Reviews

City of Halves by Lucy Inglis

thisbookishbee's review

3.0

3.5 stars.

The book wasn't bad, I liked it, but it wasn't great either. I didn't feel wowed, or amazed. Just okay.

jyotikab's review

4.0

starting story line is similar to the mortal instruments but takes off and reminds me of the boys in Supernatural with the self sacrificing nature of Regan. also has the experimentation and family angle like Heroes. good combination of plot and writing. was a bit rushed in places, might have been better as a trilogy. characters weren't fully developed and some behaviour was atypical (lily's dad being so blasé about her running off every night and everything) still a good quick read.

sophieiellison's review

4.0

Girls are disappearing all over London. 16 year old Lily was meant to be next but she was saved by a stranger - a half-human boy called Regan. Regan is from another world within the one we live in but now both worlds are under threat and it is up to Regan and Lily to save the girls and the city.

I enjoyed this book a lot - the characters and scenes were described very well so I could picture every moment. I loved the ending and hope another one will come out. I would say that the way the dialogue was written did make me roll my eyes at times.

maggie_mm's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

i forgot what happened in this book immediately after i read it. this book is like drywall in the sense that it gets the job done but it has no interesting or unique qualities. though it was pretty enjoyable if i remember correctly 😁👍

thepiqht's review

4.0

3.7 stars

You know there's people who would pay good money for your pelt? They bind books in it, all sorts of kinky stuff. Can I have first dibs?

Unfortunately, the beginning of this book was terrible. The main love interest was slightly sexist and the main character could think of nothing but muscles when she was in a strange room with a strange man. There were tiny hints of 'hey, maybe this guy could be a serial killer' but then it was back to the gorgeous eyes and intricate tattoo. This frustrated me so much because a) Lily is obviously very smart, she knows how to hack into government sites without leaving a trace. b) It was just so cliche, how many times have we read about girls being saved by mysterious, dreamy guys and then falling in love with them in the end. I would say sorry for spoiling things for you, but we all know how these situations pan out. c) The middle was so so much better, I made the decision to keep reading it, partly because I didn't want to waste my money, and the rest of the book ended up kicking ass. Regan, the main love interest, stopped with all of the shitty sexism and Lily got to hack her way into victory.

Things that Made Me Smile!

✓ The Characters

There was such a variety of characters, I sometimes forgot that we were in London. True, sometimes remembering all of their names can be a hassle (especially once you've left the book for a while and then come back), but I think the diversity really enriches the story which would have been rated a lot more harshly if there wasn't any. There were some stereotypes, like the Indian man running a convince store, but he was also kind of a badass which may or may not make up for it.

✓ Character Growth

Yes, there was a tiny bit of sexism in the beginning from Regan. The guy who we're all supposed to swoon over because of his grey, gold specked eyes (or something like that). Obviously that wasn't going to happen when he was treating the main character like an incompetent child. Yet gradually he began to grow on me, mostly because he started treating Lily like an actual person.

✓ The Folklore

Like the characters, there was also a huge variety of 'creatures'. Some of them were adorable –actually all of them were adorable, even the bloodthirsty, people tearing ones. Some of them were dead, some of them lived underwater and a few others were huge moths. Kind of. Well, read the book and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Things that Made Me Frown(?)

✖︎ The beginning . . . and the end

The middle of the book was really really good. Why were the other parts so bad? Obviously, Lucy Inglis can write as seen through around chapters 5 to 16 but apparently she doesn't like goodbyes. Or hellos. Which is understandable, those are the awkward parts of relationships but, books kind of need a good start, middle and end. All three of them.

✖︎ Trope Overload

The creatures and the characters what what made this book quirky and fun, the plot was okay but it was so cliché that I knew almost everything that was going to happen. I will say this one positive thing though. Lily is a 'special snowflake' but only minimal emphasis is put on that, which is good because I'm getting pretty sick of reading how 'this one girl, finds out she's a princess, super rich and oh! the most powerful sorceress in the land'. Gosh, what a Sunday that would be.

kel_pru's review

3.0

I liked it but I spent a lot of the book rereading passages and trying to infer the world that had been created (sort of). Lots of potential.

olivereadingnook's review

5.0

I'll be honest here. When I saw the reviews on this book, I wasn't sure. A lot of people gave it one star, others gave it 5. But when I read it, I was intrigued by the first sentence, and I was continually intrigued throughout. I couldn't put it down. I really felt connected with the characters. Someone said that they didn't think there was a lot of emotion, but personally, I thought there was. I'll admit, I found myself shedding a few tears, but that might just be because I'm in incredibly emotional person. And Lily and Regan's relationship? Amazing, I haven't read anything like it. Altogether, I think it's brilliant writing on Lucy's part.

beelovesreading's review

3.0

3.5 stars.

The book wasn't bad, I liked it, but it wasn't great either. I didn't feel wowed, or amazed. Just okay.

v30n098's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• 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

3.0

livrshellis1302's review

1.0

This book was okay. It wasn't the worst to read but it wasn't the best book I have read either.
I did love the story line and just the magical element of the story and also where the story was based around.
The beginning of the book was at a really good pace, I really liked every character that was introduced and I liked being introduced to the magical element of London that is unseen to normal people. That was interesting to me.
However, in the middle bit of the book it dragged on a bit I feel. I also felt like at one point in this novel I felt overwhelmed with new information about this world and I had to put it down just to let this new information set in.
I did like how the ending was action packed and you found out a lot and a lot happened in it, but I felt like the author rushed it A LOT. It was SO fast passed.
However apart from that it was a good book.