TW: racism, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism

Every city has a soul. And those souls come to life. And in New York, the five Burroughs are alive and well, looking for the spirit of New York to save their city. Without giving too much away, this vibrant story is a fantasy love letter to New York City.

This story had weird pacing, but other than that, I loved it. It made me miss New York so much. I loved the characters, and of course, the setting. But Jemisin’s strength lies in her characters and her story development.

The characters who are supposed to be the embodiment of each Burrough are so perfect. I don’t want to give spoilers so that I won’t go into too much detail, but trust me when I say each character is perfect.

My only real issue with this story is the pacing. It felt way too slow in some parts and then way rushed in others. I feel like because this is a series, this was a way to begin developing the series. It just took me out of the world often.

Besides the pacing issues, I genuinely enjoyed this book. I’m excited to see this New York develop. Fans of urban fantasy will love this book to bits. Jemisin is such a talent, and that is on full display in this story.