Book Review: Red City by Marie Lu

   This, readers, this was a stunner! 

 Marie Lu is well known for her Young Adult series- the Legend Series, the Young Elites, and more.  I've enjoyed so many of her novels.  There's always a solid plot, lots of action to keep a story moving, diverse characters who readers come to love. Red City is a bit of a departure as her first novel that is firmly for the adult readers. 

I was a tiny bit skeptical,  in the Legend series, Lu's characters grew up- but their situations sort of stayed... less grown up- which in the end was a little odd.  Of course it made sense- because loads of YA readers were eagerly awaiting the next installment, and it would have been very frustrating to them if the novels suddenly were geared to adults and possibly off limits. So... I requested the e-book in advance and was turned down!  I was quite disappointed, but, I was approved for the audiobook which was way better for me anyway! With a large cast of narrators- Natalie Naudus, Sid Sagar, Andre Santana and Eunice Wong, the novel flowed through my headphones with ease. 

So a summary of sorts with NO SPOILERS because I do detest them so much.....  Red City is set in the future. Sam and Ari grow up attending the same school. They become friends through an exchange of letters/notes, but neither feels they can be totally transparent with each other. Ari has been hand selected to become an alchemist and Sam falls into the trade when she and her mother fall on desperate times. Each wants to unburden themselves, but time and circumstances prevent this. Not realizing they are on a similar path, they lose touch upon graduation.  Of course it wouldn't be much of a story if they never saw each other again!  Lu takes us on a journey filled with glitz, glamor, violence, and power and brings us to a very satisfying ending. 

    Initially when we started with our characters passing notes in school, I did fear that this would be sort of a young adult redressing.  By the halfway point, I knew that fear was unfounded. Lu did not hold back and the story blooms with all the complexity and drama of adult lives and situations.   I had to slow down my reading at one point because I was almost too invested in the characters outcomes and I was feeling severe dread.  To say the novel had me in it's grips is a bit of an understatement.  While this is a departure from her previous work, it maintains the signature style of Lu.  Masterful plot, detailed wardrobe descriptions, and complex character development- leaving room for readers to contemplate some of the bigger issues of life - in this case, poverty, power, loyalty, and love. 

  I am so grateful to Tor  and especially MacMillan audio for the Advanced listener copy. Definitely a winner.  

First Published : 10/14/2025

Pages: 432

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: violent events, parental death, poverty, gun violence, drug use,  bullying.  

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly.