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A review by cpark2005
The City of a Thousand Faces by Jeffrey Hall
3.0
I picked up The City of a Thousand Faces when I saw that Alec Hutson, whose The Crimson Queen I really enjoyed, had reviewed it positively. Jeffrey Hall’s work here is perhaps most notable for bringing to life a believable addict as the main character. But the world itself is also vibrant and unique.
I found Irtha, our main character who is also an addict that struggles to break her addiction, to be incredibly believable. She does what so many addicts do—blame her circumstances or other people for her addiction, try to break free only to go back again and again, thus hurting so many of those who love and care for her. It’s frustrating to watch, but in a very authentic way. Addiction is a real, painful issue in society and it deserves to be addressed in our fiction. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. The world is also unique. The setting is dense jungle with cities dotted throughout. I also enjoyed this aspect of the book, mostly because it offered a very fresh take on a fantasy world.
Unfortunately, those were the only two things that worked for me in the novel. It isn’t that the rest of the novel is bad. I just personally found myself feeling neutral toward it. While Irtha is engaging in her struggles, I found the side characters to fall mostly flat. The exception was Trick Paw, Irtha’s erstwhile supplier and sudden travel companion. He is an abusive individual that I had a visceral reaction against. I really dislike bullies, and even more when people keep those bullies around in a kind of Stockholm syndrome. Perhaps he’ll have some sort of a redemption arc in the second book, there are hints of that near the end of this book, but I’m not convinced. Otherwise though, I found the characters largely forgettable. The plot also moved very slowly. There were a couple sections where the action picked up, but not significantly. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger, and it felt a little like it was the halfway point of the story. This makes sense since the series is a duology, but it meant that The City of a Thousand Faces ended up feeling like half a book.
While much of The City of a Thousand Faces didn’t work for me, it isn’t bad. I’ve had a hard time putting my finger on exactly why I feel like things just didn’t work for me. If you’re in the market for a unique main character and a fresh, vibrant setting, this may be one to check out. 3.4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
I found Irtha, our main character who is also an addict that struggles to break her addiction, to be incredibly believable. She does what so many addicts do—blame her circumstances or other people for her addiction, try to break free only to go back again and again, thus hurting so many of those who love and care for her. It’s frustrating to watch, but in a very authentic way. Addiction is a real, painful issue in society and it deserves to be addressed in our fiction. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. The world is also unique. The setting is dense jungle with cities dotted throughout. I also enjoyed this aspect of the book, mostly because it offered a very fresh take on a fantasy world.
Unfortunately, those were the only two things that worked for me in the novel. It isn’t that the rest of the novel is bad. I just personally found myself feeling neutral toward it. While Irtha is engaging in her struggles, I found the side characters to fall mostly flat. The exception was Trick Paw, Irtha’s erstwhile supplier and sudden travel companion. He is an abusive individual that I had a visceral reaction against. I really dislike bullies, and even more when people keep those bullies around in a kind of Stockholm syndrome. Perhaps he’ll have some sort of a redemption arc in the second book, there are hints of that near the end of this book, but I’m not convinced. Otherwise though, I found the characters largely forgettable. The plot also moved very slowly. There were a couple sections where the action picked up, but not significantly. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger, and it felt a little like it was the halfway point of the story. This makes sense since the series is a duology, but it meant that The City of a Thousand Faces ended up feeling like half a book.
While much of The City of a Thousand Faces didn’t work for me, it isn’t bad. I’ve had a hard time putting my finger on exactly why I feel like things just didn’t work for me. If you’re in the market for a unique main character and a fresh, vibrant setting, this may be one to check out. 3.4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing