I actually think I have quite a high tolerance for purple prose. Part of the problem, it seems, is that the author has deliberately withheld a lot of information, been vague about the world itself and vague about the characters. Many times I had to flick to the beginning of the chapter again to remind myself who we were with. The narrative jumps between the perspectives of three people - Dai, Jin Ling, and Mei Yee - and none of them feel particularly distinct. The concept was so strong, the world promised so many interesting things that I couldn't believe something awesome wasn't just around the corner. It was one of those situations where I kept waiting for the good stuff to happen. But this is one of those books that is sooooo sloooooIt was torture to read half of the book.
If you loved that book, then there is hope for you. The names and "feel" in this book are Chinese, which was another point in its favour.īut it took less than two chapters for me to feel the Stormdancer syndrome taking hold. Similarly, I love books that incorporate non-Western cultures and places into their fiction. This is the scene we are first introduced to in The Walled City and, I admit, I was intrigued rather than repelled by this unusual display of grit in YA. Streets that are run by drug lords and criminals are not something we have to deal with on a daily basis nor do we feel threatened by the mass kidnapping of underage girls to work in brothels. The society will seem fantastical to most readers because a place without laws is, thankfully, so alien to us. The Walled City is perhaps mistakenly labelled as "dystopian" when in fact it is based on a once very real place - Kowloon Walled City, an ungoverned settlement in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. If I wasn't so sold on the concept, I would not have pushed myself past so many unbearably slow, purple passages. It's true that I don't often give more than one star to books I couldn't finish, but I can't argue with the fact that there's a lot to praise here.
0 kommentar(er)
