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 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
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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.

Rescued by a gang leader after the murder of her parents, Aina spends her life training and becoming a deadly assassin. Although her boss is cold and cruel, he provides a place for those who are unwanted with nowhere to go. They live in Diamond City, a world where extreme wealth and poverty live side-by-side, diamonds providing more wealth to the wealthy as well as the ability to perform blood magic to the faithful - although both the magic and religion are illegal.

It's hard to sum up this book in just a few sentences because it is a little multifaceted and complex, but the story and storytelling were both wonderful and drew me in immediately. I loved the struggle the hero endures as well *slight spoiler alert* because honestly, in no story that I have ever read has the hero struggled with a drug addiction of any kind, and I loved that aspect along with the way she overcame the addiction, while still demonstrating that the struggle doesn't all the way come to a designated "end."

The pacing was great, the storytelling was amazing, and overall I highly recommend this book.

It's been five days and I just can't engage with this book. No matter how hard I try, it's simply not doing it for me so I'm going to have to throw in the towel.

I'm having the biggest struggle with Aina. I understood when picking this up that she was a hired assassin and there would be morally grey characters, but if that's the case you have to somehow make me empathize/sympathize with these people to care what happens to them. The heroine's parents were slaughtered right in front of her as a child for practicing a forbidden religion and magic, but instead of feeling grief about that she seems to feel only anger that she was left to fend for herself. She has honed herself into an emotionless killer whose only ambition is to be the most feared by the gangs she associates with, more feared than her vicious boss. She's represented as a cold as steel person who can shut off fear on a whim and has no conscience to speak of. However, we are told that she has the secret weakness of being terrified of spiders? The sound of gunshots are supposed to trigger fear for her because of her parents' deaths, but in the first fight scene there were gunshots all around her and she didn't blink.

The worldbuilding is vague in regards to the black diamonds, the "Mothers" who created the two moons and how worshipping with diamonds works, and the different gangs in the Stacks. The romance hinted at in the synopsis is really beyond creepy and toxic. It makes me lose interest in the heroine each and every time she feels attraction to her boss. This is the kind of person who holds complete and utter power over her using fear. Killing people under his protection in front of her eyes. Smashing her head into a wall and punching her for failing him. Then in the next breath she's having warm feelings of attraction and I admit, this woman makes absolutely no sense to me.

Edging towards halfway, I should be engrossed and feel some form of concern for the main character. As that didn't seem to be happening, I made the choice to accept that Diamond City is simply not for me.

I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review. Due to university classes I will be unable to finish the novel by the time that this book is archived., however, the amount that I have read so far is phenomenal! I wish I could provide an in-depth view but without finishing it, I don’t feel like I can be honest.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

Diamond city is a YA story full of magic, romance and action. It took me a couple of chapter to really get into it but I have really love this book and looking foward to the sequel.

After the murder of her parents, Aina became an assassin to survive. His boss might be brutal, but he provides a place for people who have no where else to go. On one of her task, something will go wrong and Aina might lose everything...

Diamond City was a fun story full of adventure and hidden agendas. The main character was an assassin and ended up involved in a job that got her in over her head and turned her world upside down.
I felt like I was reading early Throne of Glass, in the Assassin’s Blade novellas as the main character struggled to earn enough to escape her powerful boss and survive in the city, as well as feud with the other assassins for the boss’s favor.
While I enjoyed the plot, there was a lot of telling vs showing and a lot of emphasis placed on how amazing of an assassin she was, yet she seemed more like an ordinary person who struggled to find her place in the world. There wasn’t a lot of emotion behind any of her actions and I had hoped to connect with any of the characters a little bit more than I did.

Three and a half
Ok I was really keen to read this story about a female assassin as I have adored that particular trope recently and honestly I wanted to be fully immersed in another piece of fantasy fiction. Well yes ok our protagonist is female and yes Aina is an assassin but she's almost detached at times, felt strangely weak and wasn't really that likeable. I do understand when anyone could be out for your blood every day that it's hard to trust or form attachments but Aina seemed to lack loyalty and empathy and for me any explanations given just weren't strong enough.
I will endeavour not to rehash the plot but essentially we have a world divided into an industrial elite class and then a much poorer group who follow an outlawed religion. Into this odd mix the author drops deadly street gangs and perhaps the part I really needed more information about is diamond mining because the diamonds are used for magic amongst the poorest and jewellery by the richest or Steels as they are known. There's a strong sense of both Victorian like slums coupled with a more modern world with electricity and technology that sadly just wasn't descriptive enough. I wanted to picture things in the theatre of my mind but just couldn't.
The story and overall plot isn't bad it was just that with my lack of empathy for the flawed Aina and her Stockholm attitude towards her boss it just didn't convince me enough. I wanted to be completed sucked in and yes the author leaves possibilities for romance if Aina survives the next book but who will actually get her to truly feel is anyone's guess !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for offering this ARC in exchange for an honest review***

Diamond City is about an orphaned girl, Aina, taken in by a crime boss and trained as an assassin. Aina has a strong character arc and the book is full of exciting chases, sword and fist fights, and angst.

