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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Unfortunately, there was just nothing for me to enjoy in this story. While the concept seemed intriguing, it stops there. The characters were painfully flat, and while they were going through some horrid stuff, I felt no sympathy and was disengaged from the beginning. The plot was also unexciting, predictable and it lacked any sort of appeal for me. Overall, this just did not do anything at all for me.
The Walled City is tremendously exciting. The action starts immediately, as Jin races for her life through the maze of the Walled City. Compounding the tension for readers wrought from Jin’s fight for survival is Dai’s sense of urgency at his quickly approaching deadline. As the days count down to zero, and as the stakes increase to a fever pitch, a reader’s nerves are taut with apprehension. It is the best type of suspense too – one where readers do not want to stop reading for any reason.
Adding to the excitement is the otherworldliness that surrounds the Walled City. Ms. Graudin enthusiastically gives credit to the idea for her novel to the very real former Kowloon Walled City that used to exist in Hong Kong. In fact, the author’s notes are nearly as interesting as the story she created about this surreal place as she describes how it caught her fancy and bloomed into a full-blown novel. The pictures she includes of the former Walled City are almost unbelievable in the sheer density and scale of the city as it used to look. Readers may feel that no such location could ever occur in today’s world, but Ms. Graudin’s research and notes prove otherwise.
Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai are all wounded souls, some more obviously than others, and their stories are astounding in their horror and sadness. Their stories are also surprisingly similar in spite of their differences. For, Jin and Dai are just as enslaved to the Walled City as Mei Yee is to the brothel into which she was sold. Drug use, the slave trade, gangs, rape, the daily violence of survival – they face all of it on a daily basis in different forms. While they each yearn for peace and freedom, they are all trapped into the City’s immense web of crime and indifference.
All three characters are well-defined, but the City remains shadowy in its sheer immensity. In spite of Ms. Graudin’s careful descriptions, it remains difficult for readers to be able to imagine such a locale. Indeed, her descriptions are paltry compared to the pictures she adds to her author’s notes. Only then do readers get an adequate image of just what life was like for Jin and Dai on the streets. Mei Yee’s life is the most easily imagined of the three, as her story is one told throughout the ages despite all of the international efforts to stop the sex slave trade and hers is the most limited. A room is a room, but the Walled City is unlike anything most readers will have ever seen.
Jin’s and Mei Yee’s story is uncomfortably realistic, and the story itself becomes much more than words on a page. Ms. Graudin makes readers step into their shoes, feel their pain, terror, weariness, and determination. One of the most terrible realizations readers will have is that the Walled City is not fiction, nor is it historical fiction. It was real. It did happen, and people still live in such dregs today. For most readers, if not all, The Walled City is a sober reminder that life for many is utterly horrendous.
Adding to the excitement is the otherworldliness that surrounds the Walled City. Ms. Graudin enthusiastically gives credit to the idea for her novel to the very real former Kowloon Walled City that used to exist in Hong Kong. In fact, the author’s notes are nearly as interesting as the story she created about this surreal place as she describes how it caught her fancy and bloomed into a full-blown novel. The pictures she includes of the former Walled City are almost unbelievable in the sheer density and scale of the city as it used to look. Readers may feel that no such location could ever occur in today’s world, but Ms. Graudin’s research and notes prove otherwise.
Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai are all wounded souls, some more obviously than others, and their stories are astounding in their horror and sadness. Their stories are also surprisingly similar in spite of their differences. For, Jin and Dai are just as enslaved to the Walled City as Mei Yee is to the brothel into which she was sold. Drug use, the slave trade, gangs, rape, the daily violence of survival – they face all of it on a daily basis in different forms. While they each yearn for peace and freedom, they are all trapped into the City’s immense web of crime and indifference.
All three characters are well-defined, but the City remains shadowy in its sheer immensity. In spite of Ms. Graudin’s careful descriptions, it remains difficult for readers to be able to imagine such a locale. Indeed, her descriptions are paltry compared to the pictures she adds to her author’s notes. Only then do readers get an adequate image of just what life was like for Jin and Dai on the streets. Mei Yee’s life is the most easily imagined of the three, as her story is one told throughout the ages despite all of the international efforts to stop the sex slave trade and hers is the most limited. A room is a room, but the Walled City is unlike anything most readers will have ever seen.
Jin’s and Mei Yee’s story is uncomfortably realistic, and the story itself becomes much more than words on a page. Ms. Graudin makes readers step into their shoes, feel their pain, terror, weariness, and determination. One of the most terrible realizations readers will have is that the Walled City is not fiction, nor is it historical fiction. It was real. It did happen, and people still live in such dregs today. For most readers, if not all, The Walled City is a sober reminder that life for many is utterly horrendous.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 Took me a while (mostly because Chma made me cry), but enjoyed it.
