The Walled City

November 10, 2014 ARC, Book Review 1

I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Walled CityThe Walled City by Ryan Graudin
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 2014-11-04
Pages: 432
Source: ARC from Publisher
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads

730. That's how many days I've been trapped.
18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.

DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....

In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out.

My Thoughts:

Wowzers. This book! When I heard about it back in May it sounded super interesting. Before the NOVL blogger breakfast, I hadn’t heard about the Kowloon Walled City. Once they told us about it and how it inspired The Walled City by Ryan Graudin I knew I had to read this book.

If I had to pick one word to describe The Walled City it’d be “intense.” Everything is so high-stakes! The story is told from the perspective of three different characters. (Oh how I love multiple narrators!) The issues that they’re each dealing with are life or death type things. One misstep and it’s game over. No second chances. Plus, they’re working with limited time. This adds such an urgency to the book!

As I mentioned, The Walled City has three narrators. Dai, Jin, and Jin’s sister Mei Yee. We get more glimpses of Dai and Jin, however, Mei Yee is an incredibly powerful character. She was sold by her father two years before and has been trapped in a brothel ever since. I cannot think of another book I’ve read where one of the main characters is in such a situation. Sex slavery is not a topic often covered and I cannot imagine it’s easy to write about. I was really impressed with Ryan Graudin’s ability to present Mei Yee’s situation to a young adult audience.

The Walled City is a fast paced story that really grips the reader. Each character had secrets I could not wait to uncover. A satisfying ending left me thinking back over the story instead of wondering what happens next. It’s rare that I get to do that. I loved it!

One Response to “The Walled City”

Leave a Reply