saucy_bookdragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The worldbuilding is the best aspect of this. Having read Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy and this, I like how she combines elements of both sci-fi and fantasy. It adds both a uniqueness and richness to her worlds. As previously stated this has a multiversal element (they don't travel to any parallel worlds but it is relevant), it's an urban fantasy, there's a bit of Lovecraft involved, and it's a reflection of a city's culture. It's an extremely ambitious world that I'll likely be thinking about for awhile.
And for the first hundred pages, I was having a blast. They're mostly from Manny's POV as he wakes up with amnesia and discovers he's now Manhattan itself and there are tentacle monsters he has to fight. However, after about a hundred pages there are a few too many POVs and they aren't evenly paced with each other. Just when I felt I was really getting into Manny and expecting him to be the protagonist, we jump to the other boroughs who did not all need to be protagonists. Manny becomes a side character drowned in a large ensemble, his interesting storyline the reader is introduced to becomes a subplot out of nowhere.
As the book is set in a contemporary world, it does deal with contemporary themes. As I'm not a New Yorker, I can't really speak for how accurately this represents the city, only that there seems to be a passion for it. I will say I don't think you can distill a city down to its core personality traits but whatevs. I also wish the themes of bigotry went a little deeper than "wow! Racism exists! And it's bad!" Like I know. The target audience should know too.
I also have a few qualms with the ending. Without spoiling, I found it anticlimactic and rushed. With spoilers,
Spoiler
I really wished the plot twist with New Jersey wasn't so sudden, especially as it fucked with the established magic system and also was just kind of stupid how they were all like "oh wait New Jersey exists-" like if it's established Staten Island is needed to awaken New York, it's unsatisfying for New Jersey to just randomly be revealed to work in her place. And are we not going to actually unpack whether New Jersey is a valid borough? Are we not going to consider how it's status being tenuous would really act with the magic system? Or expand on that as a theme around cultural identity?It also muddles the messaging if the Woman In White wants to stop the city from being born because cities being born destroys universes. I like the idea of cities destroying universes in theory as it makes the worldbuilding kind of fucked up. But it gave the Woman In White, the very on the nose manifestation of white supremacy, a little too noble of a motive for comfort. Also the fact cities being born has a death count beyond comprehension is never unpacked which idk that seems like a pretty big deal :/
The City We Became is filled with incredible worldbuilding and a passion for New York City, but its characters deserved better development and the plot is in need of some restructuring. I don't think I'll read the second book, but I definitely want to explore N.K. Jemisin's work more and would say The City We Became is worth checking out if the premise interests you.
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Car accident, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
rnbhargava's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Grief, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Stalking, Violence, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
How hard these triggers hit will vary person to person, hence why I put all of them in moderate, not that they were all moderate to me. Nothing kept me from wanting to read the rest of the book. I can’t wait to get to the next 2.lizsurber's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abortion, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, and Rape
harpoonholly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll also get the sequel because NK Jemisin is an amazing writer. I'm fascinated in the personification of concepts and to personify cities is to maximize adds greater complexity because of course it has to. I also like how she goes about acknowledging Lovecraft's literary contributions (northeastern U.S. sublime, dread, and monsters) and shining a scalding light over his overt bigotry that was startling even for his time.
10/10, would recommend, especially the audiobook.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Homophobia, Racism, and Body horror
Moderate: Misogyny, Police brutality, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Addiction, and Alcoholism
brianneh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: War, Racism, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
literarycavy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Colonisation, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
Minor: Genocide
stefhyena's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At the same time it's a good fast-paced, original and engaging plot. It's well constructed so you find out what is going on in increments and this keeps you curious. Probably the first half of the book was stronger than the second but by then you are well invested and there is still something of worth. I don't know how to talk about the main point without spoilers. Maybe I will just say that you can feel very sorry for someone and wish they would heal without liking how toxic they have let their pain make them. And I guess all the parts of the city had experienced pain and challenge. Perhaps the toxicity of white people is shown to be even squishing/abusing their own. No accident I would say that the woman wears white.
The terrible artists collective white-male-fragility was all too believable. I don't like to be snide about man-buns as over here they tend to be more lefty and it's right-wingers who mock that (Ok so my kids have sported man-buns)....but the rest of it so true. I've seen a similar scene in poetry circles. Your work is offensive but it is also crude and inept on a technical level. LOL every time there was a scene where racists get blasted or injured I was happy. I would have like more of that TBH.
The city ultimately was not completely loveable...I know this is realism but I was kind of annoyed at the helicopter parents and standardised tests at the end, TBH those seemed like weapons of the "Better New York" society (ie the bad guys). So at that point the author-capable as she is over-reached and her snark degenerated into preciousness...and then the ending was sappy too.
At the end of the day though it's a super-hero story. It would make a good film and is no doubt deliberately written that way. It almost demands a sappy ending doesn't it? With a hint that there may or may not be sequels. 5 stars because there was a lot here.
Make sure you Google-lens the cover. That was fun :)
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse
It's not portraying them as good. It's a pretty honest and useful look at these traumatising themes but it's not nice.breadwitchery's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Police brutality, Cursing, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Abortion
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Police brutality, Genocide, and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation, Ableism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Xenophobia, Sexism, Alcohol, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
lambda_pi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment and Domestic abuse