The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker

"Richly nuanced and beautiful. . . . An immersive and magical tale of loneliness, love, and finding hope." (Buzzfeed) "A layered novel of many complex characters...To keep their worlds safe, Chava and Ahmad must access both their greatest supernatural powers and their deepest human impulses." (Historical Novels Review) In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I-- the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni--Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world. Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, who can hear the thoughts and longings of those around her and feels compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a restless creature of fire, once free to roam the desert but now imprisoned in the shape of a man. Fearing they'll be exposed as monsters, these magical beings hide their true selves and try to pass as human--just two more immigrants in the bustling world of 1900s Manhattan. Brought together under calamitous circumstances, their lives are now entwined--but they're not yet certain of what they mean to each other. Both Chava and Ahmad have changed the lives of the people around them. Park Avenue heiress Sophia Winston, whose brief encounter with Ahmad left her with a strange illness that makes her shiver with cold, travels to the Middle East to seek a cure. There she meets Dima, a tempestuous female jinni who's been banished from her tribe. Back in New York, in a tenement on the Lower East Side, a little girl named Kreindel helps her rabbi father build a golem they name Yossele--not knowing that she's about to be sent to an orphanage uptown, where the hulking Yossele will become her only friend and protector. Spanning the tumultuous years from the turn of the twentieth century to the beginning of World War I, The Hidden Palace follows these lives and others as they collide and interleave. Can Chava and Ahmad find their places in the human world while remaining true to each other Or will their opposing natures and desires eventually tear them apart--especially once they encounter, thrillingly, other beings like themselves

I enjoyed this sequel, the new characters as much as the old, and hope there will be another installment (a change in location to Chicago is suggested at the end...) The Golem and the Jinni work as metaphors for immigration, displacement, otherness and integration, as well as being touching and believable as characters in their own right.

Not as engaging as the first one.

Because this is book 2, I'm going to hide some of my review in spoilers for people who haven't read the first book. I never know how to review books in a series so as not to spoil things for people who never read the first book...

Going into this book, I was incredibly afraid it wouldn't live up to what I remember feeling after reading the first book. The first book was delightfully warm, had an interesting cast of characters, and a sufficiently intriguing plot that felt self-contained as it wrapped itself up. When I read there was going to be a sequel (several years after the first had come out), I was skeptical and dragged my feet at giving it a chance. I'm so glad I did.

Chava and Ahmad, unlikely lovers brought together under a unifying stressful situation in the first book, now have had time to stretch, settle, and figure out what they're going to do with their (mythological) selves in this world they find themselves in. Unfortunately, as they grow in self and in skills, they discover that some of their fundamental differences may be too difficult to navigate.

For the good, the author does an excellent job at onboarding the reader after such a long time, which I appreciated. Points where “as you recall” dialogue takes place are nicely hidden, and some reintroduction to some minor characters from the first book happens to jog readers' memories. I thought the introspection about what relationships mean to mythological creatures was interesting, and, as always, the writing was incredibly engaging.

My quibble with this particular book is that, honestly, not a lot happens. It's very slice-of-life for a large chunk of the book, which while I appreciate, I know it can be offputting for many other people. A threat is introduced slowly throughout the book, but ultimately the focus was on the “what's next” for the main characters.

If you loved the first book, there's more to love here, I guess is what I'm trying to say. It's a bit slow for some readers, but if slow is your jam when done well, give this a try.