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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Alur cerita buku ini sangat cepat. Membuat saya merasa harus ikut lari mengejar kisah para tokoh cerita. Dan merasa selalu ada kejutan menanti di setiap belokan jalan di Kota di Balik Dinding ini.
Seiring dengan itu, saya makin merasa hidup yang saya jalani kok alurnya lambat sekali, yaaa...
Seiring dengan itu, saya makin merasa hidup yang saya jalani kok alurnya lambat sekali, yaaa...
Thoroughly recommend The Walled City by Ryan Graudin.
Brilliantly fast-paced, with twists and turns and characters as dark and complex as the streets of it's city.
In my top 10 reads of 2014.
Brilliantly fast-paced, with twists and turns and characters as dark and complex as the streets of it's city.
In my top 10 reads of 2014.
*I received this title as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Wow! First, I was blown away after the story was totally done with the fact that the Walled City was a real place. It's on my "to research" list now. I would never have been interested in it without this book. This is the first book I have read from 3 different perspectives. I thought it would be difficult but it was not! The name of the person is at the beginning of each chapter and that makes it very easy to follow along. Dai - a dashing, intelligent young man - has 18 days to complete a near impossible task to atone for the murder he committed. Jin Ling is a driven, speedy, devious runner who can help Dai but has motives of her own. Mei Yee is a teen girl sold by her father into prostitution at a brothel. Their tales all come together in a beautiful way - but that's not it! Every loose end is tied up (Thank you, Ryan Graudin!) and it is all believable. Nothing runs too smoothly or goes too awry so you keep thinking that it could really happen that way.
I have read some reviews that spoke about the purple lettering...my copy was an e-copy so it was just black and white. I found that highly enjoyable and have yet to see the physical book since it comes out in a couple of weeks. I am hopeful that the publishers will change this before too many copies are printed because it is a well-thought-out, well-written book that sheds light on so many world issues!
Wow! First, I was blown away after the story was totally done with the fact that the Walled City was a real place. It's on my "to research" list now. I would never have been interested in it without this book. This is the first book I have read from 3 different perspectives. I thought it would be difficult but it was not! The name of the person is at the beginning of each chapter and that makes it very easy to follow along. Dai - a dashing, intelligent young man - has 18 days to complete a near impossible task to atone for the murder he committed. Jin Ling is a driven, speedy, devious runner who can help Dai but has motives of her own. Mei Yee is a teen girl sold by her father into prostitution at a brothel. Their tales all come together in a beautiful way - but that's not it! Every loose end is tied up (Thank you, Ryan Graudin!) and it is all believable. Nothing runs too smoothly or goes too awry so you keep thinking that it could really happen that way.
I have read some reviews that spoke about the purple lettering...my copy was an e-copy so it was just black and white. I found that highly enjoyable and have yet to see the physical book since it comes out in a couple of weeks. I am hopeful that the publishers will change this before too many copies are printed because it is a well-thought-out, well-written book that sheds light on so many world issues!
The book started out good and there was a big lull. It did pick back up again and it was a great finish. Definitely a good thing that this book is a standalone. I would not read a second book. Endgame
I don't know what I was expecting from The Walled City but this book exceeded my expectations! In The Walled City, we follow three POVs, a girl pretending to be a boy while on a mission to rescue her sister, a boy with 18 days to complete a mission, and a girl imprisoned in a brothel these two both find themselves in on their missions. I loved all of their POVs. For a moment there, it was hard to keep the three straight but their journeys are all so different and distinct, it soon becomes very clear where each of them are on those journeys and how they all connect. I loved all three perspectives, I felt very grounded in each one and I really enjoyed seeing the different dynamics each person had with the people around them, relationships that often helped them live to see the next day.
