The city created in this sci-fi book was good, the characters were interesting, it just didn't hold my attention.

This book was intriguing to say the least. The world-building, for one, was original and provided a lovely basis for the story with its steampunky influences. Additionally, I really liked the interesting magic system Diamond City presented. The protagonist and side characters all added to the story in a nice way. Never did I feel like characters were redundant. However, where this book didn't completely hit the mark for me was the pacing. I found this book to be quite slow to get into. I'm a big mood reader, which is why this is such a big point for me when reviewing books. This is a 3/5 stars for me, but I will definitely check out the next book now that the majority of the world/story has been set up!

This steampunkish setting story is one that I won't soon forget.  I have to say that it was blended with so many elements that at first I found it kind of confusing but after the story really got going I found myself falling in love with the weaving of the tale.  The story itself as well as the main character gave me Throne of Glass vibes so many times.  And it worked so well for this story.  The setting was great and the ending was even better.  I loved that it was a pretty thick book so things didn't feel rushed at all.  I need book two now.  The use of crystals as magic was great and I liked how diamonds were at the forefront of the story.  I mean diamonds are a girls best friend after all.

Aina Solís trained as an assassin after her parents' murder. She is given a big job by her ruthless and amoral boss, but everything crashes down around her. The blood magic frowned upon in the city is still practiced, and the Steels in charge have much more planned for the city and the wider world around it.

The world is richly built, and we start off seeing Aina's skill and strength as a Blade, one of Kohl's best assassins. She is dependent on his approval after six years of training, and her goal is to have a tradehouse of her own to prove that she isn't the addict street kid that she had been when he had found her. Diamonds are used in blood magic rituals as well as jewelry and adornments for the Diamond Guards, elite warriors that patrol the city and enforce its rules. Of course the poorer areas have somewhat more leeway, though they also have fewer rights if caught by one. There are also gangs outside of Kohl's control, and the underground markets that the Guards don't know about. This is the world that Aina knows how to navigate in, with friends and associates as well as her reputation as a Blade. It's all ripped away abruptly, and much of the rest of the novel is her way to find that sense of importance again.

It isn't what she thinks it is, and there are quite a few revelations along the way, as well as setbacks. Her role in the wider city politics isn't just illegally selling raw diamonds for the Inosen blood mages or as an assassin, though it takes her a long time to understand what that role is. Not to spoil it, it's definitely worth the journey with her to get there. In addition, the flashes of other countries and cultures woven throughout the novel are beautiful. Some of it is understated, appearances or food, some of it plays a bigger role. The Inosen especially figure here, because of their role with magic and the hunt for them, but the religion associated with it as well is beautifully done. The world building here is detailed and immersive, and I'm so glad there will be a second novel to complete this duology. This finishes neatly, with enough loose ends to fuel a second novel, but I definitely didn't want to leave this world when I got to the last page.

Diamond City is clearly a fantasy novel yet in many ways it feels greatly influenced by the dystopian genre. It draws heavily from its tropes and story structure: a small group of people at the bottom of society rebel against said society and in doing so uncover dark truths. While it’s missing the key aspect that would classify it as dystopian this book certainly represents it in all but name.

One of the worst things I can say about Diamond City is that it feels like something you’ve already read many times before. I was so bored through so much of the story. We’ve all heard the cliché about YA heroines that is so often mocked: they’re a special snowflake who is stronger/smarter/etc than everyone else for no apparent reason.  It’s a sentiment I don’t fully agree with. In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with indulging in some wish fulfillment especially since film and literature have plenty of characters that represent the male fantasy: strong, capable men who overcome all odds to save the day and get the girl. If these YA heroines make the reader feel empowered then great.

On the other hand, critiques of this stereotype have merit when characters become so generic that you don’t even need to read the book in order to know all about them. Our protagonist in this case is Aina who is an incredibly skillful assassin (can you guess the rest?). Our story starts with her being good at literally everything and scared of no one except her boss. Yes I know she was trained as an assassin but as a reader it is difficult to engage with a character who isn’t currently working hard to hone her skills. The central conflict is never about her struggling mentally or physically to complete her assassin duties; anything that goes awry is not a fault on her part but the result of external interference. 

