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A review by livreads54
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I’m not usually a reader of speculative fiction, so I wasn’t expecting to love this book, but I actually liked it quite a bit. I was never not confused, but that’s not the fault of the book itself, its just a combination of me being stupid and me not usually reading within this genre.
I think the premise of the books is fascinating and super unique. I love the whole concept of “people being cities”, and I think it was executed really well. It was a lot of world building that you had to take in, but it was a super interesting magic system, so I didn’t mind it.
The characters definitely aren’t “lovable”, but they’re really interesting and I like the character dynamics they have going between them. I wish the characters all had a little more depth, but I suppose that’s kind of what happens when a book has five main characters, and you definitely needed POV chapters from all five of them.
Just a little content warning: there were a lot of slurs in this book. I wasn’t completely sure how to tag all of them, but I feel like it was worth mentioning
Overall, I thought this book was a super interesting read, and I had a pretty good time reading it. I definitely recommend it for fans of speculative fiction and those looking to get into the genre.
I think the premise of the books is fascinating and super unique. I love the whole concept of “people being cities”, and I think it was executed really well. It was a lot of world building that you had to take in, but it was a super interesting magic system, so I didn’t mind it.
The characters definitely aren’t “lovable”, but they’re really interesting and I like the character dynamics they have going between them. I wish the characters all had a little more depth, but I suppose that’s kind of what happens when a book has five main characters, and you definitely needed POV chapters from all five of them.
Just a little content warning: there were a lot of slurs in this book. I wasn’t completely sure how to tag all of them, but I feel like it was worth mentioning
Overall, I thought this book was a super interesting read, and I had a pretty good time reading it. I definitely recommend it for fans of speculative fiction and those looking to get into the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Homophobia