A review by hawaiirican808
Diamond City by Astrid Cole

5.0

First, I would like to say that I am SO GRATEFUL that Astrid's author account blessed my IG feed. 
I'm not one to normally dive into dystopian/fantasy/sci-fi-ish reads, but the blurb for the beginning of this trilogy truly piqued my interest. Also, 2024 is the year I dive into other genres and I'm glad I jumped at the chance to read Diamond City on KU. 

Starting off, Astrid's writing style and world-building was by far one of my FAVORITES by any author I've read yet. She mesmerized me and had me feel like I was transported into another world, living through the storyline as if I was one of the characters myself. I feel like Astrid really set the tone for the whole trilogy with the amount of thought she put into building the worlds with so many fantasy related characters: merging Sage as a centenarian and immortals, hybrids and so much more perfectly together. It didn't get lost in the typical "Fantasy" themed reads where it's all fantasy elements without much plot or storyline. I loved that she kept me guessing with the plot twists throughout the storyline and made me fall in love with Sage and everything she was: an amazing female lead that just wanted to live a low-maintenance life in her pizza shop, but stepped in to save the city when things get chaotic! 

I will say, this book was better than I could ever have imagined it to be. Astrid can truly tell a chaotically amazing story that will have you immersed with true *Magic*. I can not wait to see how she dives into Emerald City next!