Diamond City was a jewel!  This YA fantasy is multi-layered and deals with several kinds of magic, grief, revenge, romantic attraction, although nothing is ever acted upon - not even a kiss.  I thought Ms. Flores did a great job with the world building and character development.  For me, that can be a downfall in the fantasy genre if it isn't done well.  If it drags on too long, you lose my attention or if you rush through it, there isn't enough detail.  I think it's a fine line to do it with just the right amount of description.

I found Diamond City to be action packed from beginning to end.  Life has been anything but kind to the main character, Aina.  She was orphaned at a young age and is working as an assassin in order to survive herself.  It seems as if every time it looks as if she might get ahead, something else happens and she is back where she started from again.

This book is the first in a new series.  Fortunately, even though you can tell the story is left unfinished, it is not a cliffhanger type ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aina is a girl who just can't get a break. Her parents are dead, she has nowhere to live, and the air she breathes is thick with the smoke of industry. Lucky (or is it?) for her, one day a man gives her a chance to make something of herself, though getting there means treading on the dreams of others as a blood-fueled assassin. Then, it all comes tumbling down as a job goes horribly wrong and Aina winds up with a target on her own back.

Diamond City is a story of a girl who wants to rise above her circumstances, but the economic and cultural system she lives with aims to keep her running in place, or failing that, to stab her in the back. It is a story of an elite class, a shady religion, and a seedy underbelly churning about in the same hazy city, a city full of magic, intrigue, and enough black market diamonds to make any girl happy. Aina is a girl you want to root for, even when she makes mistakes, can't escape her past, and especially when her path is marked by betrayal. Given time, maybe she can stay alive, make some good money, and get the guy, but until then she'd better hope she can disappear into the shadows and find (and make!) her mark in Diamond City.

Featuring the journey of a fierce heroine in the magical yet vicious world of Kosín, Francesca Flores’ fantasy debut novel, Diamond City, is going to blow your mind with its action-packed story, fast-paced plot, and scene-stealing characters. Being the first book in a series, Diamond City follows the story of Aina Solís and her dangerous quests as an assassin along with some unlikely allies that she never expected to have. Confused between paying back her gratitude and unravelling the ultimate truth, she must fight and survive in a game that she accidentally started.

After her parents are executed for a religion that they believed in, Aina must do everything to survive in the harsh and dangerous street life. Being a street rat at the age of 12, she went through the shivering of night and the suffering of hunger. However, her life took a turn when a mysterious man saved her life at the very last minute from a bomb. After being given everything that she thinks she wants, Aina is now an assassin and works for the man that saved her life. She works through murder after murder, and everything seems to go okay. But when an assigned murder goes wrong, she has to unravel the truth about the man she works for, unexpectedly works with the enemy but most importantly, she has to figure out how to break herself free. 

Told in an alternate timeline, we get to see Aina's past and how it unravels and shapes her into the way she is today.  

I couldn't deny the charms in Diamond City's prologue that instantly grasped my whole attention. It was short and straight to the point, yet it gave me chills, and ultimately, pulled me into the deep of Kosín's slums. Being introduced to our heroine at the age of 12 and witnessing how her life took a sharp turn in a spare few seconds, I was more than invested to explore her journey. It was one of those prologues that makes me think about it over and over again because the scene was absolutely intense, smart, and struck my mind in the best way possible.

This story relies heavily on its character, but it especially relies on Aina as the main lead as we got to witness her internal monologues in facing dilemmas in her confined life. Trapped between two opposite sides, Aina’s journey in this story was intense and very much relatable, as often at times the truth is not simply black or white. Flores eloquently elaborate Aina’s difficult position and I completely adore her multidimensional character. 

Though it was a very much character-driven story, Flores also went beyond with its worldbuilding, including the harsh street life in Kosín's slums, the endless tunnels, the magical diamonds, the intriguing belief system, and of course, the fierce competition between gangs that hated each others guts. I absolutely adore this universe because although I was struggling a bit to dive deeper into it and try to grasp the whole concept of how this world works, I can tell you that it was written after a tremendous amount of research and hard work. I feel like this is the case of me instead of the book itself, as I couldn't wait to reread this gem in the future and try to understand it better.

My one last favourite aspect of Diamond City is Flores' impressive skill in describing and narrating this fast-paced fantasy, leaving us with more than enough outstanding quotes that reflect our cruel reality.