The plot weaves outlawed magic with a powerful crime syndicate and political conspiracy. I thought the concept of diamonds to fuel magic was an interesting system and I liked the world building in this story. I would even say that the world building is one of the strongest features in the book.

The pace is well done and drives the reader forward quickly, though there are a few rest stops along the way. The characters never pause in pursuit of their goal and I enjoyed the well thought out obstacles they encounter.

The characters themselves and their relationships were the weakest point for me. I didn't fall in love with Aina and had a lot of difficulty empathizing with her. A lot of her emotions felt flat to me and I didn't connect with her. I was also troubled by her relationship with other characters, specifically Kohl.

All in all, I think a lot of people will really love this fast paced story and intriguing world the author has built.

DNF.

I gave it maybe around 50+ pages and I wasn't really captivated by the stories. The main characters are trying to be super vicious and cutthroat but it just made me dislike them. If this city has like this dark trade in diamonds and what not, that's what I was more interested in reading as it was mentioned in the premise but I just got a sort brief glimpse of it and then a whole bunch of confusing world building.

Maybe if I had more patience I could push through but I'm falling into a reading slump and need to prevent this from getting worse.

eArc provided by NetGalley.

I couldn't really get into this title. I'm usually all here for strong female assassins, but by halfway through the book I wasn't excited or interested in what happened next. I also got strong 'not like other girls' vibes from the protagonist, which is a theme that I'm averse to personally.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books for sending me a review copy of this book!

As the first book I read in the new year, this absolutely did not disappoint. Following Aina Solís, an assassin working for one of the most powerful gangs in the city as a means of survival, as she embarks on one of the most challenging hits of her career, DIAMOND CITY captures your attention from the very first chapter and makes you question how your past shapes your future. With a high-stakes mission in a city that has outlawed everything that makes her who she is, Aina and those she holds close are the underdogs that we all love reading about. So, let's talk about them first.

I'll admit that, initially, Aina wasn't my favourite character. Her dynamic with her boss, Kohl, reminded me too much of Kaz and Inej from SIX OF CROWS with the exception that Aina didn't stand as strong on her own, consistently referencing her desire to gain Kohl's approval. That said, Aina's character not only provided a unique discussion into abusive relationships and the process of separating yourself from someone that you hold above all else, but also was someone whose empathy juxtaposed against her role as an assassin enhanced my connection to her. Even through her worst moments, I could rationalize her behaviour, seeing myself in her shoes, working through her complex relationships alongside her. Moreover, I loved the way that her and Teo operated, with such a powerful bond that allowed Aina to find something worth fighting for when everything around her seemed unstable. Teo's character also allows her to engage in her own self-reflection and grow throughout the novel through his role outside the gang, which I really appreciated.

To switch gears to focusing on the plot, I admired the consistent pacing throughout the novel, lending appropriate time to both character and plot development. More importantly, however, was how well this plot of the Steels vs. the Inosens reflected and commented upon the class and religious divides in modern day, with an acknowledgement of privilege and the ways in which members on both sides of the divide could work collaboratively towards a common goal. To add to this, the amount of female empowerment in this novel is nothing short of excellent, with many female characters coming out from the shadows to aid in Aina's quest in their own powerful ways that furthered the magic system and our understanding of how it created the divide to begin with.

Ultimately, this novel took me by surprise in the best way possible and is a story that I truly believe will make people think about their positioning in society. For those who loved SIX OF CROWS or ACE OF SHADES or really, any epic heist/assassin story, this one's for you.

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

Diamond City is a multifaceted YA fantasy that blends the aspects of many different types of magic systems into one plot, and while I've seen this as being a turnoff for some readers, I found it to work beautifully. Flores has given us a world filled with blood/elemental magic, a steampunk setting, and political unrest to breed a luscious, atmospheric tale of bloodshed and, ultimately, revenge. While I'm not as well read in this genre as some, I have picked up my fair share of YA fantasy over the years and I found the world building, plot progression, and character development to be delightful and engaging. This is the first in a new series, but don't worry, there is just enough closure to negate the awful cliffhanger feeling, while leaving just enough of a set up to cause the reader to crave the next installment. If you enjoy a slow burning fantasy that is both sensual and stabby, look no further!

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. From the beginning, the concept of this world where diamonds are a source of magic interested me and I enjoyed this book overall. However, I thought it lacked some necessary character development and there were some things that seemed odd to me about it. A small spoiler alert may be necessary here, but Aina is supposed to be this really amazing assassin in this book. However, her greatest fears are guns and spiders. That doesn’t seem likely for a skilled assassin who has been training for years. I did really enjoy the backstory of her addiction and overcoming that on her own. I’m hoping there will be a second book where true character development is shown. Overall, I would recommend this book.

I set down with a cup of tea and this book to recover from holiday rush. I kept reading the book and forgot my tea. For me that’s a major endorsement for the book. Very interesting read. Good character development and plot. Definitely worth your time. Just be sure to have your tea on a warmer.