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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
A different ya experience than I'm used to I did enjoy the concept of the book, the historical inspirations and the social issues addressed, such as human trafficking. But the execution was lacking. 3 likable yet still vague characters had almost similar voices. The two sisters were sometimes so indistinguishable that I forgot whose segment I was reading. Also it was just too long, with minor happenings being shown from multiple points of view got tiring. It also would have been nice to have more cultural substance beyond the place names, character names and endless references to dragons. But for it's length which would deter most last minute school report kids, I would recommend this to students as a possible realistic fiction option.
Dai has 18 days left to atone for his role in his brother's death. Jin keeps searching for her sister, who was sold into slavery by their father, all the while hoping no one ever finds out she's a girl in a boy's disguise. Mei Yee is stuck in a brothel, wishing she could escape but knowing the consequences of failure. They all live in Hak Nam, the Walled City, home to criminals and drug lords, prostitutes and vagrant boys. It's crowded, dirty, and dangerous, and all three are only one wrong move away from death at any moment. They'll end up working together to try to take down Longmai, the head of the Brotherhood, the unofficial power in Hak Nam.
While this book reads like a dystopian novel, and you might swear that it is, the location is based on a real place, the Kowloon Walled City outside of Hong Kong, torn down in 1987. This is a realistic fiction with a slow build culminating in quick action. While the first two-thirds of the book might be hard to get through, the last third has the pay-off.
While this book reads like a dystopian novel, and you might swear that it is, the location is based on a real place, the Kowloon Walled City outside of Hong Kong, torn down in 1987. This is a realistic fiction with a slow build culminating in quick action. While the first two-thirds of the book might be hard to get through, the last third has the pay-off.
Dai is a drug trafficker for a kingpin of the Walled City and in order to get out he needs someone who knows how to be invisible. That's where Jin comes in, she has to pass as a boy to stay safe and has been looking for her sister in the chaos of the city for two years without much luck. Now she only has eighteen days left to find her and escape before the city is destroyed.
Initially, the concept behind this story is what piqued my interest and thankfully the execution of the story itself is pretty fantastic on its own. The author does a brilliant job of creating the world of the Walled City from painting a vivid picture of it to laying out its rules for the reader. She also does a great job of handling the three alternating perspectives of Jin and Dai, my two favorites, plus Mei Yee. Personally, though, I think Mei Yee is the weakest voice of the three; however, I appreciated seeing all three originally separate characters come together in the story. Overall, The Walled City by Ryan Graudin is a fast-paced thrill ride of a dystopian set in a fictionalized version of the real-life lawless Kowloon Walled City. It shouldn't be missed. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ryan Graudin in the future.
Initially, the concept behind this story is what piqued my interest and thankfully the execution of the story itself is pretty fantastic on its own. The author does a brilliant job of creating the world of the Walled City from painting a vivid picture of it to laying out its rules for the reader. She also does a great job of handling the three alternating perspectives of Jin and Dai, my two favorites, plus Mei Yee. Personally, though, I think Mei Yee is the weakest voice of the three; however, I appreciated seeing all three originally separate characters come together in the story. Overall, The Walled City by Ryan Graudin is a fast-paced thrill ride of a dystopian set in a fictionalized version of the real-life lawless Kowloon Walled City. It shouldn't be missed. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ryan Graudin in the future.
3 stars. This was really good! I think the plot was interesting and I liked the characters and the writing well enough but it definitely was missing something but I'm just not sure what.
My main issue with this book was that it started off so strong and then towards the end it lost momentum and kinda fizzled. The ending seemed to drag and it was nowhere near as exciting and certain things happened that were such copouts that it didn't feel worth it in the end. Everything was wrapped up a little too nicely for my taste. The stakes felt way too high for it to just end so anti-climatic.
I also didn't care for the romance in this. It was very insta-love and was stale and one-dimensional. I get that Mei Yee had been locked in there for years but the way her and Dai fell for each other after the first time they met was just really silly.