In conclusion, Diamond City is a fierce fantasy featuring a fierce heroine living in a fierce universe where everyone hides everything and danger always creep around the corner.

Book Talk 1/24/2020: Francesca Fiores’ Diamond City (Book 1)
Traci Kenworth

Diamond City by Francesca Fiores. Jan. 28, 2020. Wednesday Books. YA Thriller genre.
Amazon blurb: "A thrilling adventure, through a vibrant city as alive as any character, about a girl willing to do anything to better her circumstances. " – Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints
Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything.
Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten.
Her boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people with nowhere else to go. And makes sure they stay there.
DIAMOND CITY: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies.
To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy―and risk losing everything.
Full of action, romance and dark magic, book one of Francesca Flores' breathtaking fantasy duology will leave readers eager for more!

My Review: Aina grows up under the protection of Kohl after the deaths of her parents. She does everything he expects of her, grateful to him for pulling her from the streets. When he offers her a chance to open her own business with his blessing, she jumps at it. But is there more to the offer than she knows? After word reaches Kohl that her targets lives, she’s thrown to the wolves and must fight to survive with the help of a friend and the brother of the man she was hired to kill. Will anyone survive the city?
It was a really cool story and I enjoyed getting to know the characters of Aina, Marcus, and Rhuu. The journey through the city was pulse-pounding and everything under the sun is thrown against the trio.

To be honest, when I saw this cover I decided to read this book. It gave me the impression of adventure, sci-fi and a girl in between. I really like how all the colors blend together. Also the left part of the diamond looks really fascinating.


The writing style was fluent and easy to read. The book was written from the view of the author, but mostly the view of Aina was focused.

In the first chapter we meet Aina as a little girl. I liked her at that moment. Thereafter, is a little time jump to a quite grown-up Aina, which is working as an assassin. It was not so easy to like her then. However, during the story I got to know her better and I loved to watch her develop and change to a better self. She had a bad childhood and prooved in the end, what can be accomplished nevertheless.
Teo was a really nice guy and it would always be great to have him as a friend. He is always there for the people, who matter to him. Further it was nice to see how he was clinging to his hopes and believes.
Ryuu was also a nice character, which I liked from the beginning. He was a good example to show, that not all Steels need to be bad or emotionless. It was really nice to also have a different view on this world. Furthermore, the relationship to his brother and their family-history was described really nice and gave a good impression, why Ryuu became, who he is.
To my shame, I was not such a big Raurie-fan. I didn't dislike her, but I also didn't got warm with her a lot.
However, I liked the big friendship which somehow - really somehow, because it just happend and I didn't see that coming - developed between this four. It was nice to see that in this brutal world, where everyone seemed quite alone.

When I started the book I was not really sure, what storyline I should expect. For sure, I read the short-plot, but I honestly had no certain expectations. For some reason - probably my cover-fantasy - I expected something like a dystopy or something with sci-fi. In some parts it was for sure dystopian, but not so much, that I would count it as dystopy. I rather see it as a story in a foreign world, which could have also played somewhere in our past. The topics vary a lot. It includes the conflicts with religion and growing industrialization. The life of a assassin vs. the idea of valueing in life.
I liked this parts in the story, where you got to think and decide for yourself, what you would do in that situation and how oneself would decide to live.

The end of the story is a little bit open and I would have really liked to read some more pages, how things turned out for Aina. Nevertheless, it was a hopefull ending.


Fazit:
Nice story, with a lot of philosophical questions, a lot of emotions and of course also some nice action-scenes - I give the book 4 out of 5 stars :)

City by Francesca Flores was an amazing story! I loved the plot and the entire cast of characters especially the main character!

In a post-civil war city where religion is dangerous, possessing raw diamonds can get you executed, and criminals roam the streets freely, who can you trust? 

Aina is a blade, a hired assassin, who has worked for The Blood King since he found her passed out in a tavern from sniffing glue in her early teens. Orphaned at a young age after having watched her parents murdered for their religious beliefs, she never really hoped to make anything of herself before The Blood King, Kohl, found her and trained her to be one of his blades. Now, six years later, he has given her the biggest job of her life, one that may give her the chance to secure a future outside of the Dom where she can run her own trade house. 

Aina has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, even if her target is a member of one of the richest families is the city. But Aina is undoubtedly one of the best blades in the city. However, when something goes dreadfully wrong and she finds herself outside of the protection of The Blood King, she is given only one chance to make it right before the city eats her alive. Who can she turn to in a city that now has a price on her head and enemies around every corner? 

I enjoyed Diamond City. I pictured the city in tiers with a piratical edge. The world building was well done, the characters well rounded, and the cast was probably one of the most diverse I’ve ever experienced in a YA novel. There were twists, turns, and surprises all over the place. Was it a little predictable? For some people it might be, but for me, the various plotlines that were braided together left a lot of mystery and by the end I was kicking myself for not putting it all together. 

The issues that the characters face are also very relatable. Loss, addiction, and being unable to know who to trust as well as cleansing yourself of toxic relationships are all very relatable concepts. I didn’t relate that well with Aina as she was very self-serving at times, but she grew as a person throughout the book and I would really like to see where the the author takes her character arc. I did love Teo, Kyuu and Raurie, and I loved the descriptions of Tannis and Jane, I felt like they were the best described. However, the relationships that Aina has with each character could probably be fleshed out a little more, and perhaps they will be. This is one of those books that doesn’t feel like a stand-alone. Matter of fact, the action picked up a lot in the last 40% of the book. The end felt a little too rushed for that and things were only as tied up as a first book in a series would allow.

Overall, I think it was worth a read. I feel like the world is alone is worth it. The author does an amazing job building the world itself and the structural/social hierarchy. I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

OMG I adored it!  Aina is phenomenal!  I the world building is exceptional!  I could literally see myself there.  I couldn't ask for more!  I absolutely found a new favorite!  Definitely check this out!

This summary gave me all the Six of Crow vibes, so of course I was going to read this book. The tropes are sort of similar, but instead of a heist, this is a well-planned assassin attempt where things obviously keep going wrong, because how boring would it be if people died when you told them to, am I right?

Diamond City is a fast-paced, action-packed urban fantasy about a woman who came from nothing and is now trying to carve her way in a world that consistently reminds her that girls like her never win.

I mean, this book had me at female assassin. Everything after that was like the icing on the top of an awesome, stabby cake. While there were times it felt like the story dragged a bit, for the most part, it yanked me right along, wanting to know what was going to happen next, and I couldn’t help but fall for these characters.

My Thoughts:

- This book is packed with every bit of action you would expect from a book about an assassin. Strap in, because this one’s a ride. There’s some harrowing fight scenes, some near misses, some amazing feats. Is it particularly believable? No. But, I mean, assassins. I still had fun going along for the ride with Aina, taking down people and creeping through the city. There’s all sorts of subverted expectations, murder, mayhem, teaming up and taking down. This book is essentially one big heist trope with rival gangs trying to take each other out. Except instead of a heist, it’s a rescue/assassination attempt, and we get to ride along with this group of people who would really rather not together, thanks. Unwilling teammates is pretty much one of my favorite tropes ever.

- Aina made for a really interesting protagonist, who was sometimes hard to root for, but also pretty easy to empathize with. It was this really weird juxtaposition. Yeah, okay, slaughtering random people is probably wrong and definitely not recommended and likely to lead to trouble. Probably not something you should root for. Or so I’ve been told. But the journey Aina took to become an assassin, the history that landed her on that path, and her ultimate goal were all things that had me solidly rooting for her anyway. Just also maybe for a lower body count sometimes, too. When you come from nowhere, you expect nothing. When you’re a nobody, it’s hard to become a somebody. So Aina’s struggle to do just that really endeared me to her all the more. People love rooting for the underdog, right? And Aina’s, not exactly running scared with her tail between her legs. She’s taking charge and … taking lives? Yeah, that, too. She’s spunky and determined and doing what she needs to stay alive while dreaming bigger than she has any right to dream, and I loved that about her character.

- This cast of secondary characters was just so much fun and full of personality. They each had their own personalities, of course, no two alike, and they definitely felt like they embodied popular tropes to me. By all rights, these tropes should’ve annoyed me, but they just … didn’t. Ryuu was a big fluffy marshmallow and deserves to be protected and petted and hugged. And Teo? I fell in love with him the moment we met. They were all just so easy to love, because their motives and desires were simple and things that most people want. It boiled down to being easy to empathize with, while still enjoying the different things the characters had to offer.

