Synopsis
Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.
Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.
The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates’ brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.
Review
Red City reads like Romeo And Juliet meets The Godfather in a gangland fantasy that possesses its own unique brand of magic.
Do you like new and inventive magic systems? What Marie Lu has cooked up in Red City is nothing short of alchemy itself. She takes the science of transformation and turns it into something new and delicious. I was obsessed by the levels of intrigue and intricacy that have been poured into crafting alchemy as a system of magic. Every time the book introduced something new about the way this world works, I devoured it with relish.
I could talk for days about all the cool stuff that’s in the book. I could wax lyrical about the characters and the way they were portrayed, their relationships, the world building—all that kind of stuff. But let’s face it, if you’re intrigued by the idea of two gangs at war over the magic of alchemy, you’re going to be absolutely satisfied with Red City, and then some. What I want to talk about is the main concern you might have with the book, and that’s the target audience.
Marie Lu has achieved success as a YA author. She’s a bestseller and a big name in the YA sphere. This is her first attempt to step out of the YA sphere in order to tell an adult story, and the question you might be asking yourself is: is this really an adult book, or is this just YA dressed up a little darker?
Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief. I’m beyond ecstatic to report that this is very much an adult book for adult readers, and here’s why.
First of all, the tone of the writing is dark and gritty. There’s no glossing over the seedier aspects of gang life. There’s no Hollywood sheen to the proceedings or punches pulled for a PG-13 friendly version of gang warfare. There’s a reason I compared this to The Godfather, and it’s not just the gangster element that’s similar, or the levels of violence, but the undercurrents and the subtext and all the things that are happening below the surface. There’s a real maturity about the way the story is handled, and it belongs on the shelf right alongside anything Mario Puzo has written.
The characters are complicated and contradictory. This isn’t some YA love triangle beefed up to be a bit more graphic. There’s an internality in the different perspectives that goes beyond the simple “I like him, but I like him too.” The characters are grown up people with grown up problems and grown up relationships. If there’s any love triangle element, then it’s less a triangle and more of a venn diagram! Romance is incidental to the plot, and not the driving force behind it. It never veers into melodrama or simplistic tropey territory.
The pace is breakneck too. There’s not a dull moment, and yet, the way the story lingers in the different stages of the two protagonists’ lives is unhurried and allows plenty of room to connect with them. This isn’t a thriller, but it feels like it’s got that kind of pace to it. You’ll be hard-pressed not to zoom through it.
It feels like Marie Lu has been writing adult fiction her entire life. I was totally enthralled by every aspect of Red City. The curious blend of alchemy and gangsters makes for something bold, memorable, and unique. This is the first book from an author who has undergone her own kind of transformation, and I hope Marie Lu continues writing adult books for a very long time to come.
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