Black City

TW: coded racism; coded anti-Semitism; drug use; cheating; victim-blaming; child abuse; child death; murder.

I was enthralled by this when I first read it. It was around the time it first came out. Over the years, I remembered only specific details. When goodreads administrators found it, I was ecstatic and wanted to be just as eager the first time.

The first thing that hit me was the thinly veiled racism. "Nipper" is a derogatory adjective used the same way as a similar racist epithet is used in modern-day society. Fears of race-mixing are huge in this novel, which calls it "human and Darkling mixing." Frequent references to the Civil Rights movement in the United States are made, only in this book, it's futuristic but they happened ten show more years ago. Several Darklings literally turn into monsters and are infected with a fast-acting disease. There's some references to AIDS. There's blatant references to anti-Semitism towards the Darklings, too, in regards to rhetoric used about Jewish people in the 1930s. Concentration camps are a subplot, and named as such. "Work will set you free" is said, and I flipped. In the book, scientific experimentation on the Darklings mirror that of real-life experiments performed on Black individuals and Jewish individuals at points in history. There's Nazis in this, only they're called Rose-something. I had totally forgotten these details, and it was AWFUL to sit through them.
Yeah, this book is so forgettable after I read it the first time that -I forgot the mass amounts of racism and anti-Semitism that are a backdrop to this terrible romance novel.-

This has a few action-packed scenes, indeed. The plot could have easily been a YA dystopian with vampires in it, and I would have been so intrigued. The plot is in fact a melodramatic, wangsty love triangle with cheating, victim-blaming, and a child is murdered to push the heroine into sleeping with the murderer. That's why the murderer cheated on her in the first place, and now he's her bodyguard again, and oh, they're both teenagers.
NO.
The teenage bodyguard who dated the person he was supposed to be guarding, and almost coerced her into sleeping with him, becomes a Nazi. This...was very poorly done, and clearly done so the audience would root for Ash and Nat to get together. It did not work. The Nazi attempts to sexually assault Nat and this actually gets named as such. I was surprised.
So, the author transformed Seb into a cartoonishly evil villain so she could clear away the love triangle. And yet, Nat remains super racist. She drools and paws at Ash while also screaming at him for being a Darkling. This--is never done well in YA fiction, and I won't even look for it in adult fiction. I hate it. The authors clearly think they're writing the angsty romance of the ages. Instead, to quote someone more clever than me, what the authors are saying is "my character does not see this person as human until they are sexually interested in them. They don't see their sex interest's family, friends or neighbors as people, and you, the reader, shouldn't either. Just these two."
AAAAAAAGGGHHHH.

Drug use is a major theme in this novel, and I didn't care. I wished they'd stop talking about it, despite one of the characters being a drug dealer and several characters being hooked. Normally eh, it's not a big problem for me to read about. For whatever reason, here, it was a problem for me. There's a lot of the heroine thinking she's so witty because "I zing back," is a regular dialogue tag. An oft-used phrase is "my heart tugged" "my heart yanked" "my heart" blahblah when the love triangle started. I was unhappy both with the phrase and with what the heart-tugging turned out to be: a Perfect Mate thing, but it's something besides that, and ugh.
Nat heroically and unrealistically stops an execution at the last minute.
This book, with its repetitive writing, seriously problematic themes, and odd choices, won a ton of awards. EW.
I grumbled and thought the book would never fucking end. What a waste. But hey, I know now that I don't like the book on second read. show less

This book blew me away. It was fast paced, edgy, suspenseful, and romantic in the most intense way. It's a dystopian that involves a war between humans and darklings or more like a war between a few "well off" humans and everyone else. Natalie (the main character) is in an unfortunate position because she is the emissasary's daughter. Therefore, she is expected to be anti-darklings. She is torn on what to trust though and when Ash comes into her life her views are completely altered. She starts to feel something she shouldn't. She finds herself wrapped up in a forbidden relationship. Her heart wants one thing, but her mind knows that that one thing is a very bad idea. It's a dangerous kind of love that ends in turmoil or.... just show more another war.

I can't say enough good things. I can't believe I left this book sitting unread for months... That ending rocked my world and wrecked my sanity. I became emotionally connected to the characters for sure. I felt bitter at times, but overall I mostly felt entranced. Black City was a book to not miss. It was unique and beautiful. I literally could've sat and highlighted quotes for days. The Author definitely had a way with words. She captured my heart and pulled me into the story. Even though it's over I still want to be within the pages. I need book two... like now.

MUST READ EVERYONE- LOVED IT! show less

I was actually first introduced to this book via twitter. The author had posted something about going on a US tour for the book, and I, being a writer myself with aspirations of authordom, tweeted to her that this was an amazing opportunity that many only dream about. So it made me smile a bit when I finally got down to reading the book and remembered that short conversation.