- There’s such an interesting dynamic between Aina and Kohl, and I have feels about it, darn it. What those feels are, I’m not quite sure, because they’re all complicated and confusing and squicky. From the moment Kohl is introduced, I knew I’d love his character, problematic aspects and all. The thing I loved most about these characters is that they’re clearly equals … except Aina doesn’t know it yet, and Kohl does. I like power dynamics. What can I say? The grittier and more convoluted, the better. I’m actually really looking forward to where this ends up leading and what this means for the characters because oh, what a dark and messy web we weave.

- I feel like there’s something more going on with Kohl, and I absolutely love it, because I want to hate him so much, but I’m just so freaking curious about him. I think we’re meant to hate him, but I just … don’t. I want to understand him. I want to know his history, his motivation, his intentions. I find his character absolutely fascinating. Especially since he’s obviously holding back, and what sort of ruthless character would do that, hm?

Sticking Points:

- There are a lot of flashbacks in the story, but unfortunately, there was a lack of proper transition between the flashbacks and present. We’re sitting in the present, chugging along, and suddenly Aina is reminded of something in her past, and boom, we’re there, and then equally as suddenly, we’re just … not. I got a little whiplash going back and forth, and I wish there had been some better demarcation so maybe I wouldn’t have spent so much time trying to follow and getting lost. Bearing in mind, though, this is an eARC, so there’s a possibility that this might be cleared up in the official release.

- I’m all for soft magic, but the magic system here is a little too vague for me, personally. Wielders of magic have to be Inosen, which are followers of a particular religion, and they wield diamonds to channel their magic. Blood is also involved. Only diamonds, though. No other gems work. And oh, diamonds (and the magic, also) are banned. Why any of this is a thing, I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine. I loved the idea of this magic and really wanted to get behind it, but I just … couldn’t. I needed something more to make sense of all these seemingly random, arbitrary restrictions on magic. I just wanted something more concrete about the diamonds and the magic.

- Aina’s character development felt like it stagnated for a while during the middle, to the point where it became repetitive. At first, I liked her determination. Who doesn’t appreciate a female assassin who comes from nothing and tries to prove she’s worth something? But for pretty much the entire middle of the book, it was just unwavering. Every chapter ended with a reaffirmation of what she “had to do.” Yes, okay, I know, buuuut could you not? The more this was repeated, the less sympathetic I felt toward her character, and she just started to annoy me. Which is a shame, because I really did feel for her. Yes, it was part of her arc and growth, but there was so much time spent on not arcing or growing that it became repetitive and then happened all at once.

Really fun read - the story was presented as high stakes from the beginning as the main character weaved throughout the plot. The world building was pretty well developed and easy to follow but still complex which is always a plus with fantasy.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publishers on Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.




Book: Diamond City




Author: Francesca Flores




Book Series: Diamond City Book 1




Rating: 3/5




Publication Date: January 28, 2020




Genre: YA Fantasy




Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, gore, some language, abuse TW)




Publisher: Wednesday Books




Pages: 400




Amazon Link




Synopsis: Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything.

Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten.

Her boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people with nowhere else to go. And makes sure they stay there.

DIAMOND CITY: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies.

To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy—and risk losing everything.

Full of action, romance and dark magic, book one of Francesca Flores' breathtaking fantasy duology will leave readers eager for more!




Review: For the most part, this was a great book. The world building was great, the writing was well done, and the characters were very well developed. The pacing was also on point throughout most of the novel.




However, I had a couple of issues. The book had a LOT of info dumps. Like, sometimes pages of info dumps after info dumps. I felt really bogged down while reading it, almost like I was reading two different books at once. The other issue I have is the issue of abuse. I don’t mind abuse portrayed in novels and I don’t mind when main characters suffer through it. I do mind when the characters are hit by someone and then proceed to state how much they love them. Like… NO! That’s not the message you want to send to younger kids. Love does not beat! And I just didn’t feel like that message came through strong enough. Lastly, I didn’t think this book was heist-y enough for my tastes. Just my personal preferences. Other than those things, this was a great book!




Verdict: A pretty good heist!

This book was fast paced and action packed! I loved the main character and the way she interacted with everyone around her. The story kept my attention the whole time and left me yearning for more! I will definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone who will listen!

