In City of York, we learn that long before humans became the dominate species, magic was present all throughout the world. With this unforeseen power, there was The Community- the beings of this magic. Once they gathered in a society called The Kingdom, but it has been thousands of years since then, and now the members of The Community are scattered- hiding in plain sight in the grand city of New York.
While some have made themselves a new life in this new human world, others hide in the shadows, seeking the day they can rise back to power. What no human knows is how many of The Community control their government, nor how much magic is beneath their own feet.
My thoughts
If there was one word to describe City of York by A. Person, it would be "rambunctious", for that's the word that was repeating over and over in my head the whole time I was reading it. I personally think it's a good description! Everything from the jaunty plot to the descriptive writing gives me rambunctious vibes.
City of York is a interesting take on what really lies underneath New York- or should say IN it. There are a million books out there about magic in New York, but this one really takes the cake. The characters are interesting, the plot is in depth, and overall extremely absorbing. It's a tad longer than most books, but it's a small price to pay to see what happens in the end.
I do have a few problems with City of York. One of them is the sheer amount of characters in this book. I'm not lying when I say the characters are well written- but not all of them. In fact, there are almost too many characters in this book. Even halfway through the book I was being introduced to more people, most even with their own side plots. A few side plots don't go anywhere except to have a cameo in the end, which is very disappointing. Not to take away from the plots that do go somewhere, very neatly tying up together. Now that was satisfying.
Another small problem I have is that the book is written in a style a bit different from most mainstream books. It's very descriptive, and uses more diverse words than usual. This made it a bit hard to understand at first, and I found myself rereading sentences. This problem eventually resolved after a few chapters for me, as I was able to gradually comprehend and even enjoy the author's writing style. I can't say this will be the same to other readers, but it is what I found for me.
Beyond these issues, I highly enjoyed City of York. Trust me when I say I've never read anything remotely like it. Not just because of the story, but because it's almost a psychedelic experience... I'm surprised someone could put it into writing. Despite the events told in the story never happening IRL, it felt like I was sucked into a distant memory of the past, one twisted from reality by childhood wonder. It's not a bad feeling, but one that smells like lemon oatmeal bars and euphoria. It's too hard for me to explain, so sorry for acting weird. I can't think of any better way to describe it.
I don't think everyone will like City of York. It's a different piece of literature to be sure, one that might not feast everyone's fancy. I wouldn't recommend it to those who find themselves reading more straightforward books, and those who are illiterate. Readers who are interested in a clever and more advanced adventure, and those who have always believed there is something more going on behind the scenes of the world, this book is surely for you.
Thank you A. Person (clever name by the way!) for kindly sending me your book! I highly appreciate it!
Keep Reading!
-Valkyrie
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