Wonderful ending to this trilogy. Every middle grader should read this book. I know that this will be very popular with our patrons.

Faith Erin Hicks does not disappoint with, The Divided Earth, the third book in The Nameless City series. Readers were left wondering the fate of the Nameless City at the conclusion of book two. The Divided Earth takes the friendship between Kaidu and Rat, and continues to strengthen it to a place of acceptance only family can understand. Throughout the course of The Divided Earth, Faith Erin Hicks demonstrates to readers that having an open heart, listening and learning are the key components for bringing people together in a world that will benefit everyone.
As compared to the first two books in the series, the illustrations and coloring add entirely new levels of comprehension. The emotions of characters and intensity of the actions are clearly depicted and felt throughout the story. I will note that this book has more violence than the previous stories, but not in a gruesome way that it will turn readers away or be something for teachers or parents to be concerned with when recommending this title. Unlike what might be traditionally depicted in stories involving war, both male and female characters are depicted in fighting scenes; with equal intensity and fighting ability.
As a teacher, I always make an effort to purchase books that represent different cultures and female protagonists. This series is based on fictional Chinese nations, and the unending war that is being fought by these nations in the Nameless City. The protagonists in this story are both male and female, but I found that the female characters were the ones that inspired changed within their male counterparts.
I would recommend this book to late elementary and beyond readers. This would also be a great addition for any social studies classroom. Social studies teachers could use this book to inspire discussions about the causes of wars.

THE DIVIDED EARTH is a pretty stellar conclusion to THE NAMELESS CITY series. Some of my favorite parts included truly sympathetic and complex antagonists, Kai's awesome (and tall!) warrior mother, and a beautiful epilogue. I can't wait to buy the entire trilogy for my library!

I will absolutely be pre-ordering this book for my library as soon as I get the chance, because there is no way I'm missing purchasing this! The first two books in the trilogy circulate well in my library and I have had teens asking for this third volume already, so I know it will also be a hit. As I said in a previous review, the series truly feels like a mix of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Fullmetal Alchemist, so definitely give it to fans of either or both (and many of your teens will be fans of both).

The Nameless City: The Divided Earth by Faith Erin Hicks is available from FirstSecond Books September 25, 2018.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed the conclusion to The Nameless City series. Kai and Rat must work together to steal the Napatha formula manual away from Erzi and his army. Unfortunately for Kai and Rat, the best plan they can think of involves literally climbing the wall to get into the city. They also don’t know exactly where the book is, so luck has to be on their side in order for them to succeed. While Kai and Rat are trying to find the manual, Andren and Kuo, the mysterious monk, are captured by an army. An army led by Andren’s wife Kata. As identities and loyalties are uncovered, the various leaders must decided what is more valuable-working together for peace, or the constant turmoil of ever-changing leadership.
This book was well written and has great artwork.

The third volume in The Nameless City trilogy does not disappoint. Finally, Rat and Kaidu are allowed to witness a peaceful resolution between the city's conquered and its conquerors - something that rarely happens in reality, so it's very nice to see it in fiction. Faith Erin Hicks' art, as always, is sharp and delightful.

A solid end to a great series. Dynamic art kep things moving. Faith Erin Hicks is a real talent.

I'm ambivalent about the conclusion to this series. The art is absolutely beautiful and I very much enjoyed the characters, especially Kaidu's parents, but something about the way the opposition between Rat and Miura is set up rubs me the wrong way. It's hard to put my finger on what it is exactly -- maybe that Rat's arguments against Miura's nihilism are all so naive? Even though Rat is clearly the person the reader is meant to identify and agree with, she sounds like a child arguing that the power of friendship outweighs the adult concerns of Miura, who has experience on her side when she says that so long as the City remains politically, financially or militarily valuable, outsiders will continue trying to take it over. And Miura is a lunatic, so she shouldn't sound like the more sensible person in this argument! "We now have the recipe for Greek fire and can blow up any new attacking armies if we have to" seems like it should have been part of Rat's argument, rather than just "I'm friends with this kid so I trust that his mom and dad will treat us fairly, unlike literally every other conqueror in the long history of our city's oppression, and we shouldn't fight anymore." I understand that this is a book for younger readers but I feel like the conclusion is too facile and undermines how *difficult* nonviolence is.

Excellent conclusion to an engaging and (at my library, at least) highly popular graphic novel series.

Whew. It feels like it's been forever since I read Volume 2 of this series. This volume starts where The Stone Heart left off. Rat and Kaidu must deal with the fractured and tragic events that have once again put The Nameless City in turmoil. What's even worse, there's an army on the horizon. If something isn't done soon, there will be war and the cycle of death and violence of the Nameless City will continue.

I think this is the last volume in this graphic novel series? Or, at least, it read that way. Overall, The Nameless City is a solid graphic novel trilogy. On the surface, the action, art, settings, and characters are good. I would definitely recommend it to my juvenile readers at the library who are constantly hungering for new graphic novels. I especially liked the character designs for the main protagonists and how the city itself was drawn.

That said, there was just something missing for me while reading Volumes 1-3. I never really related with any of the characters. The plight of the City wasn't something that really got too in depth. All problems were settled really quickly, so I didn't have to put much investment in worrying where the plot would go. I think, really, if there had just been more of a lot of things, then graphic novel would have been amazing. I wanted to know more about the Named culture and history, but it only touched on few things.

I will note that there were some technical issues with the file I got sent. Some pages would skip and I'm still not sure if I got every page.

Solid read. 3/5 stars

This was an excellent third addition to the Nameless City series! The story got even better and rounded out. Really emotional and lovely story line and art.

I really enjoy Hicks' The Nameless City series and The Divided Earth was a wonderful continuation to the story. The best part is the political aspect of it and the fact that there are no bad guys, just people with different views and reasons. In this third part our heroes end up in the middle of shenanigans and basically no one trusts no one. Everyone is after the book that contains the formula for powerful weaponry, gun powder I take it. The Nameless City is under the Dao rule and those people want everyone out, but who can really own a city and what makes people eligible to even rule? I liked the reasoning a lot and how people made allies in order to create a better place to live for everyone. It keeps me thinking that perhaps this world isn't so doomed. This story could take place in the current world too and I do hope we find our happy ending.

The art works so well with the story and creates this slightly old feeling to it. The panels are clear and Hicks moves the story a lot without words or with minimum of them. The movement works smoothly and the atmosphere is great. The comic is very meaningful and has this feeling of a bazaar. A melting pot of people. I love the parts when Hicks just offers us images of the city and the life there. The Divided Earth is very good, although perhaps not mind-blowing, but still an interesting view to a familiar setting we keep repeating over and over again.

I love this series, and this concluding volume does not disappoint. The Nameless City is under threat, both within and without, and Kaidu and Rat must fight for its survival, as well as its control to finally lie with those who call the city home. One of my favorite things about this city is that it complicates the lines between the city's residents and its conquerors, and while those issues must eventually be resolved, the resolution honors that blurring of categories.

Another great volume in this series. Perfect ending.