I was really impressed by Diamond City! It’s a very strong debut that is action packed and full of assassinations and heists and deceit. Everything you need, right?

I got very strong Aelin vibes from Aina, the main character. I’m not sure if the author has read Throne of Glass, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she was inspired by it. I really enjoyed reading about Aina’s character growth, as she started off very closed off and then slowly opened up around her close group of friends.

I think the friendships were the best part of the book for me. I loved all of the side characters and how they interacted with Aina. They really helped bring out the best in her and helped her realise what was good and what was bad.

I have to put a warning in here about abuse, as Aina is in an abusive almost-relationship with her boss, who she kind of idolises for saving her from dying. She slowly comes to realise that it’s unhealthy though, somewhat with the help of other characters but mostly through her own realisations.

I have to say that there was a lot less diamond stuff and magic than I was expecting. This book is more of a low fantasy than anything, and the fantasy stuff only came up in a few scenes. Most of the book focuses on assassinations and heists, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not really how the book is being marketed!

Like I said, I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out – hopefully next year!

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

I genuinely enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing where  the series goes next. This first book is packed with murder, action, and some pretty shady politics and religious constrictions. There was something about it that makes me love this city. It’s dark and grim and grimy and so divided. It’s almost it’s own character. The main character, Aina, is probably one of the most human assassins I’ve read, and her fears and flaws really added to her likability for me. Overall It was a great introduction to this author.

Diamond City is a action-packed YA urban fantasy following a street kid-turned assassin as she navigates the complex realities of her city and plenty of danger. While not all of this was quite my cup of tea, I'm impressed with the detailed world-building and thoughtful depiction of class inequality, religious persecution, toxic relationships, and trauma. While this was a little action-heavy for my taste and I didn't entirely love Aina as a main character, I think a lot of readers will really enjoy this.

Aina watched as her parents were murdered when she was 8 years old, and spent years living on the streets, addicted to sniffing glue before she was plucked out of that life at 12 and trained to become a skilled assassin. Now at 18, Aina is assigned her most dangerous assignment yet- to kill a prominent and wealthy young man. When things go wrong, everything starts to fall apart.

For how confident Aina is in her own abilities, she is a TERRIBLE assassin! Brutal killer? Sure. Subtle, smart, and efficient? Decidedly not. She really does not seem to be very bright and does a lot of really stupid, reckless things, and makes really stupid assumptions. I found that irritating and made it difficult for me to really buy into her as this great or even competent assassin.

There is also a LOT of killing in this book. Lots of action, lots of violent scenes involving stabbing, punching, shooting, poisoning, etc with a very high body count. Ironically, Aina keeps recalling how her religious parents believed that all life is precious, before proceeding to kill even more people. I don't mind violence, or even a lot of violence in books, but this did feel a little excessive and more for the action than purposeful. I realize this is a totally a matter of taste, but do be aware of it.

For me, the highlight of this book was definitely the construction of Kosin as a city and the way it tackled structural inequalities, offered raw depictions of poverty, and addressed religious oppression. You clearly see how easily street kids are drawn into addiction or violence with few other options, the ways that the powerful abuse their power and maintain it as the expense of others, and oppress anyone who threatens their power and wealth. All of that was spectacularly done. I was less enthralled with the plot progression and some of the characterization, but I do think a lot of that is a matter of taste. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Just was not my thing. I will definitely do a re-read and try again, but the main character just wasn't believable and her conflicts/moral angst clashed.

I try fantasy books occassionally and thought I would like this one but just not right for me so sorry!

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

I typically try to stay away from spoilers, but I don't think I can avoid them for this review.

Francesca Flores puts forth a solid debut in Diamond City. Readers follow Aina, a former drug-addicted orphan who was homeless after her parents were murdered, only to be taken in by a street gang and trained as an assassin. Aina has been part of the gang for most of her life, and is now one of the top assassins as well. She is given one last job before she can open her own business without being beholden to the gang. Nothing goes smoothly, everything's falling apart, and Aina has to be quick on her feet to survive.

Flores combines a lot of different themes that are common in current YA. You have assassins, thieves, a black market, spies, political intrigue, but you also have a magic system in place in the background and a heist-like plot. Admittedly, this is not a true heist novel, but it has the fast-paced action, the infiltration of impenetrable mansions, and ragtag team of unlikely allies that really is reminiscent of heist books. 

