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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Gripping. Spectacular. I couldn’t stop reading, even though it’s way passed my bedtime. Ha! It all felt so real and tangible.
I might have given this another star or two if I'd read it all the way through, but I have so many books to read that I'm not finishing ones that don't grab me. I like the premise for this, I like that it's based on the slum that was the Kowloon Walled City, but the beginning chapters didn't give me characters I cared about.
Great dystopian-like setting drawn from reality. Great tension and adrenaline. Excellent themes. Decent characters and voice.
The setting was interesting but the characters and the plot seemed flat to me. It was fast-paced and well executed but not enough to get me invested in the characters. And for that I was quite disappointed but well... solid 3 stars.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was skimming hardcore through this. I had such high hopes and it left me wanting every time.
My biggest issues were the tone and setting. The author went for weirdly poetic language at random times. It was jarring and took me out of the book because they’d be talking about the boeing 747’s flying ahead and then the mom’s miscarriage that was described as “holding my mother and her screams and rivers of blood” or something like that. Or when someone got stabbed it was described as “braids of veins and blood”. The tone couldn’t settle as either poetic and flowery or regular speaking.
I never had a grasp or understanding of the setting. It was written like the walled city was medieval and rudimentary technology but then all the sudden there were jets in the sky and Mercedes cars?? The only descriptions of the city were over dramatic ones that made it sound like a fantasy city. Finding out that it was based in a REAL city in Hong Kong was jarring.
The characters were all cliches. This was hard to get through
My biggest issues were the tone and setting. The author went for weirdly poetic language at random times. It was jarring and took me out of the book because they’d be talking about the boeing 747’s flying ahead and then the mom’s miscarriage that was described as “holding my mother and her screams and rivers of blood” or something like that. Or when someone got stabbed it was described as “braids of veins and blood”. The tone couldn’t settle as either poetic and flowery or regular speaking.
I never had a grasp or understanding of the setting. It was written like the walled city was medieval and rudimentary technology but then all the sudden there were jets in the sky and Mercedes cars?? The only descriptions of the city were over dramatic ones that made it sound like a fantasy city. Finding out that it was based in a REAL city in Hong Kong was jarring.
The characters were all cliches. This was hard to get through
The book opens with Jin on the run from one of the street gangs. The fast paced introduction to the Walled City set the scene well - Jin is looking for her sister, the Brotherhood runs the city, there are dangers hidden in every twist and turn. I'm usually a sucker for any plot that involves sisters but this one didn't hold up after the strong start.
Jin and Mei Yee ended up in the city because Mei Yee was sold to a brothel by their brute of a drunk father. Jin followed to save her. But as the story progresses, Mei Yee is nothing but a pretty face. Her character does develop some strength towards the end, but sadly, she remained two-dimensional.
Jin is a survivor. She is feisty and strong and has about as many lives as her cat, Chma. Dai has secrets of his own and his countdown (to what?) defines the chapters and paces the story. The action picks up towards the end with the confrontation of all the major players but when I was done, I didn't feel like I needed to tell everyone about it.
Sadly, I was more intrigued by the real city that the story was inspired by.
I received a free digital copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
Jin and Mei Yee ended up in the city because Mei Yee was sold to a brothel by their brute of a drunk father. Jin followed to save her. But as the story progresses, Mei Yee is nothing but a pretty face. Her character does develop some strength towards the end, but sadly, she remained two-dimensional.
Jin is a survivor. She is feisty and strong and has about as many lives as her cat, Chma. Dai has secrets of his own and his countdown (to what?) defines the chapters and paces the story. The action picks up towards the end with the confrontation of all the major players but when I was done, I didn't feel like I needed to tell everyone about it.
Sadly, I was more intrigued by the real city that the story was inspired by.
I received a free digital copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
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!