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A review by diazona
The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I had a somewhat weird reaction to this book, of both liking it and not liking it at the same time. What I think it is: Penelope (the main character) is living out a bit of an academic fantasy, finding acceptance in a tight-knit group of friends that not only support but appreciate her inquisitive mind. That's comforting. So I care about her enough to want to find out how her story ends, which is why I was invested enough at the end of the book to keep reading the series.
But... otherwise, I think the book is just okay. Most of the other characters seem kind of shallow, with relatively little character development, as if they're devices inserted into Penelope's world to give her that group of friends she wants and to drive the action - NPCs, more or less. I don't feel like I understand their mindset or motivation. And they're not even particularly distinctive. With a couple of exceptions (mostly Marco), all the characters sound pretty similar, to the point where sometimes in long blocks of dialogue I couldn't keep track of who's talking. Sometimes those long blocks of dialogue play a significant role in moving the story forward, and when you throw in the difficulty of distinguishing the characters, it really starts to feel like there's just a narrator explaining what's happening.
The worldbuilding left something to be desired for me, too. I really appreciate it when an author sets a scene, allowing me to really build a mental image of what's going on in the story. This book didn't have much of that. Plus, the magic system seems kind of haphazard. There's not very much repetition or consistency between the different uses of magic, making it feel like, again, a device to do whatever needs to happen to drive the plot along at any given moment.
Anyway, all that being said, it's not a bad book. It definitely captured my interest for a few days, and like I said, I enjoyed it enough that at the end I was excited to go on to the next one in the series. I had fun. No regrets. It's just not one of those standouts that I could see myself coming back to.
But... otherwise, I think the book is just okay. Most of the other characters seem kind of shallow, with relatively little character development, as if they're devices inserted into Penelope's world to give her that group of friends she wants and to drive the action - NPCs, more or less. I don't feel like I understand their mindset or motivation. And they're not even particularly distinctive. With a couple of exceptions (mostly Marco), all the characters sound pretty similar, to the point where sometimes in long blocks of dialogue I couldn't keep track of who's talking. Sometimes those long blocks of dialogue play a significant role in moving the story forward, and when you throw in the difficulty of distinguishing the characters, it really starts to feel like there's just a narrator explaining what's happening.
The worldbuilding left something to be desired for me, too. I really appreciate it when an author sets a scene, allowing me to really build a mental image of what's going on in the story. This book didn't have much of that. Plus, the magic system seems kind of haphazard. There's not very much repetition or consistency between the different uses of magic, making it feel like, again, a device to do whatever needs to happen to drive the plot along at any given moment.
Anyway, all that being said, it's not a bad book. It definitely captured my interest for a few days, and like I said, I enjoyed it enough that at the end I was excited to go on to the next one in the series. I had fun. No regrets. It's just not one of those standouts that I could see myself coming back to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Vomit