You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
alex_pcbff's Reviews (383)
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Red City is beautifully written. It is the blueprint for imperfect, morally grey characters, and is riddled with angst.
This is likely one of the most emotional books I've read in ages. This book HURTS. It doesn't gloss over the hardships of life; it paints a vivid picture of the extent people are willing to suffer for those they love, and how sometimes their efforts only make things worse. It's heartbreaking, but most importantly, it's REAL. The characters are authentic and incredibly well-developed.
Ari and Sam are the definition of star-crossed lovers. Very Romeo and Juliet vibes—forbidden romance surrounded by tragedy. They honestly feel like soulmates (which, considering souls are part of the magic system in this book, could be a possibility).
All I will say about Will is that I can fix him 😌🌸
Once I was introduced to the way alchemy works in this world, there is no way to describe the visceral feeling of "oh no" I felt. It's probably because I've watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood too many times, but the concept of trading in bits of your soul that you can never recover? Yeah, that's terrifying. And I completely understand how people desperate for money or safety for their families would be willing to (quite literally) sell their soul, despite the feeling of wrongness. I want to shake Sam and Ari and tell them "don't do this!", but I know that they wouldn't listen.
This book is 4 instead of 5 stars for me just because it took a while for me to get into it. The beginning spends a lot of time establishing the characters and worldbuilding, which is necessary. I just have a short attention span. It was definitely worth it though! (Edit Aug13, 2025: a couple months later and I still think about this book. The longevity it has in my brain cells bumps it back up to 5)
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely. It feels so unique, and it does a good job critiquing greed and humanity's obsession with pursuing perfection.
Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.
This is likely one of the most emotional books I've read in ages. This book HURTS. It doesn't gloss over the hardships of life; it paints a vivid picture of the extent people are willing to suffer for those they love, and how sometimes their efforts only make things worse. It's heartbreaking, but most importantly, it's REAL. The characters are authentic and incredibly well-developed.
Ari and Sam are the definition of star-crossed lovers. Very Romeo and Juliet vibes—forbidden romance surrounded by tragedy. They honestly feel like soulmates (which, considering souls are part of the magic system in this book, could be a possibility).
All I will say about Will is that I can fix him 😌🌸
Once I was introduced to the way alchemy works in this world, there is no way to describe the visceral feeling of "oh no" I felt. It's probably because I've watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood too many times, but the concept of trading in bits of your soul that you can never recover? Yeah, that's terrifying. And I completely understand how people desperate for money or safety for their families would be willing to (quite literally) sell their soul, despite the feeling of wrongness. I want to shake Sam and Ari and tell them "don't do this!", but I know that they wouldn't listen.
This book is 4 instead of 5 stars for me just because it took a while for me to get into it. The beginning spends a lot of time establishing the characters and worldbuilding, which is necessary. I just have a short attention span. It was definitely worth it though! (Edit Aug13, 2025: a couple months later and I still think about this book. The longevity it has in my brain cells bumps it back up to 5)
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely. It feels so unique, and it does a good job critiquing greed and humanity's obsession with pursuing perfection.
Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship
fast-paced
I was drawn to this book because of the interesting concept, but overall it was not for me.
The concept is really neat. Very typical for a dystopian YA novel, with similar vibes to the Hunger Games and Divergent. I love the concept of having to find something that no one has found before.
Personally though, I found the pacing was very rushed and the characters and plot were underdeveloped. The story moves very very quickly, and I felt like there wasn't enough time to get to know the characters and get drawn into the plot. We barely get any time with the protagonist's brother, Leo, before Juno is being taken. Then, she barely gets a chance to settle in before she's meeting Jecob, who gives her maps and information almost immediately. It just lacks a lot of nuance and build-up.
I also feel that the author could have done a lot more with the worldbuilding. The book would have benefited from more small details about this world to make it feel more real. It only really focused on the plot-relevant details.
