Sam DiMascio

You main character does not have to be likeable. Getting that out of the way because where you end up there I don't think is vitally important on how you overall feel about this book.

Oh, and sucker for a magic system that plays fundamentally into the story. Coding for magic isn't new, I think Foundryside did a wonderful rendition on it. But all the mechanics in place here make it function precisely as needed. This book isn't what I would call "a blast" but Wang dives headfirst and doesn't let up.

City of Stairs is what got me into my current reading groove. I had never read more than a handful of books for my own personal pleasure over the years. Something felt special about the whole world Robert Jackson Bennett built.

I won’t go as far to say he’s done it again but it’s fun to see the motifs he plays with. This time being a magical coding world. Mostly threads the needle of the fun of a heist and playing with a somewhat complicated magical system.

It does take a good chunk to get going as I think action is not where RJB excels. Or I’m just dumb. Logistically his writing always makes me feel like I’m missing one piece of the geography to fully map it. That pops up a couple times in the book. But once they get into the actual systems and how that shapes the world we are really cooking.

A cast of characters that I would more than be excited about joining up with again. Felt like things got a little bit too neat and tidy. Was the juice worth the squeeze? Who is to say but give me another journey with Fox and I'm there

This is the sort of book I think I need to do an audiobook for. This sort of mystery, horror, thriller only works this sort of way for me. There is a certain rhythm. I sort of had a sense of the twist but they really push that intensity up

I like twists and turns as much as the next guy but they really shoe horned way too many into this. Each one more implausible than the last. And each character here is bad! People are complicated, and I don’t need to think my characters are all good people but if you are painting them as such at least give me more there!

Plus they gave you a weird anti medication for kids monologue.