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Dai is a drug trafficker for a kingpin of the Walled City and in order to get out he needs someone who knows how to be invisible. That's where Jin comes in, she has to pass as a boy to stay safe and has been looking for her sister in the chaos of the city for two years without much luck. Now she only has eighteen days left to find her and escape before the city is destroyed.
Initially, the concept behind this story is what piqued my interest and thankfully the execution of the story itself is pretty fantastic on its own. The author does a brilliant job of creating the world of the Walled City from painting a vivid picture of it to laying out its rules for the reader. She also does a great job of handling the three alternating perspectives of Jin and Dai, my two favorites, plus Mei Yee. Personally, though, I think Mei Yee is the weakest voice of the three; however, I appreciated seeing all three originally separate characters come together in the story. Overall, The Walled City by Ryan Graudin is a fast-paced thrill ride of a dystopian set in a fictionalized version of the real-life lawless Kowloon Walled City. It shouldn't be missed. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ryan Graudin in the future.
I read this novel from May 8 - 12, 2016 and my review is also on Goodreads.
I've heard some really great things about this book and this author. I really need to pick up some of their work at some point. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope you get to try her out. :)
DeleteI really liked this one, so I am so glad you did too! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDelete~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you liked it too!
DeleteI've never heard of this book before. The concept sounds super intriguing! I like how you mention that the author created a very vivid picture of the setting, that is important to me as a reader.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I'd feel about the 3 alternative POV's, usually I either love them or hate them. Depends on the writing style.
Great review! Happy reading,
Miranda @ Miranda's Book Blog
I was especially pleased to see that she included photos and a picture of her inspiration - very much adds to it.
DeleteI'm so glad you liked this one! I was very squeamish about the prostitution angle when I read this one. Graudin didn't shy away from showing the nasty side of the Walled City.
ReplyDeleteVery true! She didn't sugar coat things in the least.
DeleteWow! This book sounds intense! XD I have high respect for authors who are able to juggle more than one character POV at a time. I have a hard enough time writing ONE POV, let alone two or more. I guess when you take that into account, it makes sense to have one character "feel weaker" than the others. It's also harder for me to write a POV for a character I don't like or disagree with.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
I know! I would have a difficult time just keeping the voices separate on the page if I was writing something with multiple perspectives!
DeleteThis book sounds tremendous. I have it in my library and now I have to read it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy it! Thanks for visiting my blog and I'd like to know what you think of it. :)
DeleteSeems like something I would like, I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteI've seen multiple covers and I think that this one is my favorite! :)
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