Flores managed those common themes well, but she also included some very important things that I don't see often in these types of YA books. Aina is perpetually at risk of relapse into her drug-addiction and there is commentary on the effects of poverty on the people living in the Stacks. 

Aina is involved in an abusive relationship with her boss (Kohl), though not romantic or sexual in nature. Aina struggles with her feelings surrounding Kohl throughout the novel, and Teo provides an excellent device to show her that she deserves more than what Kohl offers. Aina's reflections on Kohl's treatment of her are often powerful thoughts, even in her weakest moments. I was so grateful that Flores steered things away from the love triangle or quadrilateral that I initially thought was happening. Particularly when it was clear that her reasons for doing so surrounded Aina standing up for her own mental health needs. Bless an author that knows when to leave romance out.

Kohl and Teo are undoubtedly two of my favorite characters from this novel, as they have a lot of depth to them and are pretty solid foils for each other. 

Aina, after coming to the conclusion that Kohl is, in fact, not good for her chooses not to rely on Teo (her male best friend and maybe love interest), not on Ryuu (another possible male love interest), but on Tannis. Tannis is a female assassin who has oftentimes been Aina's rival as much as friend, but they choose to support each other and lift each other up in the face of Kohl's crappy behavior. Honestly, we need more women supporting women in life and business, and I was happy to see it here. AND both men offered support and space to process as Aina needed it. 

I would have liked to see more of the magic system that Flores introduced, but didn't really focus on. I would also really like it if that was shown through Raurie's lens.

There were overall just a lot of good things happening in Diamond City. I look forward to seeing how Flores grows as an author, and to how this world grows with her.

Book Info
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: January 28th 2020 by Wednesday Books
ISBN 1250220440 (ISBN13: 9781250220448)
Edition Language English
Series Diamond City #1
Other Editions (1)
Source:Netgalley EARC
Buy book from
Amazon B&N
BOOK BLURB

"A thrilling adventure, through a vibrant city as alive as any character, about a girl willing to do anything to better her circumstances. " — Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints

Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything.

Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solis is as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten.

Her boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people with nowhere else to go. And makes sure they stay there.

DIAMOND CITY: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies.

To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy—and risk losing everything.
My Thoughts

I will be honest, started the book the first time too close to reading another that was similar lines and with a strong female lead character so put this one down in favor of others for the past 4 or 5 books to cleanse/reset my memory.

It worked and upon second try got totally on board with the authors vision for her characters.

The world of Diamond City is one filled with extremes, there are those with extreme power and wealth right along which those with absolutely nothing.

Pretty much a realistic scenario for a lot of places that exist outside of fantasy fiction.

However in this world the one man who holds the most power also happens to be the one Aina Solis is most beholden to as well as most fears his disappointment in her, which in her well informed knowledge of the Blood King means death to those he deems unworthy.

At 12 years of age orphaned Aina is rescued from her life as a Street Child and taken in where she is trained as an assassin by her boss/master/mentor Kohl Pavel whose nicknames The Durozy Nightmare, The Blood King and Surgeon are aptly earned by the powerful man in question.

Now 18 Aina is tasked with her most formidable assignment since she started taking lives for pay.

The target is one that even Aina knows is not really worth the coin she would earn, but the end reward of more than money is one she has worked toward since the very beginning.

A dream for her longed for future life now in Aina’s grasp she accepts the challenge with reservations and as events unfold those very fears prove tenfold over to be true.

For me the setup of the reveal of why this particular person must be eliminated comes with its own buildup that proves fast or slow depending on the mood my brain was in upon discovering each aspect of the authors plot points.

Once all was revealed the complexity of multiple betrayals, conspiracies and lies is intertwined in ways both horrific to Aina and finally makes sense of it all to the books reader

The adventure of this read has several layers that are well worth exploring, the characters are at times frustrating or easy to sympathize with depending on the setting in which they are introduced and overall I found the book interestingly easy to understand as well as easy to get lost within its pages as I read.

Upon finishing my first thought was when is book 2 coming out and will it be available to review?

[EArc from Netgalley]







On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Overall, the plot of this story was interesting. However, there were many instances when I was honestly, very confused. The world building confused me, as did the religion, magic, and diamonds. The main character was interesting, and very like-able, and showed a lot of growth. I just felt I could not connect to the story the way I wanted to.