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A review by dobbsthedog
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
4.0
Received from NetGalley, thanks!
This might have been the slowest book I’ve ever read. And it’s not that it wasn’t good, it’s just this slow, sort of meandering story, very melancholy and full of grief.
So, this is the story of Vitrine, a demon, and the city of Azril, which she helped to build over hundreds of years. Until the angels come and completely destroy it. In her grief and anger she curses one of the angels and because of this he is not allowed to returned to his brethren anymore. So, he sort of hangs around and helps Vitrine to rebuild Azril.
Throughout most of the book, probably the first 75% or so, it’s mostly Vitrine grieving for what she’s lost and trying to figure out how to recreate it. There are many flashbacks to the past when Azril was thriving, with Vitrine looking at all of the people she’s loved and lost.
I feel like this book is saying a lot, but I wasn’t necessarily understanding it all. There are the obvious themes of grief, and of family, as well as all different kinds of love. Though I think the main thing that I got from the book is that, regardless of how difficult it can be to let go of something you love, it’s important to remember how it was, to remember the love and the joy, but that it can never be the same again. And that even if it’s not the same, that doesn’t mean it’s not as good or important, it’s just different, and that’s okay.
The way that Vitrine was written was really interesting; not at all how you would expect a demon to behave in some things, but then absolutely demonic in others.
I had a really difficult time understanding the relationship between Vitrine and the angel. And I did not understand the ending at all, so if someone would like to explain what exactly happened, that would be great. 😅
If it weren’t for the ending, this likely would have been a 5 star read. Maybe as I sit with it, and turn it around in my mind, it will make sense and I’ll change the rating, but for now, this is a really solid 4 star read.
This might have been the slowest book I’ve ever read. And it’s not that it wasn’t good, it’s just this slow, sort of meandering story, very melancholy and full of grief.
So, this is the story of Vitrine, a demon, and the city of Azril, which she helped to build over hundreds of years. Until the angels come and completely destroy it. In her grief and anger she curses one of the angels and because of this he is not allowed to returned to his brethren anymore. So, he sort of hangs around and helps Vitrine to rebuild Azril.
Throughout most of the book, probably the first 75% or so, it’s mostly Vitrine grieving for what she’s lost and trying to figure out how to recreate it. There are many flashbacks to the past when Azril was thriving, with Vitrine looking at all of the people she’s loved and lost.
I feel like this book is saying a lot, but I wasn’t necessarily understanding it all. There are the obvious themes of grief, and of family, as well as all different kinds of love. Though I think the main thing that I got from the book is that, regardless of how difficult it can be to let go of something you love, it’s important to remember how it was, to remember the love and the joy, but that it can never be the same again. And that even if it’s not the same, that doesn’t mean it’s not as good or important, it’s just different, and that’s okay.
The way that Vitrine was written was really interesting; not at all how you would expect a demon to behave in some things, but then absolutely demonic in others.
I had a really difficult time understanding the relationship between Vitrine and the angel. And I did not understand the ending at all, so if someone would like to explain what exactly happened, that would be great. 😅
If it weren’t for the ending, this likely would have been a 5 star read. Maybe as I sit with it, and turn it around in my mind, it will make sense and I’ll change the rating, but for now, this is a really solid 4 star read.