Now not all stories need the protagonist to undergoing a dramatic arc; there is another option. That option is having the protagonist be the moral centre of the story and having them uncover the faults in society around them and try to change it for the better. In this case the protagonist is a catalyst for change and it is a common choice in dystopian literature (I stand by my claim that Diamond City is dystopian-esque!). The only problem with Diamond City choosing this path is that Aina IS AN ASSASSIN. She shouldn’t be anyone’s moral compass yet the book portrays her as a hero just doing her best. She is not portrayed as an anti-hero or someone who is toeing the line between hero and villain. Her conclusion at the end of the book is “her parents would be proud of her doing whatever she’d had to do in life to obtain her own bit of freedom” because why bother delving into moral ambiguity. The central conflict should be an internal moral struggle but it isn’t. Aina will briefly reflect on her actions then quickly brush it off by concluding that the hierarchical nature of their society forced her into this situation. While that isn’t strictly untrue it doesn’t negate the complicated morality behind such a career path. YA readers will accept a lot: children forced to kill other children in a brutal game, teenagers leading armies into battle, but I feel that an assassin is a much darker subject because at the end of the day you are making a choice to kill people for money. 

In terms of the general writing style I felt a lot of sections were lacking in descriptions particularly when it came to fights and subsequent injuries. The pacing in general was very rushed so none of their accomplishments held any kind of climatic energy. They were in and out before you knew it. The author also liked to incorporate many flashbacks that I found confusing because I would often not realize we were now in the past. Granted I was probably skimming the book but I found it very easy to miss the brief indications that we were witnessing a memory. The overall pacing and sparse descriptions means that the climax of the book fell completely flat. When one of the big masterminds was revealed my only reaction was … wait who is that? I think that person was only mentioned once or twice before so I’m not sure what kind of response the readers are expected to have.

On a positive note I gave this book an extra star because I liked how it treated the relationship between Aina and her boss. I was worried that it would be romanticized but it was self-critical and the only satisfying arc in the story.

Finally I feel bad saying this but the cover is not doing anything for me. It feels flat and jumbled which is a shame because YA fantasy often has some of the best covers in the business. I think my eyes would just glaze right past this cover if I saw it on the shelf.

In conclusion if you are relatively new to the dystopian/fantasy YA genre you may well enjoy this adventure but if you’re a seasoned YA veteran you will just find more of the same.

Aina family was murdered and became an assassin for hire. She is sent on a job that would give her freedom and ability to open her own business but things don't turn out like planned and she will find herself on the run and trying to get a second chance to finish the job.  

Action packed book but I didn't get much of the magic.  There are twist and turns to the book that keeps you on your toes but it wasn't my favorite book.  I wanted to like it but something was missing for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.   Thank you NetGalley. 

Diamond City features so many great things in this book.   A strong female lead.   Female Assassin.     magic, and more. 

It did take me a few chapters to really get into this book, but I'm so glad I did.

Heists!

Assassins!

Dark magic!

Action? Coherency?

I was so intrigued by Diamond City by Francesca Flores and the concepts it tried to present me. Key word: tried.

I wanted to love the characters and the setting, but there was just something I couldn’t connect to. The worldbuilding was interesting but not clear. I got 15% of the way through and realized pretty quickly that the story was less fantasy than it was a series of undefined tropes strung together very loosely.

There were some interesting things going on, especially in terms of the magic system using diamonds and those diamonds seemingly involved in some sort of dark magic/substance abuse situation, but it wasn’t enough to keep me hooked.

I love a strong female lead and that was present in abundance throughout this novel! Such a cool concept, stellar writing, and a cohesive storyline. I enjoyed this book and have already told a few friends about it!

This book was a lovely surprise. I did not think I’d enjoy it as much as I did. It’s fast-paced, entertaining, and action packed. The world building is great and the characters were very likable.

4.5/5 Stars

Author: Francesca Flores

Publisher/Imprint: Wednesday Books

Edition: Hardcover, 392 Pages

Publication Date: January 28, 2020

*Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. Although I received an e-ARC, this review is based on the finished hardcover edition due to technical difficulties with the e-pub file. These are my honest opinions. Thank you.*

‘Even if a lion dresses in silk, it will always be a lion.’
-Francesca Flores, Diamond City

Initial Thoughts:

Wow! What a blast! Diamond City is Francesca Flores’s debut novel, and it was SO entertaining to read! Was it perfect? No. But it kept me hooked all the way through, which is exactly what I wanted.

This is an assassin story that actually delivers on what it promises: action, assassins, blood, and diamonds. The prologue jumps right into the action and grabbed my attention immediately! I was desperate to learn more about Aina, the main female character, and what drove her to become an assassin.

The setting/world-building in this novel is refreshingly unique in my opinion. It is a gritty, industrialized fantasy world that also has a bit of a dystopian feel. The descriptions of the world sucked me in and largely contribute to the mood of the story as well. The people who are at the top of the social ladder are called Steels. A group called the Diamond Guards is essentially the police force under the authority of the city’s oligarchy. Inosen are the people (often from the lower classes) who believe in magic and worship two goddesses. The Steels often persecute the Inosen due to a civil war that resulted from a clash between industrialization and religion.

I liked that the author explores the themes of poverty and toxic relationships in this novel. I think she does a good job painting a picture of Aina’s struggles. Aina struggles with a lot under the surface of her fierce exterior.

The pacing is overall done very well. Diamond City is fast-paced and absolutely action-packed! I wasn’t ever too bored or disinterested. There was always something exciting happening that pulled me through the story. There are wolf-sized spiders and daring prison breakouts! At the end of each chapter, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next! But sometimes I had to stop reading to get some sleep :D

If she was good at anything, it was survival, and she refused to let anyone take that away from her.
-Francesca Flores, Diamond City

Characters & Romance:

Here is a brief overview of some of the characters and the romance(s). I really appreciated that the author created characters with real flaws, which made the people seem more real and relatable.

Aina is, of course, our main female assassin. She struggles with a lot of internal conflict due to her traumatic past, as well as some decisions that she currently she faces. When she was a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes, yet she herself regularly takes human lives. Will she go through with her current assignment? And what happens when that assignment goes horribly awry? Maybe Aina isn’t a perfect human being, but she undergoes a good character arc throughout the story.
Kohl Pavel is Aina’s boss, the Blood King. He finds her when she is a young orphan and gives her a place to stay if she agrees to become an assassin. He trains her well, but perhaps doesn’t have her best interests at heart.
Teo is Aina’s good friend. He, too, is an assassin. But unlike Aina, he is his own boss and chooses which marks to take out. He only kills in order to make a living for his sickly mother. He is willing to do almost anything for Aina, and his loyalty is so endearing!
Ryuu is a rich Steel and the brother of Aina’s most important assignment. Aina’s path becomes tangled with his in a way she doesn’t expect. I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.
One other thing to mention is Aina’s potential romance(s). Aina’s relationships get COMPLICATED. Aina has at least three – and maybe a fourth – potential love-interests, which is kind of a lot. I usually prefer when there is only one or two love-interests to keep track of. It seems like she sort of feels attracted to all of them, but isn’t really sure. Aina doesn’t choose at the end of this book, but maybe she will choose in the sequel.

‘You still have a chance to do good in the world, Aina. You’re not a lost cause.’
-Francesca Flores, Diamond City

Final Thoughts:

A few scenes here and there may feel slightly rushed due to the action-driven writing style, but I really enjoyed the action. It kept me at the edge of my seat! Sometimes, I didn’t feel the emotional connections between characters as much as I wanted to. But overall, I’m rating this book highly for how entertaining it is! Happy reading :)

*Content warnings: Intentional self-harm (blood magic + glue/drug addiction); LOTS of action violence, blood, gore, knife and gun fights, etc.*

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
Spoiler-Free Review

The premise hooked me straight away. Aina's story of being an orphan on the streets, forced to do anything to survive, fostered by the head of a gang who had ulterior motives. The Blade, Aina was an assassin, doing the gang's wet work for hire, fearing what would happen if she didn't do it, while also so desperately needing the validation, needing to make him proud.

