Review Detail

CITY OF BEASTS is the must-read dystopian of the fall. Highly recommend for fans of THE DIVERGENT, DARKEST MINDS, and/or HANDMAID'S TALE. An all new story takes us to the aftermath of WWIII in Buffalo, where men ("beasts") and women ("fees") have separated for seventeen years. Fees live on an island where they train in science and fighting techniques- and are often under attack by the beasts, but are able to fight them off.

Glori grew up after the separation, and this world has been all she knows. She grew up with her mother, grandmother, and their co-habitating partners, Su and her mother. After her mother was taken by the beasts, she returned pregnant, giving birth to a beast- Glori's beloved little brother. Glori worries he will turn into a beast from the stories, violent and cruel, but he is still her little brother. When he is captured at five years old and taken into the City of Beasts, Glori knows she would do anything to get him back.

She hatches a plan with Su, and they travel into enemy territory to save her brother. However, things are not as simple as they expected, and plots bigger than they ever could have anticipated are afoot. With amazing characters and messages about looking deeper than the stereotypes pervading the novel, this book is an incredible read.

What I loved: The characters, the world building, and the whole book are just amazing! Glori is really well-crafted- she is intelligent and an amazing fighter, and we understand her conflicts and struggle as she comes to terms with the world she has known and the world she finds now. Through her eyes, we see not only this dystopian future but also our lives as they are now and the inherent sexism in the everyday (advertisements, expectations, etc.). In terms of the secondary characters, they are also fully three-dimensional and complex- with so many I absolutely fell in love with.

The world is similarly well-crafted and so easy to imagine. The science is logical and makes sense. Furthermore, this all develops without dragging the plot or slowing the pace. This book is really beautifully written. There is appropriate humor (laugh-out-loud while reading funny), tension (thriller-like danger in places), complex theories (great discussions about sexism, stereotypes, science), and a dash of romance to complete this engrossing novel.

Final verdict: CITY OF BEASTS is an incredible read, and I highly recommend for any fans of YA dystopian/sci-fi. Engaging, complex, and completely entertaining, this book will keep you turning pages quickly until the satisfying end.