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A review by maxwelldunn
The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
4.0
Where do I begin?! Well first of all: I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinions expressed in the following review.
But seriously, I had NO clue what to expect when going into this book. I had heard things going around about how it was supposed to be a good upcoming release and that it was available on NetGalley, etc. I am so, so glad that I did. Seriously.
First of all, this is a standalone! Which makes me incredibly happy, because it seems like all YA action/adventure type books these days are part of a series (particularly trilogies). Nope, not this one. And it doesn't need to be. Graudin, the author who has an excellent voice in her writing, creates a story so well executed in 432 pages that it needs no more books to complete it. Finally! A story that feels so full of life, rich characters, intense plot that actually makes sense, and more, but is self-contained in one book.
This book is a three person perspective novel. It's told from the view of Dai, Mei Yee, and Jin Ling, three young adults (I believe between 16 and 18) that live in the Walled City of Hak Nam. I won't say much about who they are or how the connect.
The Walled City (based off the real Kowloon Walled City once a part of Hong Kong) is a densely populated slum filled with drug lords, street urchins, and prostitutes. This book is quite intense and contains some thematic elements, not for the young or faint of heart, by the way. Dai, Jin Ling, and Mei Yee live in the Walled City and are working to make their way out. Each has different motives, and these motives are believable. Never once did I find myself thinking, "What [the character] just did there is totally unbelievable or counteractive to their personality/motivations/etc." Their goals and struggles are so realistic and engrained in them as characters that they are believable. It was really refreshing to see from each perspective and understand why they do the things they do, and what they want to accomplish.
The writing style is beautiful. It creates a very vivid picture of the Walled City and the struggles that come with being stuck in that lifestyle. The only problems I had with it were little. There were many instances of repeated words, especially adjectives. For example (and this is not from the book, I am just illustrating my point): "The sky was a deep, deep blue," or "She twisted her strands of hair into tight, tight curls," etc. It was more noticeable about halfway through the book because it kept happening. Again, not a big deal, just something that caught my eye.
Plot-wise, like I said above, it all makes sense, it all feels necessary, and it all connects well to keep the story moving along. I never got bored. I thought about the book a lot when I wasn't reading it. I just wanted to return to the story and find out what happens.
All in all, this is one young adult standalone that I am incredibly happy with it. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well written story that has deeper themes of regret, separation, and sacrifice that come from things like human trafficking and dehumanizing activities that take place on a daily basis worldwide. Seriously, I can't recommend this enough.
P.S. This book is described as dystopian which I would argue is NOT the case. So if you are hesitant because it is categorized as such, ignore that and read it. Also, it may interest you to look up the Kowloon Walled City and learn more about that (something I didn't even know existed before this book!).
But seriously, I had NO clue what to expect when going into this book. I had heard things going around about how it was supposed to be a good upcoming release and that it was available on NetGalley, etc. I am so, so glad that I did. Seriously.
First of all, this is a standalone! Which makes me incredibly happy, because it seems like all YA action/adventure type books these days are part of a series (particularly trilogies). Nope, not this one. And it doesn't need to be. Graudin, the author who has an excellent voice in her writing, creates a story so well executed in 432 pages that it needs no more books to complete it. Finally! A story that feels so full of life, rich characters, intense plot that actually makes sense, and more, but is self-contained in one book.
This book is a three person perspective novel. It's told from the view of Dai, Mei Yee, and Jin Ling, three young adults (I believe between 16 and 18) that live in the Walled City of Hak Nam. I won't say much about who they are or how the connect.
The Walled City (based off the real Kowloon Walled City once a part of Hong Kong) is a densely populated slum filled with drug lords, street urchins, and prostitutes. This book is quite intense and contains some thematic elements, not for the young or faint of heart, by the way. Dai, Jin Ling, and Mei Yee live in the Walled City and are working to make their way out. Each has different motives, and these motives are believable. Never once did I find myself thinking, "What [the character] just did there is totally unbelievable or counteractive to their personality/motivations/etc." Their goals and struggles are so realistic and engrained in them as characters that they are believable. It was really refreshing to see from each perspective and understand why they do the things they do, and what they want to accomplish.
The writing style is beautiful. It creates a very vivid picture of the Walled City and the struggles that come with being stuck in that lifestyle. The only problems I had with it were little. There were many instances of repeated words, especially adjectives. For example (and this is not from the book, I am just illustrating my point): "The sky was a deep, deep blue," or "She twisted her strands of hair into tight, tight curls," etc. It was more noticeable about halfway through the book because it kept happening. Again, not a big deal, just something that caught my eye.
Plot-wise, like I said above, it all makes sense, it all feels necessary, and it all connects well to keep the story moving along. I never got bored. I thought about the book a lot when I wasn't reading it. I just wanted to return to the story and find out what happens.
All in all, this is one young adult standalone that I am incredibly happy with it. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well written story that has deeper themes of regret, separation, and sacrifice that come from things like human trafficking and dehumanizing activities that take place on a daily basis worldwide. Seriously, I can't recommend this enough.
P.S. This book is described as dystopian which I would argue is NOT the case. So if you are hesitant because it is categorized as such, ignore that and read it. Also, it may interest you to look up the Kowloon Walled City and learn more about that (something I didn't even know existed before this book!).