On the side, Aina was the go-between in diamond smuggling, between its point of origin and the fence where it was fashioned into something else at the jeweler. In the world building, I was slightly shocked over how many diamonds go missing on a daily basis for a teenage girl to be in on the game.

The setting is during an industrial revolution, in an area where there is a diamond mine, the industry similar to the turn of the twentieth century. However, I couldn't place the time nor the location, especially with the paranormal magical elements added in. The setting and world building were fascinating to me, steampunk meets illegal magic/religion, but how it was presented wasn't to my taste.

There was excitement, action-packed scenes of pure violence, spying and slinking around, and many bodies on the floor, so many bodies I was confused as to how the city wasn't losing its population with how Aina wasn't the only assassin running around. In such a short span of time, we're talking hundreds of people dying and left to lie where they fell, by gangs worth of assassins.

As for the emotions, loyal friendships were important to Aina, but it was her need for validation from the man who groomed her that hit the hardest.

Aina was a solid heroine. Loyal, willing to do anything to survive, but also fiercely protective of those who she called friend. I'm all for not having a guilt-stricken heroine who hems and haws over what needs to be done, but I find it hard to believe that on several occasions Aina murders most of the guards and staff in the same house... like how did they get replacements so quickly? An entire household emptied of occupants. Twice? Thrice? By the end of the book, Aina had single-handedly executed an upwards of a hundred souls.

For someone obsessed with how her parents died and left her an orphan, Aina has no issue of creating dozens upon dozens of innocent orphans, if their parents merely get in her way. Like charging in the front door, slitting the necks of innocent maids and guards, who no doubt had children at home. All those new orphans have more of a reason to loathe Aina than Aina had to loathe the government for executing her parents, who were practicing acts that were widely known to hold a death sentence. Aina's parents were criminals (no matter if the law was ridiculous or not) but these random innocent maids and such did no one any harm.

An assassin by trade should be able to sneak around and only inflict death upon the ones they were hired to kill. It would be bad for business to take out entire households, several times over.

As I said, I don't want a guilt-stricken heroine, but I find it hard to swallow that she's killing so indiscriminately, as if all those people are worthless, meaningless, because she needs some coin for a "single" target. People who are also from the lower classes, who are just working to eat. Was she really good at her job if she takes out so many innocents while doing it? It's like using a nuke instead of a flyswatter for a single fly.

Where I struggled the most with the novel was the writing style. There was just something about the way the perspective was written that kept me from being able to fall into the story. My interest waned during monologues from the past, where dialogue and action from the past weren't italicized to show that it wasn't happening in the present time, the lack of transition confusing me and tearing me from the story itself. The flashbacks weren't denoted, and there were many flashbacks to be had, filled with info-dumps and meandering inner monologues that slowed the pacing.

As an avid reader, especially of all the elements within Diamond City, I struggled to read, taking me well over a week what should have taken an afternoon. I was curious to what the outcome would be, but the writing style, the way the perspective was written, and the execution made it difficult for me to be entertained.

Curious to see where this goes, I'm willing to give the next another try. If not, I'll have to pass on the author, due to the writing style not being my cup of tea.

Young Adult age rating: 14+ due to on-scene graphic violence.

Aina works for Kohl, doing his bidding for a portion of the money he collects while she saves to open her own operation. Aina is a ruthless character because she kills people for the bounty on their head. The main problem I had with this story is that you never hear from the main bad guy, the person Kohl is working for. Aina is great at what she does. She has several friends that have her back and help protect her along the way. One of her hits, what she thinks to be her last, goes horribly wrong and now she needs to fix the problem while she has a bounty on her head. Fast paced, unfortunately the world building was lacking for me to get pulled in. Not sure I'd continue with book two.

