The City We Became

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What a unique and well developed concept. I was intrigued from the beginning and swept along on a whirlwind journey through New York. I don't often re-read books but this is on my list to read again.

I was very intrigued at the "personalities" of New York. I have never imagined thinking of a city in terms of its vibe, traits or habits. Leave it to artists, eh? I very much enjoyed the boasting of cultures through the characters.... Found out at the end it is a soon to be trilogy! Can't wait!

Let me start off by saying I have loved all of NK Jemisins work, but this one has fallen so flat from what I expect from her. She usually has a way of writing and weaving a story, with strong characters, racial issues, and social issues that just blow my mind. It's heart stopping and emotion building. I didn't feel any of this this time around and that makes me extremely sad.. This story fell beyond flat for me. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. It was confusing. And the ambiance just felt off the whole way through. The writing felt very child like and immature. Nothing of what I expected of an author of this caliber. I have noticed, reading other reviews, that people who truly loved it hadn't really dived into her other works. I recommend reading this one before her other works. I much prefer the nuances and story telling of her other works. Her writing in this one seems like she digressed. I really wanted to love this one. She's one of my favorite authors and I'm just beyond disappointed. I did enjoy her take on the city. And the magical undercurrent aspects of the story. I may try again at a later date but for now, definitely disappointed in one of my most anticipated reads of 2021