My review of this book can be found on the Spines and Covers blog.
I had no idea what to expect going into this novel. The Walled City (based off the real Kowloon Walled City that once was a part of Hong Kong) is a densely populated slum filled with drug lords, street urchins, and prostitutes. There are no lighthearted subjects in this book. It covers issues like human trafficking, drug deals, murder, and prostitution.
Dai, Jin Ling, and Mei Yee all live in the Walled City and are working to make their way out. Each has different motives. What I loved about this book is that each character’s goals and struggles were realistic. But that's where I stopped liking it. The premise of The Walled City filled me with excitement and I was so thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of it. I had high expectations. Unfortunately I was sadly disappointed.
I personally have issues with the story and the more I think about it the less I like it. There was an element of originality to the story, and the world building was fantastic! I loved how dark and gritty the city was. There was violence and gore and so much crime. There was an feel of realism to it, The people who lived in The Walled City, they are broken, they feel like they don't belong anywhere else, and they slowly slink back into the dark alleyways.
Lets talk about the characters. I couldn't connect with them. They were OK but that is all they were. I didn't really care about what happened to them except for the cat, Chma. I think I finished the book just to find out what happened to that darn cat. The bad guys of the story were good, which was a bonus. The romance was another case of instalove and it made absolutely no sense to me. I actually despised the relationship in this book because it was SO unrealistic. In fact, I had a nice ranty conversation with my friend, Nikki, about it. Let's just say that I'm not a fan. It actually made me hate the female in said relationship. The writing style was hard for me to get used to. Seriously! Why so many metaphors? I'm still not sure if I liked it. Once I got used to it, it did create a very clear picture of the struggles and lifestyles that come from just living in the Walled City.
**I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
I had no idea what to expect going into this novel. The Walled City (based off the real Kowloon Walled City that once was a part of Hong Kong) is a densely populated slum filled with drug lords, street urchins, and prostitutes. There are no lighthearted subjects in this book. It covers issues like human trafficking, drug deals, murder, and prostitution.
Dai, Jin Ling, and Mei Yee all live in the Walled City and are working to make their way out. Each has different motives. What I loved about this book is that each character’s goals and struggles were realistic. But that's where I stopped liking it. The premise of The Walled City filled me with excitement and I was so thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of it. I had high expectations. Unfortunately I was sadly disappointed.
I personally have issues with the story and the more I think about it the less I like it. There was an element of originality to the story, and the world building was fantastic! I loved how dark and gritty the city was. There was violence and gore and so much crime. There was an feel of realism to it, The people who lived in The Walled City, they are broken, they feel like they don't belong anywhere else, and they slowly slink back into the dark alleyways.
Lets talk about the characters. I couldn't connect with them. They were OK but that is all they were. I didn't really care about what happened to them except for the cat, Chma. I think I finished the book just to find out what happened to that darn cat. The bad guys of the story were good, which was a bonus. The romance was another case of instalove and it made absolutely no sense to me. I actually despised the relationship in this book because it was SO unrealistic. In fact, I had a nice ranty conversation with my friend, Nikki, about it. Let's just say that I'm not a fan. It actually made me hate the female in said relationship. The writing style was hard for me to get used to. Seriously! Why so many metaphors? I'm still not sure if I liked it. Once I got used to it, it did create a very clear picture of the struggles and lifestyles that come from just living in the Walled City.
**I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
2.75/5 stars
This was disappointing. I listened to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf duology on audiobook and absolutely adored it so I went into this book expecting the same. However, I found everything about this book so incredibly bland. It's not a bad book, but it is just so darn generic. It is fast paced and easy to read, but I know that in a few months I will forget all about this book.
This was disappointing. I listened to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf duology on audiobook and absolutely adored it so I went into this book expecting the same. However, I found everything about this book so incredibly bland. It's not a bad book, but it is just so darn generic. It is fast paced and easy to read, but I know that in a few months I will forget all about this book.
4.5 stars
The Walled City was a surprising read for me. It honestly wasn’t really on my radar until we went to BEA and a few of my friends were dying to get their hands on it. After reading the summary, I was completely intrigued with the idea of this story.
The Walled City introduces us to two unlikely lead characters who connect because they need each other. Dai, with a past that haunts him has been trapped in The Walled City and has only 18 days to get certain information or else he’ll never be able to get out. Jin, hides herself under the guise of being a boy… and is determined never to rely upon anyone. She’s been searching for her sister and has narrowed down where she thinks she is, but her only way in may be working with Dai.