I'm so late on reviewing this but I freaking loved this book!! 😍👏🏼 The world-building was edgy and dark but with abit of spunk. The conspiracy with blood magic and industrial economy was very interesting way of how the world looked upon/started when you read. The characters were amazing especially Aina who had a slow character development but it never dull me in the process from where she stood to the end. Huge conflicts clashed to another was a page turner, it kept you wanting more to how this will end! I can't wait for book 2, ended with a good cliffhanger!

DNF and I really wanted to maybe its the timing and I'm not in the mood to process a whole new world building like the one in this story. So much is going on at once I couldn't grasp what was valuable information or not. I enjoyed the action pack and bloodiness of it all. I just couldn't get passed the lack of magic and why there is lack of magic and how they pertained to the mothers or government. Maybe at a later time I will give this book a third try because I'm slightly still intrigued I know sometime sequels are better than the first.

Action Packed from page one!
I enjoyed the world building. It was like The Professional meets West Side Story. There is definitely room for improvement. The timeline transitions could have been a bit better defined with breaks or something. The romantic shadows were a bit frustrating.  There were a few elements that were a bit over done in my opinion. But it was a good story and I am looking forward to book two.

As the first book in a new series, Francesca Flores has taken the time to build a city, Diamond City, and paint it in black and white for us to "see".  She has populated the city with several differing communities, including the main community of assassins.  The main character is a young woman who was "saved" when she joined the assassins' group.  As she grows and matures, we learn more of the back story and in turn, can see where this flawed community is destined to help save the world.  It will be interesting to see where the next book takes our heroine.

I enjoy the female assassin story. The story takes her through many struggles which is sparked by a botched assassination. She also struggles with her feelings about her mentor when he abandons her. She continually holds onto her feelings for him even though she learns increasingly bad information about him. I had trouble with that. Otherwise the mystery and intrigue kept my attention. A good setup for the series.

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

This was an entertaining first book in a new YA fantasy series.

Aina Solís was an orphan living on the street when a brutal crime lord takes her in and trains her to be an assassin in a city built by magic and ruled by tyrants. As she climbs the ranks in the organization she dreams of striking out on her own and starting her own assassin club. Her boss gives her an impossible task - kill one of the most protected citizens in the city. If she completes the job, she will be given a huge payday and be free to open her own club with her bosses blessing.

Aina is laser focused on the job, but complications arise that will change her life forever. I can't say more, otherwise it will spoil the story. I liked Aina and the other characters in the book. She was tough and kicked ass, but was still capable of having feelings for people and a sense of morality. The story was interesting and fast paced. There is an element of magic in the story and clearly there are more mysteries to uncover. I will definitely read more books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 3.5/5 Stars

**I received an advanced copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I thought I would. I found, as I was reading, that the cons of the story largely outweighed the pros, which was disappointing because I felt that this book had plenty of potential.
For cons, I felt that the author was extremely repetitive and there were way too many flashbacks, most of which were way too long (some taking up almost entire chapters at a time). An occasional, relevant flashback is okay, but there was one of significant length almost every chapter and the chapters are pretty short. Both of these things also contributed to the large information dumps that would happen often as well. The book was just too wordy. The biggest issues I had though was the abusive relationship the main character, Aian, is in. It's not a romantic relationship, though sometimes I'm convinced she wants it to be (thank the gods that didn't happen!). But she is so dependent on this man...or so she thinks she is. She constantly has the same exact internal conversation with herself saying that "he made me who I am" and "I can't get any where without him" or "I wouldn't be anybody if it wasn't for him". None of them are true and it takes her the whole book to realize that. It was so frustrating to have to keep hearing those thoughts. Especially when she had a group of amazing people helping her and she planned on betraying one of them anyway. Girl needs to get her priorities in check and keep them that way.
Anyway, the pros: The characters were pretty well developed. They all grew as people (even Aina). She was a strong, but dependent woman when the book started and ended a strong independent woman, which I'm so happy about. The world building was also done very well. There's lots of history (repeated several times), but it's there.
Overall, would I read the book again? No, but I would read the next book because I am curious to see if Aina sticks with this new found independence.