A review by twistykris
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have read Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, and I will say that Anders is SO creative in her worlds and concepts, but it is certainly not for everyone. She kind of throws you into this world without a ton of explanation and you gain knowledge as you read. It can become confusing and overwhelming at times. But after some time, the world starts to make sense and January, as a planet, feels fleshed out.

I really enjoyed the dual POV between Sophie and Mouth (with an interesting choice having Sophie's in 1st person and Mouth's in 3rd person?), as both characters went through a lot of growth and development. And I understand the using the concept of someone constantly being drawn back into a toxic friendship as character growth- it's realistic and difficult to escape. "When you look at someone through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags." But SO many times I just wanted to shake my dear, sweet Sophie and tell her that
Bianca is NOT a good friend. She's manipulative, mean, selfish, and dismissive of Sophie CONSTANTLY.
It got really frustrating for me at times (and I acknowledge that's me as a reader, not necessarily a flaw in the book itself- just be aware that you might throw your hands up in frustration from time to time).

I really enjoyed the first and last sections of this book. The middle has some pacing issues, in my opinion, with plot elements I wasn't super connected with. At times it felt like nothing was happening and then suddenly it's absolute chaos and I wonder if I accidentally skipped over some pages. But I absolutely LOVED all of the parts relating to the Gelet and their society and Sophie's connection with them. The environmental aspect mixed with the ugliness of human nature was very well-established. I wish we got more time with them, especially as the ending felt like it wrapped up too quickly.

Overall, an enjoyable read, but definitely frustrating at times with certain character decisions and pacing that just wasn't for me.
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