So...this book was not what I expected. I do not remember what I initially thought it was going to be about last year when I first checked it out and read its blurb, but I know I did not expect Darklings and Sentries and second hearts. It was a bit darker than I expected too, which I absolutely loved. I mean, near the end, about page 292, I almost didn't want to show more finish because I was having a dark moment and I didn't want to lose any of the characters I was beginning to fall in love with.

I also love how this book has quite a bit of foreshadowing in it, but not so much that I felt I knew what was going to happen. It was just enough that I was kind of excited to guess future events, and sometimes I was right, but the events never happened the way I figured. It was unexpected and absolutely wonderful.

Also....I think I know who Purian Rose really is.

The story was very well done and I absolutely cannot wait to buy the second one and pick up where this first left off. I have to know what happens. I have to know if my prediction about Purian Rose is correct, and I have to know where all my favorite characters and least favorites will stand when the war between races finally ends, if it ever does. show less

BLACK CITY by Elizabeth Richards is one of those books that drags you into a world and doesn’t let you go until you’ve turned the last page – and even then, you’re wishing for the sequel right now.

BLACK CITY is told through a dual point of view – our main characters Natalie and Ash, a human and a Darkling (think interesting type of vampire). This really allows you to get a good feel for both characters, but I have to admit, Ash’s chapters were my favourite. Ash is that mysterious bad boy who’s smart, kind, but can be quick to anger and oh yes, is a drug dealer (mind you, he doesn’t do it for kicks. He needs the money for himself and his father to buy food, clothes, etc.). Natalie on the other hand is independent, fairly show more level headed and strong, a bit prone to jealousy, but loves fiercely and will do what’s right. Ash and Natalie have this forbidden-love going on. And while I rate the book an overall 5, because I did love it and couldn’t put it down, Natalie and Ash’s romance is probably the only blip in the experience. At the beginning, it’s wonderful. No insta-love, but an insta-crush (which is fine by me!) and they snark, fight, get butterflies, all that good stuff. Until halfway through the book – boom. Blood mates. Meant-to-be! So yes, kind of wishing Elizabeth Richards had kept to the “it’s my choice” relationship, but she did manage to mesh the two concepts well in the end. Especially after a huge twist!

The beginning of the book drops the reader right into this gritty world of Black City, and the drama/horrors just continue: drugs, genocide, torture, murder, poverty, experimentation…war. The world’s history is sprinkled throughout the narrative rather than in huge info dumps, which is wonderful. I don’t need to know every little bit of backstory in order to be involved and enjoy the plot and characters. BLACK CITY is not a sunshine and puppies love story. The world that Ash and Natalie live in is pretty bleak. Ash’s people, the Darklings (he’s half) are kept segregated behind a wall, in a Ghetto. The head of their government and church rules with an iron fist as a dictator – dissenters and law breakers are not just executed, they’re crucified, and his word is law. The corruption and fear running through Black City, the government and the history of BLACK CITY‘s world is staggering. The end of the book is heartbreaking and the scenes are intense.

BLACK CITY by Elizabeth Richards is a captivating debut novel. Parallels to real world history are present in the events that are taking place and it’s crushing. There are so many glimpses of hope and future happiness only to have them overshadowed by the despair of the living conditions in Black City and the knowledge that the Darklings are still, and all-too likely will remain, segregated. With amazing descriptions, vivid imagery and emotion and characters that you can’t help but root for, BLACK CITY is a promising start to a series, and I am highly anticipating the sequel! show less

Review based on ARC:

Debut author Elizabeth Richards STUNS with her heart breaking tale of true love.

Natalie is the daughter of a business-only Emissary and Ash is the son of a human and a darkling. His kind is hated, but somehow he and Natalie find each other as they fight to understand what dangers await Natalie and why his heart responds to her.

I LOVED this book. Okay, I LOVED IT. I have always been a sucker for forbidden love and Natalie and Ash are the ultimate Romeo and Juliet. The story is so multi-dimensional and it is a roller coaster ride of emotions. I'm pretty sure I almost cried at the climax of the novel.

This book also isn't afraid to make you squirm, there are some gruesome deaths that made me inwardly cringe but I show more appreciate and author who isn't afraid to go against the safe and innocent.

Natalie and Ash are soo heartbreaking and amazing together. I love them to pieces and I can't wait to read more about them in the sequel. Natalie is so naive and really stand-offish at the beginning of the novel and Ash is just plain jaded. They grow so much together and they are strong characters by themselves as well. The secondary characters are great too because they are all 3-dimensional. The ones you want to hate, you can't because you understand their desperation and core emotions.

