characters growth. It was a lot more about the characters relating to parties outside themselves, and this could have worked fine had the relationships been more nuanced and developed, which they weren't, even though the potential was right there.
The problem with The Walled City is that the scope was too narrow. Honestly, I would not be upset that at all if the story was a lot more character focused. But, it felt shallow throughout.
One highlight was that the writing was beautiful, and the story had its moment were it was intense and insanely interesting. My problem here was that the themes the book tried to tackle were never an intricate part of the characters growth. It was a lot more about the characters relating to parties outside themselves, and this could have worked fine had the relationships been more nuanced and developed, which they weren't, even though the potential was right there.
3.75 / 5
Por favor goodreads, necesito medias estrellas YA. Este libro es demasiado bueno como para considerarlo un 3 estrellas, pero no me ha enganchado lo suficiente para darle las 4 completas.
Esta novela, a pesar de no ser ficción histórica, está situada en una ciudad y un momento de la historia concretos. La ciudad amurallada descrita en este libro existió de verdad (aunque con otro nombre) y los sucesos narrados están basados en la vida real de las personas que la habitaron.
Me han encantado los personajes, lo importante que son cada uno de ellos para la historia (normalmente cuando hay varios puntos de vista me sobra alguno) y la profundidad y evolución que tienen. Aun así ha habido algo, no se el qué, que ha hecho que no me enganchase tantísimo y que aunque estuviese en un momento de la historia con gran suspense y tensión no tuviese ningún problema en dejar de leer y seguir al día siguiente. De verdad que no entiendo lo que me ha fallado en esta novela, lo dejaré reposar unos días y si descubro qué es editaré esta reseña.
Aun así está muy recomendada, se sale totalmente de lo que solemos ver en novelas juveniles, tanto en tramas, como en personajes y localización.
Por favor goodreads, necesito medias estrellas YA. Este libro es demasiado bueno como para considerarlo un 3 estrellas, pero no me ha enganchado lo suficiente para darle las 4 completas.
Esta novela, a pesar de no ser ficción histórica, está situada en una ciudad y un momento de la historia concretos. La ciudad amurallada descrita en este libro existió de verdad (aunque con otro nombre) y los sucesos narrados están basados en la vida real de las personas que la habitaron.
Me han encantado los personajes, lo importante que son cada uno de ellos para la historia (normalmente cuando hay varios puntos de vista me sobra alguno) y la profundidad y evolución que tienen. Aun así ha habido algo, no se el qué, que ha hecho que no me enganchase tantísimo y que aunque estuviese en un momento de la historia con gran suspense y tensión no tuviese ningún problema en dejar de leer y seguir al día siguiente. De verdad que no entiendo lo que me ha fallado en esta novela, lo dejaré reposar unos días y si descubro qué es editaré esta reseña.
Aun así está muy recomendada, se sale totalmente de lo que solemos ver en novelas juveniles, tanto en tramas, como en personajes y localización.
Read this and other reviews at Ampersand Read.
Chalk this one up to "mature" "Young" Adult fiction. One of our main characters is a prostitute, and the other two are involved in the drug running trade. Death, disease, and famine run rampant in their home town. It ain't a happy place. Rape, drug administration and the resulting addiction, and torture feature prominently at one point or another. It's a story that tries to shock you at every turn...but is actually quite predictable.
Dai has a chip on his shoulder...and it's pretty easy to suss out what it is, based solely on what he's doing now and who he's involved with. For chapters and chapters he "alludes" to a loss in his past. And it's very obvious what it's from (hint: it has to do with what he's running now...) Mei Lee doesn't get to do a lot, as she's locked in a brothel, promised to one customer only, and simply moons out of her window for a boy who leaves tiny presents outside of her window. A poor, rather pitiful, character with so little to do. Jin is searching for her sister, although she's already really figured out where she is (which brothel she's in)...and in my mind it'd be pretty easy to get in there to see her (she could pretend she's a customer. She's already impersonating a boy). So at the story's start, everyone's basically stalling for time. Twiddling their thumbs, as it were. They all know what they need to get, but it's a waiting game to get it. There are some unnecessary obstacles put in their way that seem to be in there just to prolong the story.
The action ramps up appropriately in the last fourth of the novel. The last three days or so, everyone's running places, bleeding out, holding their breath, waiting for rescue, reuniting with people from their past. The author does keep you turning pages then, and hurdle after hurdle is placed before each character, so that at some point you are sure that all of them are dead, that they can't possibly come back from it all.
The conclusion is strong, although there's a lot of nice-nice in the end. Everything is just a little too neat, in juxtaposition with all the nastiness the book tried to shock you with. So, overall, too direct and ugly out of the gate, a little implausible towards the end. Not a very strong contender.
Chalk this one up to "mature" "Young" Adult fiction. One of our main characters is a prostitute, and the other two are involved in the drug running trade. Death, disease, and famine run rampant in their home town. It ain't a happy place. Rape, drug administration and the resulting addiction, and torture feature prominently at one point or another. It's a story that tries to shock you at every turn...but is actually quite predictable.
Dai has a chip on his shoulder...and it's pretty easy to suss out what it is, based solely on what he's doing now and who he's involved with. For chapters and chapters he "alludes" to a loss in his past. And it's very obvious what it's from (hint: it has to do with what he's running now...) Mei Lee doesn't get to do a lot, as she's locked in a brothel, promised to one customer only, and simply moons out of her window for a boy who leaves tiny presents outside of her window. A poor, rather pitiful, character with so little to do. Jin is searching for her sister, although she's already really figured out where she is (which brothel she's in)...and in my mind it'd be pretty easy to get in there to see her (she could pretend she's a customer. She's already impersonating a boy). So at the story's start, everyone's basically stalling for time. Twiddling their thumbs, as it were. They all know what they need to get, but it's a waiting game to get it. There are some unnecessary obstacles put in their way that seem to be in there just to prolong the story.
The action ramps up appropriately in the last fourth of the novel. The last three days or so, everyone's running places, bleeding out, holding their breath, waiting for rescue, reuniting with people from their past. The author does keep you turning pages then, and hurdle after hurdle is placed before each character, so that at some point you are sure that all of them are dead, that they can't possibly come back from it all.
The conclusion is strong, although there's a lot of nice-nice in the end. Everything is just a little too neat, in juxtaposition with all the nastiness the book tried to shock you with. So, overall, too direct and ugly out of the gate, a little implausible towards the end. Not a very strong contender.
This was so difficult to read at times because of the descriptions of horrible events. The language was extremely good (this was like reading/watching a movie) - or maybe there's a while ago since I read a good book. I'm very interested to learn and read more of this city now...
What I didn't like was the romantic part. I didn't ship it and it felt a bit forced. I don't think it was very realistic.
Jin is definitely the coolest character in this book. She's kind of like Mulan. Most interesting character would probably be Dai and I liked him very much as well. The most interesting story (and the point of view that I liked the most) was Mei. Amazing characters with a equally good story.
What I didn't like was the romantic part. I didn't ship it and it felt a bit forced. I don't think it was very realistic.
Jin is definitely the coolest character in this book. She's kind of like Mulan. Most interesting character would probably be Dai and I liked him very much as well. The most interesting story (and the point of view that I liked the most) was Mei. Amazing characters with a equally good story.