Title: Black City
Author: Elizabeth
Richards
Publisher: Speak
(Penguin Group)
Release Date: 13th
November 2012
Rating: 3 out of
5
Description: A
dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody
war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now
separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after
a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and
Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the
unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes
Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle
to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught,
they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie
then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to
pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that
could result in both their deaths.
Black City by Elizabeth Richards
was a fine read but when I think about what to rate this book, I’m a bit perplexed.
Black City is a mix of genres, combining elements of fantasy, paranormal and
dystopia. It is a story of vampires and humans who live in an oppressive
dystopian society, fighting for better circumstances. While I enjoyed most of
the aspects of this story, there were certain things that I did not take a
liking to.
Black City is set in a society that
has various types of vampires called Darkling. The Darkling are feared, hunted
and oppressed by the ruling government of the Sentry. They are kept separate
from humans by a wall. Ash is a
half-blood Darkling, who lives among humans. He has to deal with the stigma of
being a Darkling in a nation that that been taught to hate and fear them. He then
meets Natalie, a member of the Sentry and these two find themselves falling in
love, despite all the rules and consequences. Black city is more a star-crossed
love story than it is about the dystopian society.
Black City is told from the dual
point of views of Natalie and Ash. The book jumps straight into the action and
immediately introduces us to the characters and the type of world they live in.
Richards’s writing is effortless and flows smoothly making it very easy to
immerse oneself into the story. The narrative moves along at a good pace and
sets up an ending that is fiery. The events towards the end of the book are
some of my favourites. Richards’s does not shy away from the darker aspects of
this society such as drug use, crucifixion, segregation and concentration camps,
giving this world more credibility. I liked how all the drug use present in
this society tied into the overall story. However I would have liked to have
more about how vampires came into this world, the war that was mentioned and
how the United Sentry States came into being. There were a few gaps that need
to be filled in and more background information would have been a plus. I also
loved the setting of these books: A city that was still slowly burning and
blackened due to the war. This is one of those books in which the title is
related to the story. The setting was very haunting and fit with the tone of
the book.
The book’s main focus is on the romance
between Natalie and Ash and was the biggest problem for me. The romance was
very rushed and dare I say very insta-love. Natalie and Ash meet and instantly
fall in love in a matter of 2-3 weeks. Their instant connection is explained in
relation to the dystopian society but they seem to fall in love instantaneously
despite having apprehensions about each other. They take a lot of risks
together that don’t seem to be justifiable for the time they have spent
together. I would have liked to have seen more of a connection between them.
There is also a very slight love triangle present, albeit a very unconventional
one, with two girls and a boy. Although the love triangle is resolved and not
really an issue, it just seemed as through Ash was a bit fickle. Ash was
portrayed as the stereotypical bad boy. He deals drugs, gets into fights, hates
authority and is a tad bit rude. Natalie was a character that I enjoyed a bit
more. She was the rebellious daughter who stood up for what she believed in and
tried to help those around her any way she good.
Overall, Black city has an
interesting premise and it will be interesting to see what happens in its sequel
Phoenix.
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