Other than that, I thought this was still really solid. I enjoyed the characters a lot and the fact that it was split between all three of there point of views. They all had their own unique voices and that's always a plus for me. I really liked the friendship between Dai and Mei Yee's younger sister, Jin and how it progressed. Also the lengths Jin was willing to go to save Mei Yee was really admirable and made her my favorite character in the book. To be so young she was pretty bad ass.
Overall, not a bad read. It's a lot of fun and starts off with a bang and I definitely recommend it.
My main issue with this book was that it started off so strong and then towards the end it lost momentum and kinda fizzled. The ending seemed to drag and it was nowhere near as exciting and certain things happened that were such copouts that it didn't feel worth it in the end. Everything was wrapped up a little too nicely for my taste. The stakes felt way too high for it to just end so anti-climatic.
I also didn't care for the romance in this. It was very insta-love and was stale and one-dimensional. I get that Mei Yee had been locked in there for years but the way her and Dai fell for each other after the first time they met was just really silly.
Other than that, I thought this was still really solid. I enjoyed the characters a lot and the fact that it was split between all three of there point of views. They all had their own unique voices and that's always a plus for me. I really liked the friendship between Dai and Mei Yee's younger sister, Jin and how it progressed. Also the lengths Jin was willing to go to save Mei Yee was really admirable and made her my favorite character in the book. To be so young she was pretty bad ass.
Overall, not a bad read. It's a lot of fun and starts off with a bang and I definitely recommend it.
I told myself to read a YA book to relax and have a change in pace....BUT I CHOSE THE WRONG BOOK oh my god......
I trusted Ryan Graudin to deliver the same greatness she did for Wolf by Wolf but this was just so bad .
Let's begin with Dai, who is your run-of-the-mill Byronic hero -- moody, miserable, mysterious, filthy stinking rich, and a social outcast. UGHHHH it's like Ryan Graudin picked up an english literature text book and ticked off every Byronic characteristic on the list. ALSO....WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CHOOSES A 17 YEAR OLD TO STEAL A LEDGER FROM A CRIME BOSS?!?! The police in this book is so dumb smh.......
Here's one line from Dai that almost made me vomit because it was so typical, so cheesy: They wring out a single, undeniable truth: It's not just about me anymore. Maybe it never was. kmn!!!!
Mei Yee got really annoying in the latter half of the book because she was literally the heart eyes emoji the entire time, all because of Dai. Even when she was finally reunited with Jin, her SISTER, she was like, Oh I need to run fast for Dai, I need to do this for Dai, I need to help because of Dai. DAMN MEI YEE RELAX!!!!! What about your badass 14 year old sister that followed you all the way to the walled city to save you?
Ryan Graudin's writing is so embellished, which is something I thoroughly enjoyed in her other books. There are some parts that make me utter a "wow" with how she is able to come up with ways to describe things. I remember her describing a cat's eyes as "spoiled sunshine", which really is such vivid imagery.
But most of the time, instead of making me appreciate a character's thoughts/monologue, it just made it feel cheesy and cheap. Take for example, what Dai said about falling in love with Mei Yee - An anguish that makes me feel unbearably awake, alive. The agony of her, wedged inside my heart. Shrapnel that will never, ever leave. I couldn't stop laughing when I read this part because it was so bad!
All in all, the plot was super forgettable, the characters are boring, and the writing style hurt the story more than it helped. This is what I get for reading YA again.
I trusted Ryan Graudin to deliver the same greatness she did for Wolf by Wolf but this was just so bad .
Let's begin with Dai, who is your run-of-the-mill Byronic hero -- moody, miserable, mysterious, filthy stinking rich, and a social outcast. UGHHHH it's like Ryan Graudin picked up an english literature text book and ticked off every Byronic characteristic on the list. ALSO....WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CHOOSES A 17 YEAR OLD TO STEAL A LEDGER FROM A CRIME BOSS?!?! The police in this book is so dumb smh.......
Here's one line from Dai that almost made me vomit because it was so typical, so cheesy: They wring out a single, undeniable truth: It's not just about me anymore. Maybe it never was. kmn!!!!
