A review by zero_sjl
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I'm conflicted with this review because I really liked the world Anders created in this book and there are a lot of parts that I enjoyed, but the pacing of this novel was way off. There were a lot of problems that happened and were solved by the next chapter or even within the same chapter. Some of these situations were solved in a 'Deus ex machina' vibe. There was also a lot of random filler throughout the book. I would catch myself reading and zoning out as I wondered what the main goal or plot of the story was at that point (and I usually couldn't come up with an answer). Things that felt like they should have taken a long time didn't and stuff that should have been explained in a paragraph or two dragged on and on. 

Once I reached the last 30 pages or so I was confused because the book didn't feel like it could conclude in that short time (there was a lot of unanswered questions). It felt very rushed and the ending left me so annoyed because it was the moments after the ending that I wanted to know more about and I felt like I wasted my time with all the filler to get to that point. If the filler was gone and you added an extra hundred pages to the end to develop Sophie's plot this would have been a great read.
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