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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I liked the main characters and their interactions and I loved that it feels like I learned something about a time and context I don’t now to much about. I really didn’t enjoy the graphic brutality in a few scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Torture, Cannibalism, War
Moderate: Sexual violence, Antisemitism
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m done with my eighth book of the year, and this time it’s David Benioff’s City of Thieves. On paper, it should’ve been an instant favorite. I’m drawn to historical fiction—especially stories set during WWII—and Benioff’s prose is everything I admire in a writer: clean, vivid, and effortlessly sharp. The central plot device, a darkly absurd mission to find a dozen eggs during the Siege of Leningrad, is both imaginative and effective, grounding the horrors of war in something deeply human and oddly tender. Framing the novel as a fictionalized account of Benioff’s grandfather also adds an intriguing layer of authenticity and emotional weight.
And yet, despite all that, I found myself strangely unmoved. The novel never fully pulled me in; it kept me at a distance. The framing device, though clever, ended up creating emotional space between me and the story. I admired Lev and Kolya as characters, and some of their experiences were deeply affecting—but I didn’t feel fully with them. It was as if I was watching their story unfold through a window rather than walking beside them.
I think part of it is just taste: I tend to gravitate toward character-driven stories, and City of Thieves is more plot-driven at its core. While the momentum and pacing are impressive, I often found myself craving more inner life, more quiet depth. In the end, City of Thieves feels like one of those vacations you see in someone else’s beautifully edited video—gorgeous, gripping, but ultimately not your own. I can see the craft. I appreciate the skill. But I never quite felt it in my gut the way I hoped I would. Maybe it’s just a matter of timing. Or maybe it’s one of those stories I respect more than I love.
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, but I couldn't put it down. City of Thieves follows two young men for the period of one week in the winter of 1941, during the siege of Leningrad and their strange and unlikely mission of retrieving one dozen eggs for a Colonel in the Red Army. The book was smart, funny, sad, disgusting, and frankly, riveting. The narrator, Lev Beniov (who is largely based on Benioff's grandfather) is a seventeen year old Russian Jew, a virgin, who finds himself shoved together with Kolya, an irrepressible army deserter, who is one of the most original and hilarious fictional characters I've encountered this year. I also might be a little in love with the author. Holy shit is that man good looking, but he's married to Amanda Peet, so there's that. Highly recommended.
I also suggest picking up the audio book, narrated by Ron Perlman (aka Hellboy). He does a fabulous job.
I also suggest picking up the audio book, narrated by Ron Perlman (aka Hellboy). He does a fabulous job.