Mei Yee got really annoying in the latter half of the book because she was literally the heart eyes emoji the entire time, all because of Dai. Even when she was finally reunited with Jin, her SISTER, she was like, Oh I need to run fast for Dai, I need to do this for Dai, I need to help because of Dai. DAMN MEI YEE RELAX!!!!! What about your badass 14 year old sister that followed you all the way to the walled city to save you?
Ryan Graudin's writing is so embellished, which is something I thoroughly enjoyed in her other books. There are some parts that make me utter a "wow" with how she is able to come up with ways to describe things. I remember her describing a cat's eyes as "spoiled sunshine", which really is such vivid imagery.
But most of the time, instead of making me appreciate a character's thoughts/monologue, it just made it feel cheesy and cheap. Take for example, what Dai said about falling in love with Mei Yee - An anguish that makes me feel unbearably awake, alive. The agony of her, wedged inside my heart. Shrapnel that will never, ever leave. I couldn't stop laughing when I read this part because it was so bad!
All in all, the plot was super forgettable, the characters are boring, and the writing style hurt the story more than it helped. This is what I get for reading YA again.
This was a quick and enjoyable read. The characters were fun to get to know and you ended up rooting for all of them. The idea for the walled city and it's relation to an actual place make the concept even more interesting. The plot moved at a great pace that made me want to read the book straight through. While this may not be a thought provoking or life changing book it is definitely a great read.
4.5/5 stars
That’s my reaction after finally finishing this gritty, captivating novel.
The Walled City is unlike anything I have ever read before. It was so beautifully written to have centered around such dark subject matter. In these pages we get an often times brutal look at the world the inhabitants of Hak Nam live in. There are the vagrants, criminals, brothels, drugs, and no shortage of violence. There is no real law in Hak Nam, but a Brotherhood exists that no one wants to be on the wrong side of.
This book has been shelved as “Dystopian,” but I disagree. While it is dark and disturbing, it is closer to realistic fiction in my opinion, because the events which take place could (and probably do, in part at least) really happen. Hak Nam (AKA “The Walled City”) is actually based on a real walled city–Kowloon–which once stood in Hong Kong, but was demolished in the early 1990s. But, it is not historical fiction.
The story is told from three perspectives (not something I usually enjoy).
Dai is trying to escape a troubled, haunting past and find some measure of vindication.
Jin is searching for her lost sister and living as a boy to stay safer.
Mei Yee has been trapped in a brothel for two years, dreaming and hoping for an escape, so she can return to the sister she loves.
I loved all three narrators, and I rooted for them from the beginning. All the characters were so real and well written, even the bad guys and minor characters. I could picture them all.
This book has quite a lot of action, but it’s well paced. I didn’t find myself tiring of it at all, but I did have to take a few breaks while reading, to pick up something lighter. This book has some heavy themes that might not be for everyone. However, if you can handle it, I would definitely recommend this book.
I wish I could add a “For fans of…” to this, but I really can’t think of anything similar. Based on the description, I was expecting something like The Maze Runner, but it is totally different.
**I received a copy for review from Net Galley**
That’s my reaction after finally finishing this gritty, captivating novel.
The Walled City is unlike anything I have ever read before. It was so beautifully written to have centered around such dark subject matter. In these pages we get an often times brutal look at the world the inhabitants of Hak Nam live in. There are the vagrants, criminals, brothels, drugs, and no shortage of violence. There is no real law in Hak Nam, but a Brotherhood exists that no one wants to be on the wrong side of.
This book has been shelved as “Dystopian,” but I disagree. While it is dark and disturbing, it is closer to realistic fiction in my opinion, because the events which take place could (and probably do, in part at least) really happen. Hak Nam (AKA “The Walled City”) is actually based on a real walled city–Kowloon–which once stood in Hong Kong, but was demolished in the early 1990s. But, it is not historical fiction.
The story is told from three perspectives (not something I usually enjoy).
Dai is trying to escape a troubled, haunting past and find some measure of vindication.
