♦️⏳ Red City ⏳♦️

• Marie Lu @marieluthewriter

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Godfather meets Lev Grossman’s The Magicians in Marie Lu’s incredibly adult debut fantasy, flavoured with dark academia.

In Angel City, a reimagined version of Los Angeles, two crime syndicates – Grand Central and Lumines – war for power and control of the illicit substance, sand. Sand enhances an alchemists ability, making them stronger, faster, prettier, more vibrant etc.

Ari and Sam met in school as kids, and formed an unlikely friendship. Ari is charismatic and popular, whereas Sam blends into the background. Years after, they find themselves unknowingly working for different sides of the feuding gangs.

I adored this! Everything was perfection – the world building was so fun, the characters were developed so well and exquisitely written, and the plot was fast-paced and thrilling. I loved the dynamic in the gangs – Sam’s relationship with Diamond and Will Taylor, the masterminds behind Grand Central. I also very much enjoyed reading about Sam’s relationship with her mother, which is something I think will resonate with a lot of readers.

This is my perfect book. Gritty, dark, bloody, political manoeuvring and morally grey characters. I cannot WAIT for the next book (it genuinely pains me how long I’m going to have to wait). I have such a good feeling about this series, and if the next instalment is as good as this, it may well become one of my favourite series of all time.

Thank you to @bookbreakuk for the arc! I will be forever grateful for the chance to read this early! Red City is out now and I cannot recommend it enough ⏳

Have I convinced you? ♦️

bookstagram #redcity #marielu #urbanfantasy #adultfantasy #books #bookreview #arcreview