Review: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Synopsis:

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

My Rating: 5

My Review:

It is not often that, when reading a book, I get chills. Black City gave them to me. Actually shivers, running up and down my arms. And it is July.

And, normally, when I say that I devoured a book, I mean that I stopped a couple of times to sleep, or eat, or be social. With this novel, I literally mean that I sat in the same chair, reading it cover to cover, and only stopping once for a piece of pizza. (And I didn't want to stop. Not even for pizza. But, I would not be able to forge on emotionally with an empty stomach.)

Point is, I thought I knew what an excellent novel is. Then I came across this. Normally, I rate YA fiction on a scale of 1 to 5. Maybe it is just the after book high I am experiencing, but I am ready to rate novels on a scale of 1 to Black City.

Even writing this review, I find myself pausing for a second, just letting the experience of this novel wash over me. I could happily let the words consume me entirely. If there is a book equivalent to a Blood Mate...I think I found it. I would love to forget everything about this novel, just so I can experience it all over again.

Black City has everything that you can ask for in a novel. The romance is sweet, hot, and hits-straight-to-the-heart. The plot is unique, interesting, and will-have-you-at-the-edge-of-your-seat-struggling-to-not-let-your-eyes-drift-a-few-sentences-ahead. The characters are real, relatable, and I-am-a-total-fangirl-of-Ash. The quotes are humorous, brilliant, and I-can-open-up-to-any-random-page-and-pick-a-sentence-and-not-regret-tattooing-it-on-my-back.

The themes that are included in the novel are important to anyone, and connect to real life issues. Just thinking about it makes me want to go out and do something with my life. Although "something" will likely mean talk about Black City, think about Black City, try to convince you to read Black City, and read more books that will maybe, possibly, affect me even somewhat like Black City.

If you haven't gathered this already, Black City is a truly brilliant work, and I highly recommend it. It is stunning, chill-inducing, absolutely remarkable.

Now, I need to go order Phoenix, because I cannot wait to read more.