When it gets to the reveal that the search is rigged and the purpose of the capturers is as a distraction, I would have liked to see more foreshadowing to get to that point. It just felt very rushed that Juno immediately figured that out.
Overall, I think the story and concept had a lot of promise, but I found it difficult to connect to the characters, and the plot felt very rushed.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The concept is really neat. Very typical for a dystopian YA novel, with similar vibes to the Hunger Games and Divergent. I love the concept of having to find something that no one has found before.
Personally though, I found the pacing was very rushed and the characters and plot were underdeveloped. The story moves very very quickly, and I felt like there wasn't enough time to get to know the characters and get drawn into the plot. We barely get any time with the protagonist's brother, Leo, before Juno is being taken. Then, she barely gets a chance to settle in before she's meeting Jecob, who gives her maps and information almost immediately. It just lacks a lot of nuance and build-up.
I also feel that the author could have done a lot more with the worldbuilding. The book would have benefited from more small details about this world to make it feel more real. It only really focused on the plot-relevant details.
When it gets to the reveal that the search is rigged and the purpose of the capturers is as a distraction, I would have liked to see more foreshadowing to get to that point. It just felt very rushed that Juno immediately figured that out.
Overall, I think the story and concept had a lot of promise, but I found it difficult to connect to the characters, and the plot felt very rushed.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 🌟
I feel like I might revisit this rating in the future, because part of me ADORES this book and part of me is slightly unsatisfied.
The worworldbuilding? Amazing. Sometimes with fantasy novels there will be other countries/kingdoms created and mentioned but they're vague and unmemorable. This is not the case here. Every kingdom is unique and well thought out. Their alliances, past conflicts, strengths, weaknesses, ways of life, main exports, EVERYTHING is brilliantly crafted, memorable, and relevant to the plot and worldbuilding. The relationships the other kingdoms have with Ithicana are very clear and interesting to delve into. It's the kind of worldbuilding I adore and what I love the most about this book. Ithicana and the bridge are just the coolest concept, and all I want is to learn more about this world.
The reason this wasn't rated higher is mostly the relationship between Lara and Aren. To be clear, I love both characters so much. My issue is just that I didn't find Aren's feelings for Lara made sense. Like, he falls in love with her pretty quickly but I don't get why??? All that he really likes about her at the beginning is that she's hot. She hadn't yet revealed to him how capable she is and that she's not just a spoiled princess. It just kind of bothered me, like sir what about her do you love so much???? I still like them together as a couple, it's just the buildup of the romance didn't make sense to me 🤷♀️
Anyway, probably will sit on this for a while before I pick up the next book. The ending here did make me excited for what's to come, plus I need to learn more about this world (it's genuinely so cool)
I feel like I might revisit this rating in the future, because part of me ADORES this book and part of me is slightly unsatisfied.
The worworldbuilding? Amazing. Sometimes with fantasy novels there will be other countries/kingdoms created and mentioned but they're vague and unmemorable. This is not the case here. Every kingdom is unique and well thought out. Their alliances, past conflicts, strengths, weaknesses, ways of life, main exports, EVERYTHING is brilliantly crafted, memorable, and relevant to the plot and worldbuilding. The relationships the other kingdoms have with Ithicana are very clear and interesting to delve into. It's the kind of worldbuilding I adore and what I love the most about this book. Ithicana and the bridge are just the coolest concept, and all I want is to learn more about this world.
The reason this wasn't rated higher is mostly the relationship between Lara and Aren. To be clear, I love both characters so much. My issue is just that I didn't find Aren's feelings for Lara made sense. Like, he falls in love with her pretty quickly but I don't get why??? All that he really likes about her at the beginning is that she's hot. She hadn't yet revealed to him how capable she is and that she's not just a spoiled princess. It just kind of bothered me, like sir what about her do you love so much???? I still like them together as a couple, it's just the buildup of the romance didn't make sense to me 🤷♀️
Anyway, probably will sit on this for a while before I pick up the next book. The ending here did make me excited for what's to come, plus I need to learn more about this world (it's genuinely so cool)
