Review: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Release Date ~ 11/13/2012
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ Putnam
Source ~ Publisher for review

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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.

   Vampire apocalypse stories are one of the synopsis ideas that have been seriously growing this year. Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules series got the ball rolling and novels such as The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda, and now Black City by Elizabeth Richards is another notable title. I mean, when you think about it, it's an absolute goldmine for the publishing industry. What have been the two biggest themes in YA in the past ten years? Most of us would say vampires and dystopias. And then you put them together? Boom! You can't get enough of them... and though a few of them have been too similar for my liking, Elizabeth Richard's Black City was pure genius.

   Though the beginning wasn't jaw-dropping amazing and there was no huge event that shouted "If you put me down now you're going to regret it for the rest of your life!!!", it was likable enough and Richards did an excellent job world-building. Though at first Ash's voice is a little disconcerting and not the norm in YA, but once you settle down to it becomes a lot more natural.

    On the notes of characters, Ash and Natalie were perfect for the story and I couldn't imagine it being narrated differently. Both of them are rather shattered souls that have lived hard lives filled with trauma and depression and all that bad stuff. You can't help loving both characters.

   This book had *such* an epic climax. Like edge-of-your-seat, can't put the book down, the-phone's-ringing-but-who-really-gives-a-damn-I've-got-me-a-book-to-finish feeling. And yes, I did just invent a new feeling. Jealous much? But seriously, make sure you've got all you've need to get done done before you start reading the last 100 pages of this book because you will not want to stop.

 Elizabeth Richards' Black City was a very strong and stellar debut that introduces characters and a world you care about. Well worth a read!

Cover Comments:

This cover is nothing special at first, then when you read the book you get it and think "hey, that's awesome!"