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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun and playful love letter to NY, kind of an elbow-in-the-ribs at Lovecraft, and a big fuck-you to gentrifiers/colonizers. If those things are your bag, you might really enjoy it.
Unfortunately, I'm not reeeaaally into long-form, heavy-handed allegory, and I was disappointed to find that the characters-are-cities conceit felt like the extent of the magical system here. The whole thing has like...Captain Planet vibes...that kept me from seeing the characters as more than symbols or getting very invested in their decisions. I think I expected more from Jemisin in terms of world-building, as this reads like a TV-ready YA romp. I'm not sure there was enough meat here to spin this into a novel, much less a trilogy, but I'm holding out some hope that the the subsequent books will add complexity to this world.
Unfortunately, I'm not reeeaaally into long-form, heavy-handed allegory, and I was disappointed to find that the characters-are-cities conceit felt like the extent of the magical system here. The whole thing has like...Captain Planet vibes...that kept me from seeing the characters as more than symbols or getting very invested in their decisions. I think I expected more from Jemisin in terms of world-building, as this reads like a TV-ready YA romp. I'm not sure there was enough meat here to spin this into a novel, much less a trilogy, but I'm holding out some hope that the the subsequent books will add complexity to this world.
I enjoyed this a lot but i think the audiobook format was tough. There are a lot of really important characters converging, all voiced by the same person and it was hard to follow. I also have a harder time visualizing bigger fantasy elements like this book has when delivered audibly.
I was also coincidentally watching a d&d series with a pretty similar plot so it was hard to track both.
I'll probably try again with ebook instead.
I was also coincidentally watching a d&d series with a pretty similar plot so it was hard to track both.
I'll probably try again with ebook instead.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
New York City has 5 living embodiments, one for each borough. Cool idea but it felt rushed and a little sloppy, more unfinished than her other books.
Every time I pick this book up, I am swept away, only to leave it for weeks on end. I want to give this book a proper read, hopefully in the near future.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No