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A review by gillianw
City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up
It took me a long time to really get into this book and that might be partly on me, and partly on the constantly changing POV’s. Normally the latter wouldn’t be an issue but there are at least 10 narrators of this story with the POV changing with each chapter. It’s a lot to ask of a reader, to keep up with these changes. Unfortunately, my brain was not wholly engaged for the first part, at least not until the stories started to overlap. That’s when it got interesting. And that’s when it ended in a cliffhanger. Aargh!
I don’t have the patience to tackle book 2, not right now anyway. But I can see myself returning to this world when I’m ready to dismiss other life distractions and fully engage with the story. I think it’s an interesting and entertaining read overall, and I truly liked many of the characters. The format won’t be for everyone but if the ever changing POVs aren’t off-putting, you’ll find a lot to like here.
It took me a long time to really get into this book and that might be partly on me, and partly on the constantly changing POV’s. Normally the latter wouldn’t be an issue but there are at least 10 narrators of this story with the POV changing with each chapter. It’s a lot to ask of a reader, to keep up with these changes. Unfortunately, my brain was not wholly engaged for the first part, at least not until the stories started to overlap. That’s when it got interesting. And that’s when it ended in a cliffhanger. Aargh!
I don’t have the patience to tackle book 2, not right now anyway. But I can see myself returning to this world when I’m ready to dismiss other life distractions and fully engage with the story. I think it’s an interesting and entertaining read overall, and I truly liked many of the characters. The format won’t be for everyone but if the ever changing POVs aren’t off-putting, you’ll find a lot to like here.