Publication Date: 1st August 2023
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
3 Stars
One Liner: Got its moments; a mixed read
Lark has been on the run for seven years, trying to escape the men her father sends for her. There is no place left except Cagmar, the city of trolls. Trolls and humans have been enemies forever, but Lark is desperate. If nothing, her skill could be useful in convincing the trolls to let her live with them.
While Lark does get a chance, she also ends up in a tricky position. She makes enemies with a powerful troll who hates humankind. But she also makes friends and finds love. However, Lark cannot move on until she faces her past.
The story comes in the first-person POV of Lark.
My Thoughts:
After enjoying the first two books of the Whimbrel House Series, I was excited to read a standalone by the author. The cover and the premise are alluring, too!
The story begins with a prologue, introducing the MC in her younger days and setting the stage for her adventures six years later. The world-building starts with a bang. Imagine a city under the bridge with complex lifts, cramped apartments, and dark spaces. The complex caste system was also interesting.
We also see the MC’s special ability and get a teaser about her past. As the story progresses, the teaser turns into repetition. While new information is revealed, it comes with a lot of repetitive statements. In fact, the entire book is so full of repetition that it could have easily been 40 pages shorter.
Even the world-building takes a hit. There seems to be a lot of information, but very little is useful. Lark cooks so many times, yet we hardly know what she cooks except ‘meat’, which could be any meat! She nibbles on some fruit disks, but there isn’t much info about those either.
The first quarter is quite interesting, while the second has a lot of going around in circles with some love and romance thrown in. The priorities shift to romance and continue this way. I’m glad I could guess who the love interest would be. Could have been awkward otherwise. Also, I have a few doubts about erm… based on the descriptions.
The narration is slow-paced, which I expected. However, it doesn’t gain momentum even in the second half. Instead, the pacing is slow throughout, and things happen fast in the end, with a lot of detail left out.
With Lark being the narrator, I couldn’t empathize much with her. In fact, I liked Azmar more (makes sense in a way) and even Unach. Still, it would have been nice to connect with Lark a little more, given that she goes through so much. The rest of the characters are pretty much flat.
The last quarter started out great, and I was excited for the big face-off between Lark and her Daddy Dangerous (the villain). We see him for a while (not enough personality, duh!), but then… that’s it. I don’t want to reveal spoilers, but it was disappointing.
The most important scene happens off the page because the POV comes in Lark’s first person, and her current obsession is her love interest. Moreover, our MC keeps pushing herself to her limits, which means she faints quite a few times. It’s a convenient plot device but shouldn’t be overused.
The book’s priorities may have shifted midway through. I thought it would be about Lark facing her past and having a future. While she does face her past, there isn’t much (psychological) healing as such. Things wrap up real soon (though we already wasted too much time in repetition).
And that ending… I can see the appeal, but this book could have benefitted from an epilogue, no matter how unrealistic the situation. Also, the decision is quite risky, and we are almost where we began, but with a plus one. Will there be a book two? Doesn’t seem possible, but who knows!
The author’s note explains that she wrote 2/3rds of the story in 2019 before working on another series and got back to finish this recently. That explains why the book suffers from these issues. Her writing style and preferences (very likely) changed during this period. So the theme shifted from a ‘coming of age escape/ revenge plot’ to a ‘love story with some drama’. The number of buts in the review should give you an idea about how the book promises potential and doesn't deliver.
To summarize, The Hanging City is a decent fantasy romance and a standalone with an open ending (some readers will love it). It’s got its moments and can be a light read despite the darkish contents.
Thank you, NetGalley and 47North, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheHangingCity
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TW: attempted sexual assault, violence, and mentions of abuse.
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