The Walled City

After seeing the HUGE number of mixed reviews and reactions to this book, I didn't really know what to expect! A lot of the contention seems to be centered around the confusing genre. I too thought that it might be some kind of Dystopian novel but it is in fact rooted in a deep factual basis. We all know that I love good world-building and Hak Nam, the walled city in question, is based on the now non-existing walled city of Kowloon. I really felt like Graudin had done her homework on that front! I wasn't disappointed by this though! It felt like a thriller, a book genre I haven't read in a while. I deeply enjoyed this fast-paced plot though, it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! The multiple viewpoints really worked and it not only gave variety, but there stories interweaved really well! A lot of people have said that Graudin uses too many metaphors and similes too but I would disagree, I thought the writing style was superb! The only complaint I would slightly agree with is a touch of insta-love between Mei Yee and Dai but considering their circumstances, I'll forgive that. I really liked this story: it had great characters, a well formed world and good writing.

This is a dark novel, full of bad things and desperate young people, doing what they must in order to survive. It's a compelling read, counting down the days until Dai's time is up. While the themes are dark and adult at times, it's not hugely explicit. There is violence and drug use, and it doesn't shy away from implying further sufferings, but neither does it glorify or dwell too deeply on the bitter truth of this place. It is eye-opening without being haunting, though the fate of Sing is horrifying.Jin Ling was my favourite of the three main characters. She's independent and strong, with a deeply protective heart. She's Mei Yee's younger sister, but acts so much older than her years, doing everything she can to find her sister again, and survive in the streets. I loved everything about her, from the way she survives on her wits and her speed, to her cat Chma. There's a strange innocence to her too, which makes her all the more special considering her life.Dai is bitter. He's made mistakes and he's living them. He has history and a past and so much baggage it's a wonder he can walk around anywhere. Yet there's hope for him too. He's not completely lost to his guilt or his grief. He does still have a conscience. I really liked seeing how Jin Ling changed him, just by being herself. The way his story unravels is fascinating, adding a touch of mystery to this tale.Then there's Mei Yee. In someways she's both better and worse off than the others, trapped in the brothel, yet well cared for. For me her plot strand was so much darker than the others, for all that it's the least described. At least the others can move around, make their own choices, live a sort of freedom. Mei Yee is owned. I really appreciated the way that she was so different from her sister, with strengths of her own, ones that she grew into as the story progressed. No, she will never be physically strong, but that doesn't mean she is weak. Just because she is beautiful, that doesn't mean she is just an object. Her situation is hopeless, yet she's not lost to despair.A dark story with a heart of truth about human trafficking and life on the city streets, this is a well written novel, in a vividly imaged place, showing some of the depths of human darkness, yet at the same time some of the good points of humanity. A fast read, intense and absorbing, with some really good characters.Firstly, the last paragraph of the blurb is misleading. I mistook the word fantasy to mean fantastical in the genre sense. This is not a Fantasy novel, there is nothing magical or otherworldly about it. It's just based on a real-life place, without actually being that place. So don't let that fool you, because this is a book that deserves to be read on its own merits.

On the back, this novel is recommended to fans of the Hunger Games (aren't they all?) but it isn't a dystopian novel. It is described as a thriller and it is set in a place that did exist. It is written from three viewpoints, in the present tense, in the first person and it has an immediacy which will appeal to a teen reader. The background to the novel has clearly been very well researched.The back of the book suggests it has literary merit and so I imagined this was going to be a good candidate as a crossover. However, I think it might be mainly suitable for the teen reader. Many novels about the East have a poetic and lyrical feel to them. Even though some have described this work as lyrical, I never really got that feeling from it. Neither did I get a really strong sense of place. The setting is certainly described in lots of colourful detail but I didn't get a feeling or a sense of it coming through in the narrative. I think this was because some of the vocabulary and syntax struck me as quintessentially American rather than Eastern. I did rather miss the Eastern lyricism from this work.That said, the author has clearly made efforts to adopt an engaging and accessible writing style suitable for the teen reader.

The Walled City is an adventure set in and around a fantasy location based on the authors impression of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. The background to the story with it's undercurrent of gangs, brothels and threat of violence is well worked. This is YA fiction and the darker side of life is mentioned but never elaborated upon. The novel never becomes gratuitous but is certainly dark and gritty.Jin Ling, a girl disguised as a boy for her own safety, is searching the city for her sister Mei Yee. No-one knows where Mei Yee is or even if she's alive or dead but Jin Ling will not give up hope but; it looks as though all the leads have dried up, there's only danger left for Jin Ling, until the mysterious Dai arrives and asks for her help. She's tempted to turn him down but if she helps Dai there's a chance she'll draw closer to the whereabouts of her sister......maybe?.I enjoyed the character of Jin Ling. She's Mei Yee's little sister but acts with a huge amount of courage and determination. She's a nice blend of smart and vulnerable. Her relationship with Dai who is so much darker and damaged is slowly developed and becomes almost another story within the main plot. Nice contrast.The Walled City has plenty of tension and adventure and I admire the author taking on the darker aspects of life and presenting them in such an intelligent, appropriate way. There's enough intrigue here to appeal to most readers and I'm happy to recommend.