Jin is searching for her lost sister and living as a boy to stay safer.
Mei Yee has been trapped in a brothel for two years, dreaming and hoping for an escape, so she can return to the sister she loves.
I loved all three narrators, and I rooted for them from the beginning. All the characters were so real and well written, even the bad guys and minor characters. I could picture them all.
This book has quite a lot of action, but it’s well paced. I didn’t find myself tiring of it at all, but I did have to take a few breaks while reading, to pick up something lighter. This book has some heavy themes that might not be for everyone. However, if you can handle it, I would definitely recommend this book.
I wish I could add a “For fans of…” to this, but I really can’t think of anything similar. Based on the description, I was expecting something like The Maze Runner, but it is totally different.
**I received a copy for review from Net Galley**
The Walled City is a standalone thriller that takes inspiration from history and brings it to life in the modern world. The Walled City itself is based off of the actual walled city called Kowloon City. It was an incredibly cramped area full of crime and people just trying to make it, and Graudin centers her story in a similar stifling and dangerous place.
The atmosphere in this novel turned out to be one of my favorite things. It feels like a hopeless place, with it’s small living space and poverty, and the imagery that Graudin included made it come to life. I could practically feel the cold, wet allies and smell the food from the street vendors…never in my life have I wanted a hot bun so badly. The plot is pretty intense and I loved having three view points to read from, it really opened up the story and made the tension that much thicker.
Dai, Jin, and Mei Yee are all fantastic characters and surprisingly I liked all three. It’s so rare that I legitimately like all of the main characters as much as I do these three. Dai is working to right a wrong from his past and it’s putting him in very real danger, and to do what he needs to do he needs help from a few others. He’s a strong willed character with a huge amount of guilt crushing him, both for the events of his past and for using people to ensure he can return to a normal life. Jin is a girl living in an area where it’s not safe to be one, and as a result she pretends to be a guy. She wants to find her sister who was sold, and the only way to do that is the put herself directly in the line of danger. Jin is an incredibly brave girl, who does so much just to stay alive in this city and continues to push herself through out the book. Not once does she allow herself to be weal, even when her body is telling her that she is. Jin is a beast. Mei Yee plays an interesting role. She seems sort of innocent and naive, but she has gone through so much that it would be impossible for her to truly be either of those. She knows a harsh reality, while at the same time she leads a sheltered and somewhat blinded life. Her chapters were calmer than Jin and Dai’s, but they were just as tense because of what she has to do in order to continue being ‘safe’. Mei Yee exudes strength of character. She’s kind and willing to forgive, but as she sees a way out of her current life she also becomes willing to do what she needs to in order to make it happen.
The only issue I had was with Dai and Mei Yee, it’s not quite insta-love but it comes close and to be honest it was barely an issue at all. Their relationship is not a focus at all until towards the end, and romance doesn’t really factor into this story.
If you want a fast paced and beautifully detailed story that wraps up in a single book then find a copy of The Walled City and give it a try!
The atmosphere in this novel turned out to be one of my favorite things. It feels like a hopeless place, with it’s small living space and poverty, and the imagery that Graudin included made it come to life. I could practically feel the cold, wet allies and smell the food from the street vendors…never in my life have I wanted a hot bun so badly. The plot is pretty intense and I loved having three view points to read from, it really opened up the story and made the tension that much thicker.
Dai, Jin, and Mei Yee are all fantastic characters and surprisingly I liked all three. It’s so rare that I legitimately like all of the main characters as much as I do these three. Dai is working to right a wrong from his past and it’s putting him in very real danger, and to do what he needs to do he needs help from a few others. He’s a strong willed character with a huge amount of guilt crushing him, both for the events of his past and for using people to ensure he can return to a normal life. Jin is a girl living in an area where it’s not safe to be one, and as a result she pretends to be a guy. She wants to find her sister who was sold, and the only way to do that is the put herself directly in the line of danger. Jin is an incredibly brave girl, who does so much just to stay alive in this city and continues to push herself through out the book. Not once does she allow herself to be weal, even when her body is telling her that she is. Jin is a beast. Mei Yee plays an interesting role. She seems sort of innocent and naive, but she has gone through so much that it would be impossible for her to truly be either of those. She knows a harsh reality, while at the same time she leads a sheltered and somewhat blinded life. Her chapters were calmer than Jin and Dai’s, but they were just as tense because of what she has to do in order to continue being ‘safe’. Mei Yee exudes strength of character. She’s kind and willing to forgive, but as she sees a way out of her current life she also becomes willing to do what she needs to in order to make it happen.