The setting is China which was wonderfully brought to life by Graudin. Round of applause for her research here because it shows and pays off so well. The setting of this walled city, ruled by drugs and human trafficking, is actually based on the real life Kowloon Walled City which astounded me because I didn't even know about Kowloon. Talk about danger and mystery. This is not an easy book to read as it's set in a very dark and disturbing setting where the stakes are very high and the tension is so thick, your heart will race. You will root for these characters to stay afloat in a city where everyone seemingly drowns. There's plenty of action in this novel but there are also very poignant moments and the balance in tone here is beautiful. I really enjoyed it all.
If you're looking for a pick me up book, The Walled City is the exact opposite of that. You have to have thick skin to read this book. It's not an easy one to get through simply because of the subject matter at hand. But the characters. They fight. They fight to survive and they fight to tear down the walls in their lives and seeing that fight is worth every single minute. I knew that I'd like this book but I didn't know I'd enjoy it as much as I did and I'm so happy to say that this one really surprised me in the best way. I loved how the story unraveled and came together and I think Graudin is a fabulous storyteller and writer. Definitely give The Walled City a read if you're looking for a really intense stand alone novel.
The setting is China which was wonderfully brought to life by Graudin. Round of applause for her research here because it shows and pays off so well. The setting of this walled city, ruled by drugs and human trafficking, is actually based on the real life Kowloon Walled City which astounded me because I didn't even know about Kowloon. Talk about danger and mystery. This is not an easy book to read as it's set in a very dark and disturbing setting where the stakes are very high and the tension is so thick, your heart will race. You will root for these characters to stay afloat in a city where everyone seemingly drowns. There's plenty of action in this novel but there are also very poignant moments and the balance in tone here is beautiful. I really enjoyed it all.
If you're looking for a pick me up book, The Walled City is the exact opposite of that. You have to have thick skin to read this book. It's not an easy one to get through simply because of the subject matter at hand. But the characters. They fight. They fight to survive and they fight to tear down the walls in their lives and seeing that fight is worth every single minute. I knew that I'd like this book but I didn't know I'd enjoy it as much as I did and I'm so happy to say that this one really surprised me in the best way. I loved how the story unraveled and came together and I think Graudin is a fabulous storyteller and writer. Definitely give The Walled City a read if you're looking for a really intense stand alone novel.
**I received an ARC of this book while attending BookCon 2014.**
It's never easy to read a book that deals with human trafficking, but this book combined the right amount of action and despair that allowed me to finish without too much need for emotional breaks (i.e., putting the book down). I enjoyed the characters and their back stories. The book could've been a bit shorter, but this is an ARC review so maybe so things will be cut out in the final copy. I would recommend this book!
It's never easy to read a book that deals with human trafficking, but this book combined the right amount of action and despair that allowed me to finish without too much need for emotional breaks (i.e., putting the book down). I enjoyed the characters and their back stories. The book could've been a bit shorter, but this is an ARC review so maybe so things will be cut out in the final copy. I would recommend this book!
Although I wasn't as invested with this book as I was with Ryan Graudin's other series Wolf by Wolf, I still think it's an enjoyable read. I mean enjoyable in the sense that it'll constantly keep you guessing and wanting to learn more.
I couldn't keep the book down, and most of that has to do with Graudin's very active, energetic writing style that works really well with the high intensity action scenes in this book. The content is dark, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I'm not sure why, but there was something that disconnected me from getting more invested with the characters. I was invested with them as I was reading the story because I wanted them to succeed, but I probably will not remember them after reading.
I would recommend this book if you're looking for a PG-13 YA action novel with a little bit of romance thrown in.
(Also, I learned in the author's note that the Walled City was a REAL PLACE, so that's really cool. It helps put the story in perspective.)
I couldn't keep the book down, and most of that has to do with Graudin's very active, energetic writing style that works really well with the high intensity action scenes in this book. The content is dark, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I'm not sure why, but there was something that disconnected me from getting more invested with the characters. I was invested with them as I was reading the story because I wanted them to succeed, but I probably will not remember them after reading.
I would recommend this book if you're looking for a PG-13 YA action novel with a little bit of romance thrown in.
(Also, I learned in the author's note that the Walled City was a REAL PLACE, so that's really cool. It helps put the story in perspective.)