Should have listened to the other critical reviews…

I ignored all the critical reviews I read before buying this book since the concept is just so good! It’s unique and fresh, and I was willing to try it out despite the comments about the plot and character development... and gosh were they right. So many characters blend together I still don’t know who is who. They are just angry, cussing and confused folks, and it’s repetitive like this for chapters on end. But I pushed through that to try and give it a chance because the performance is done quite well. It’s the best one I’ve heard to date. Is that worth dragging yourself through the monotonous middle? *shrug* up to you. I won’t be continuing this series.

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THIS IS SO GOOD

One of the best audio books I ever listened to. Totally unique story, and an absolutely amazing performance by Robin Miles.

Mind stretching and creative!

can’t express how much I love the imagination of of NK Jemisin, and she doesn’t disappoint as she turns her creativity to the magical realism of cities. The narration is excellent, the diversity in characters and fantastical ties with real life events is an immense joy. Highly recommend this duology.

Can't Wait for the Sequel!

TLDR Review: This was an extremely well-produced audiobook and I highly recommend listening to it if you can! I thought that the beginning was really interesting and had a lot of really great elements too it, but the middle got a little too big to handle. It has really intricate characters and fantastic worldbuilding, but something was lost in the middle. But the 70% onward mark brought it all back together and the ending was fantastic! I can't wait to see where this story goes into the next book in the series.

This was a really interesting story and an even more interesting concept. I loved the idea of people being the embodiment of a city, or in this case that five people came together to be a full city with each representing a specific area. I have been to NYC and seen a bunch of the boroughs, so it was so interesting to see them come to life in a person, but not just in a token or stereotypical way. I enjoyed how we met each of the avatars, which is what these characters are called, and how they decided to work together. I loved the "found family" aspect to it and how they figured out how to best work together.

I loved the overlapping themes of social justice and how it is to be Black in America, especially as a woman. I also appreciated the youth perspective as well as feeling isolated or alienated because of a Zip Code. I think that this was a good story and one that was needed for the time. Do I think that some people will be turned off because of the way that Jemisin writes about being Black? Yes. Are they wrong? Also yes.

But the writing style in general isn't for everyone. Something I also struggled with when I read Jemisin's THE FIFTH SEASON was the writing style and getting into the character's mindset. With five perspectives, this was even more difficult for me. Everyone was unique and felt different - I didn't have an issue figuring out who was who - but I definitely didn't get into everyone's heads the same way. I felt that this lost it's way in the middle because of that but it did pick up again around 70% with the climax of this book.

I appreciated that instead of using the "city" as a character, the city was divided into characters. That made for such an interesting worldbuilding and made me appreciate the surrounding and setting that much more. Knowing that the city was the main catalyst for this, made it a really interesting way of viewing how the characters grew and developed. But I still wanted more - I think often using the backdrop of New York was an easy way of getting out of having some more difficult conversations or growth for the characters.

I am definitely excited to see where this goes next, how the characters become a full team, and what that means for their individuality since they need to be together to "be" New York. But this is definitely worth the read, especially if you love Jemisin's other works!

Robin Miles Brings New York Alive

January 2022 | 4/5
I started my year with the short story that inspired this work, and to be honest, it was just OK. So I thought I knew what I was getting with the novel, this time I choose the audiobook with Robin Miles, and Holy fucking shit, what a different experience.

The book starts with a retelling of the short story, and I understood the text was not to be read with my innervoice - I don't have the skills. Robin Miles brought this book to life. The different accents and inflections of the five boroughs of New York needed a voice actor (or a full cast) to make it work.

So the book is about the great city of New York coming to life - but there's a problem - New York has so many personalities it's kinda stuck in limbo. Will it join the other great cities or fail like the lost city of Atlantis?

I'm excited to see where Jemisin takes this series in future releases.

An instant favorite

First off: the voices are incredible. Distinctive, realistic, and so true to the characters. Definitely one of the best audiobook performances I've had the pleasure of listening to.

The story itself is also excellent. Loved the twists and turns, the world the author has crafted, and the characters she chose to portray. This was my first book by NK Jemisin, and it definitely won't be the last!

brilliant!!

this books is plain brilliance. I really loved the story and characters. Robin Miles is a fantastic narrator and did an amazing job bringing it all to life.

Captivating story, fun magic, great characters

(no spoilers)

The audio and voice acting is some of the best I have heard. Each character has a distinct voice and all the portrayed emotion and speaking quirks transported me into the story. I will definitely be following this narrator's other projects!

I was initially intrigued by the concept of cities being protagonists and it did lead to an interesting magic system where the means by which the characters solve problems is fun, unpredictable and surprising. some hard fantasy fans might be frustrated that the magic isn't as properly defined as other fantasy novels but I think it suits this story very well.

I have read Jemisin's other novels so I knew the character's would not disappoint. what I enjoyed the most was how contemporary and relatable the characters were. I feel like I got to witness how people experience the world differently due to their race, culture, ethnicity, gender, and each of their perspectives played a critical role in the story.

Highly recommend, especially if you enjoy all things New York but I don't think it's a necessity to appreciate this story.

The narrator knocked it out of the park!

I’m not a sci-fi person. I tried this book after numerous people recommended it, including as a gateway to sci-fi. I still don’t like sci-fi, but the character development was incredible and the plot was gripping. It was the narrator, though, who blew this out of the water. The music and sound effects of course take it that step further, but even without those few little flourishes, the narration was the best I’ve heard. Distinctive voices, perfect accents, vocalizations and laughs and sighs that brought the book to life.

Incredible

Absolutely awesome. The story is great and the narration is just incredible and elevated the already great work.