The only issue I had was with Dai and Mei Yee, it’s not quite insta-love but it comes close and to be honest it was barely an issue at all. Their relationship is not a focus at all until towards the end, and romance doesn’t really factor into this story.
If you want a fast paced and beautifully detailed story that wraps up in a single book then find a copy of The Walled City and give it a try!
DNF at 56%. Real rating is 3.5
That is quite a high rating for a book I couldn't finish. This novel really did have a setup that intrigued me, the writing was lovely and things made sense. But. I just couldn't finish. I really, really tried to force myself to get through it, but then I decided that a book that still hasn't grabbed me by the time I'm halfway through isn't worth drudging through. (As a busy college student, I don't have time to spend on books I don't love!)
Good things first. I really loved that this took place in an Asian setting. I feel like too few YA novels have Asian settings and characters so I was really excited that this one is a bit of an alternate Hong Kong. The book had a very Asian feel and it was pretty accurate. Yay! Also, the writing style was beautiful. A bit of purple prose, but it wasn't so much that I got sick of it. Descriptions were great. It was pretty easy to picture the world of the Walled City.
The reason I just could not finish this book is because it moved SO. SLOW. The main part of the plot didn't appear until halfway through the book. Until then, the reader was kept in the dark about most things and the plot didn't really move forward at all. It felt like the book was going nowhere. I'm not saying I like super predictable plots, because I don't, but there's a difference between thinking "I can't wait to find out what happens next!" and thinking "Can this just GET TO THE POINT ALREADY?" I'm a fan of fast-paced books. Or at least ones where everything happening is interesting and compelling enough that it makes me want to keep reading.
Maybe I will finish this book one day, but not anytime soon. I'm sad because it was very, very promising but it was just too much of a struggle to get through it. Even though this book didn't work for me, I do recommend it to people who enjoy Asian settings, dark and gritty atmospheres, and who don't mind a slow-moving plot.
That is quite a high rating for a book I couldn't finish. This novel really did have a setup that intrigued me, the writing was lovely and things made sense. But. I just couldn't finish. I really, really tried to force myself to get through it, but then I decided that a book that still hasn't grabbed me by the time I'm halfway through isn't worth drudging through. (As a busy college student, I don't have time to spend on books I don't love!)
Good things first. I really loved that this took place in an Asian setting. I feel like too few YA novels have Asian settings and characters so I was really excited that this one is a bit of an alternate Hong Kong. The book had a very Asian feel and it was pretty accurate. Yay! Also, the writing style was beautiful. A bit of purple prose, but it wasn't so much that I got sick of it. Descriptions were great. It was pretty easy to picture the world of the Walled City.
The reason I just could not finish this book is because it moved SO. SLOW. The main part of the plot didn't appear until halfway through the book. Until then, the reader was kept in the dark about most things and the plot didn't really move forward at all. It felt like the book was going nowhere. I'm not saying I like super predictable plots, because I don't, but there's a difference between thinking "I can't wait to find out what happens next!" and thinking "Can this just GET TO THE POINT ALREADY?" I'm a fan of fast-paced books. Or at least ones where everything happening is interesting and compelling enough that it makes me want to keep reading.
Maybe I will finish this book one day, but not anytime soon. I'm sad because it was very, very promising but it was just too much of a struggle to get through it. Even though this book didn't work for me, I do recommend it to people who enjoy Asian settings, dark and gritty atmospheres, and who don't mind a slow-moving plot.