Mei Yee is the sister that Jin has been searching for, and as much as she dreams of a day when she might be free of the life that she has been forced into, she knows that’s all it truly is.
If you go into this story expecting it to be just like any other YA out there you’re going to be disappointed… but in the best way possible. The focus on this story truly falls on the predicaments of each of these characters who become tied together in ways they never expected.
I hate that I have to say this, but if you’re looking for more diversity in books, then look no further. This story is filled with diverse characters and a city that you can’t help but be immersed into. Going into this story I wasn’t aware of the actual “Walled City”. Yes, this story is based on a real city and you can read all about Graudin’s inspiration in her author notes at the end of the story, but I googled it once I finished and it was so incredible to see the pictures that really helped me in visualizing this city that was overrun by gangs and lawlessness.
Which leads me to the world-building, which for me, ended up being the best part of the story for me. I loved the detail that Graudin used and the way she built The Walled City. She really brought me into the city and culture.
The story itself is told from all three characters points of view… I feel like the best progression and the one that had the most action and interest for me was Jin’s story. I really loved seeing what was happening in her point of view. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the others, I did. Especially Dai, but I wasn’t as connected to their points of view as I was Jin’s.
I’m not going to spill much on the story other than to say that it was amazingly written and the way the story unfolds is really wonderfully paced.
If you’re looking for something a little different in the YA genre, something that isn’t as focused on a possible romance between characters as it is on the lives of the people in the story, then definitely check out The Walled City.
Thank you to Little Brown for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts~
The Walled City was a surprising read for me. It honestly wasn’t really on my radar until we went to BEA and a few of my friends were dying to get their hands on it. After reading the summary, I was completely intrigued with the idea of this story.
The Walled City introduces us to two unlikely lead characters who connect because they need each other. Dai, with a past that haunts him has been trapped in The Walled City and has only 18 days to get certain information or else he’ll never be able to get out. Jin, hides herself under the guise of being a boy… and is determined never to rely upon anyone. She’s been searching for her sister and has narrowed down where she thinks she is, but her only way in may be working with Dai.
Mei Yee is the sister that Jin has been searching for, and as much as she dreams of a day when she might be free of the life that she has been forced into, she knows that’s all it truly is.
If you go into this story expecting it to be just like any other YA out there you’re going to be disappointed… but in the best way possible. The focus on this story truly falls on the predicaments of each of these characters who become tied together in ways they never expected.
I hate that I have to say this, but if you’re looking for more diversity in books, then look no further. This story is filled with diverse characters and a city that you can’t help but be immersed into. Going into this story I wasn’t aware of the actual “Walled City”. Yes, this story is based on a real city and you can read all about Graudin’s inspiration in her author notes at the end of the story, but I googled it once I finished and it was so incredible to see the pictures that really helped me in visualizing this city that was overrun by gangs and lawlessness.
Which leads me to the world-building, which for me, ended up being the best part of the story for me. I loved the detail that Graudin used and the way she built The Walled City. She really brought me into the city and culture.
The story itself is told from all three characters points of view… I feel like the best progression and the one that had the most action and interest for me was Jin’s story. I really loved seeing what was happening in her point of view. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the others, I did. Especially Dai, but I wasn’t as connected to their points of view as I was Jin’s.
I’m not going to spill much on the story other than to say that it was amazingly written and the way the story unfolds is really wonderfully paced.
If you’re looking for something a little different in the YA genre, something that isn’t as focused on a possible romance between characters as it is on the lives of the people in the story, then definitely check out The Walled City.
Thank you to Little Brown for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts~
When I originally picked up The Walled City and read the back, I assumed it was a typical (and for me, boring) YA dystopian novel set in a Chinese or Chinese-inspired futuristic setting.
Spoiler alert: it's not.
(Read the full review at Girls in Capes.)
Spoiler alert: it's not.
(Read the full review at Girls in Capes.)
this book left me with a strange mixture of "wow, I really liked the idea of this" and "wow, I didn't love the execution of this great idea." like the plot was fantastic, and I really liked the characters, but everything was so rushed (which is basically the whole plot, that they're running out of time) and not really my style? Idk. I've never really been able to get into this author's other works because the writing style just doesn't vibe with me, and that's okay. I think that I did like this one, but I would have liked it a lot more if the style had been different somehow.
This book is included in this new genre authors seem to be writing towards now: not actual historically correct fiction, but using historical facts and setting to write fiction.
Definitely a really good book with strong characters and an action filled plot. Would give/recommend to someone but probably won't read again.
Definitely a really good book with strong characters and an action filled plot. Would give/recommend to someone but probably won't read again.