Reviews

3.5/5

Helene Wecker's series continues to mystify. On one hand, a truly beautiful romance about two beings who were never meant to share anything, yet share a love that is so painful and honest and true. On the other, side characters that remain rather uninteresting (Maryam, my girl, you weren't doing anything in the book until halfway through. Why did you need a plotline?) and a bit of a disinterest in actually indulging in the positive moments of the romance.

Wecker's prose is incredibly and makes me otherwise adore a 1900's NYC that usually feels played out. The immigrant community focus continues to be a huge standout and I love that we were actually continuing to examine the ramifications of such beings living among humanity.

I just really hope that, whenever the next one comes out, we get to see Ahmad and Chava live a life together, if only for a bit. But maybe it's always destined to go up in flames.

susanneanette's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

elzasbokhylla's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring slow-paced

3.75

erinmitchell's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

If you haven’t read The Golem and the Jinni yet, bump it up on your TBR list. It was absolutely delightful to read! The sequel, though, fell a bit short for me. The pacing seemed to drag, I never felt invested in the new characters, and it lacked the magic of the first story.

nyxnovels's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Despite being almost 500 pages there’s not a lot of story here. Sure it’s just as well written as the first, but without captivating you the magic is dimmed. In the end it seemed less like a story that needed to be told and more like an unnecessarily long set up for another series. One I still very much want to read though.

ineffablebob's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's not often that a book I loved has a sequel that is even better, but The Hidden Palace managed to pull it off. This is a direct sequel to The Golem and the Djinni, picking up right where the first book left off and continuing the story into the early twentieth century. The characters we know continue their journey, and new ones are added who are just as compelling. None of them have easy lives, full of difficulty and tragedy, and yet they persevere in survival and finding meaning even in hardship. As with the first book, it's a very slow burn, but I found it all compelling, from each character's daily struggles to the climactic final act. Any reader who isn't put off by the slow pace will find themselves rewarded for finishing this one.

More...