Richards also took a lot of time to develop her world, it's obvious that she truly treasured it because it seemed so real. Two worlds divided by one huge wall, and both sides of the wall are intriguing and FEEL real.

In short, this is a great book and Elizabeth Richards just proved herself to be an author you want to keep on your radar! show less

Black City enthralled me, it kept me entertained with this dark and beautifully crafted world from page one until the end and left me breathless and wanting more.
I loved the characters. Being in Natalie and Ash's heads was quite the journey from sympathizing with them and wanting to hug them to wanting to give them a Gibbs' clipboard to the back of the head for acting silly and not doing what I want them to.
As for the plot, it had such depth, I was constantly gasping and being blindsided by what came next. There were a few points where I thought that the characters were just doing things as a plot device, but there constantly was a deeper reason, things that I never would have guessed and never thought up.
The ending wrapped up the show more first book well, and gave me a sense of satisfaction while at the same time leaving me craving more and *needing* that next book in my hands now.
While Black City does have vampires, Elizabeth gave it a take like I haven't read before, and it really seemed like a new paranormal creature rather than your standard vampire. Ash is a halfling, and his sense of disconnect and longing to just be a part of one species, the human or the Darkling is palpable. Ms. Richards gave him life and conflict, and I was wholeheartedly pulling for him, and longing for him to find his place in this dark world.
Another thing that sold me on this story was watching Natalie grow into her own. I appreciated how she learned to stand up for herself and those that she loved even if she didn't start out that way.
The relationship between Natalie and Ash was filled with tension but I loved both their emotional and physical attraction. There were moments where I questioned everything but Elizabeth has the gift of storytelling and of crafting a romance that left me sighing.
The fighter spirit of Ash and Natalie as well as the light and spark of hope and defiance that they set into this world fraught with politics, segregation, violence and self centeredness.
I want, no NEED more of Ash and Natalie's love and adventures in Black City.
Bottom line: Loved this story! Great characters, fast plot and new take on vampires. show less

Black City has been on my radar since early 2012, well before its release. The folks who were lucky enough to get early ARCs were all raving about it, and at that point I was still interested in reading books about vampires. Admittedly, my interest in vampires has waned a bit since then, but nonetheless I was pretty excited to finally have a reason to read this book, since it had been sitting on my shelves (or rather, in a giant pile in my bedroom) since its November release. The cover definitely played a factor in my interest - I mean, just look at it! - but I found the story itself to not quite live up to the gorgeous packaging.

At its heart, Black City is a book involving a forbidden romance. Yes, there is a dystopian world, and the show more city the characters live in is falling down around them. But at its heart, this is a romance between Natalie, whose mother is the Emissary in charge of the city, and Ash, a twin-blood Darkling, or vampire. Mixing the two races is expressly forbidden, and in fact, Ash is considered property, not a person. In Black City is a ghetto that houses all the other Darklings, but because Ash's father is human, Ash is allowed to remain outside of the ghetto walls.

As someone who is a sucker for forbidden romances - even if I'm oftentimes disappointed - I was hard-pressed NOT to pick this book up. And there were so many aspects of this book that I really and truly enjoyed. The world-building is phenomenal; the depictions of Black City are amazingly bleak, with the ash raining down around everyone from the burned out buildings, the laborers who are struggling to survive in this less than hospitable landscape, and the giant walls of the ghetto rising up over the landscape in the distance. There's also a lot of political intrigue, in the form of plots that Natalie's mother has put into play, and the very scary leader, Purian Rose, who seems to have an eye on everything and has turned into a cult leader who preaches purity of blood. I got a very large Holocaust-vibe from this book, particularly when it's mentioned that Darklings were rounded up and sent to concentration camps in the Barrenlands. While this world is dark and bleak and horrifying, I found it to be extremely compelling.

The biggest problem with Black City for me personally was, unfortunately, the romance. I wasn't completely sold on Ash and Natalie's connection, and considering that their romance plays such a huge role in the overall story, this caused some issues for me. I was more interested in Ash and Natalie's personal growth, as opposed to their feelings. I did like watching Natalie become stronger and more determined to do what she felt was right, and likewise enjoyed watching Ash's growth into someone who was tired of being pushed around. But the romance itself seemed very typical YA paranormal to me, adding nothing new to what I've already read in other stories. Considering all the things that were done so wonderfully in this book, I just found the romance to really fall flat.

Nonetheless, the events at the end of Black City have guaranteed that I'll pick up the sequel, Phoenix. The political aspects of the world have really ratcheted up, including an appearance by Purian Rose that doesn't bode well for anyone. I look forward to more development of the romance - make me feel something, please! - and more personal growth for both Ash and Natalie. I think they can become quite the powerhouse couple if things are done the way I'm wishing! show less