Overall this was an enjoyable urban fantasy surrounding rival gangs who possess the ability to transmutate objects.

It was fast paced and I was itching to know what would happen next. I didn’t find the love story to be convincing to be honest and would have felt this to be more compelling as a friendship. There wasn’t enough chemistry to warrant me rooting for the couple. Descriptions of their “love” were fairly heavy handed. Actually, on the whole I felt that there should have been more discernment in level of exposition. Being a little bit more conservative with this would have added to the mysterious nature of the story.

The immigrant experiences and sometimes fraught parent-child relationships stemming from these challenges hit home.

Red City is Marie Lu’s debut adult book is a contemporary fantasy set in an alternate Los Angeles focusing on the world of alchemy and the corrupt alchemy syndicates. Thanks so much NetGalley and Tor for the advanced reader’s copy! Red City is out on October 14th, 2025.

Marie Lu is obviously a well known very successful YA author. I loved her Legend trilogy when I was a teenager and have heard great things about her other series(which I’ve been meaning to read for ages) so her adult fantasy piqued my interest.

This was a decent book and I did enjoy it. The start was pretty slow. The first quarter I did have to push myself to get through. The talk of alchemy was interesting and the amount of research Marie Lu must have put into it really shows. I thought Sam and her mother’s relationship was compelling and Marie Lu’s acknowledgements were she talks about how that relationship was based on her own was touching. Sam and Ari are likable enough characters to follow. The second half of this book was more enjoyable than the first. I did see many parallels and similarities between this book and her Legend trilogy though. Sam and Ari were reminding me a bit of Day and June and being on opposite sides of the conflict. The intellectual component and the corruption also felt very reminiscent of Legend. At times it felt like I was reading Legend for a slightly older audience.
What Red City has that Legend doesn’t though, is the alchemy. The descriptions on how it worked with the equations balanced and the use of it in fights was so well done. It’s a great premise. I’m excited to see what direction this series heads in and think it’s a solid start to a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Books for the advanced reading copy of Marie Lu’s Red City!
I absolutely loved this! I always love Lu’s books, but this was on another level of amazing and creative. Perhaps because she was able to go no-holds-barred with the violence and darkness, either way, this is at the top of my favorites from her catalog. The writing was incredible and visceral. I also liked the inclusion of the articles and whatnots; it added to alchemy being part of this world.
The setting/worldbuilding was so good– an alternate dark and glittering undercity of Los Angeles was such an interesting place to set this Godfatheresque story in, and the magic/magical fight scenes were some of my favorite elements of the story; it would be so cool to see this animated. I felt for the characters, and I loved that they were so morally grey. They went from kids with hopes for family and a bright future to people willing to do bad things for those they love. I loved that no one escaped the use of “sand,” the drug the alchemical syndicates are peddling all over the world. Yes, it enhances people’s characteristics for good things, but some of the things that Sam and Ari are talented for, like Sam’s ability to be unnoticed, and Ari’s charisma, are things that work against them as well. I thought that was a cool way to go about it.
The characters and their motivations were so complicated. None of these characters were fully good or bad, except for Sebastian, which made them more compelling to read about.
This star-crossed romance between Sam and Ari was amazing. Their bond from childhood, and all the way to adulthood, was so unbreakable, and the fact that they were on opposite sides made this so much more interesting. This world is dangerous and unforgivable, and just the notion that they have a connection was treacherous, but it didn't stop their love.
The spice was so good; though I saw in other books that Lu was capable of writing sex scenes, though more implied, i.e., “Icon and Inferno”, this was open door and surprisingly sexy.
Overall, I absolutely loved everything about this, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

As a long time fan of Marie Lu’s YA novels, I was incredibly excited to read her Adult Fantasy debut and it absolutely delivered! The magic system was really well thought out and explored in a detailed and nuanced way without being overwhelming. I loved the multiple POVs and had just as much fun reading about Ari and Sam’s separate journeys as I did when they were together on the page. I enjoyed every minute I got to spend in this world and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I feel like I will be coming back and forth to add to my thoughts on this read. I cannot stop thinking about this book. I am a huge fan of Marie Lu, have read all of her YA content, and am very honoured to have had the chance to read her adult debut early. It’ll probably take me until its release to sort out all of my feelings.
For starters, I loved this book! The way it’s written has this way of latching onto the reader and keeping them in a chokehold until the very end. And if my current state of mind is any indication, for a lot longer. I care so deeply for Sam and Ari. Put in an impossible situation, they never even had a chance, fated to be star crossed lovers from the start - but the story isn’t over yet. I also couldn’t help but feel deeply for Will, despite never get to see things from his perspective. The reader is treated to certain glimpses that allow one to get a more profound sense of his character.
There is no denying that the central theme of this book is greed and power. It is the driving force of so much in this book. There is a very strong sense of love and desperation in the story that can be felt to the very core of the reader. I felt so many strong emotions while reading this book. The power dynamics at play were captivating and this includes the magic system, which is probably on of the most unique that I have ever read. The alchemy that a person can wield is dependent on the caster’s soul and it is the very breaking/shattering of the soul that is the cost of the magic. Everything about this story is soul deep.
The pacing is perfect for a tale of this magnitude; it starts off slow and goes out with bang. I want so much more of this world and its cast of characters.
Marie Lu’s diverse cast of characters and inclussions of the immigrant experience add an extra dimension to the story as well.
This is most definitely an adult read, the themes are dark and there is indeed some spice, including a splash of a darker romance.
I recommend this book to lovers of dark academia, mafia, magic, morally grey characters and more. If you liked V. E. Schwab’s Villain’s books, then this is a must read.
Many thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early digital review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

4 stars! Red City is like The Godfather got glitter bombed by magic—dark, dramatic, and totally addictive. The alchemy concept was super cool, the vibes were rich, and Sam and Ari? Their “we might kill each other but also maybe still in love” energy had me hooked. I wanted slightly more oomph from the ending, but overall? This was a slick, sharp ride and I’m absolutely coming back for more.

this was so addictive. I can see why some people thought the beginning was slow but for me it was the perfect pace for the world building leading up to the action. After part 1 it really cranks up a notch. It's literally action until the very end. when I say action I really mean action, this was like watching two mafia "families" fighting it out, going to war or something. I loved it.

the writing was so vivid, parts of this really felt like a movie! the alchemy/magical system was something I haven't seen before. It was so well done.

I know most people were rooting for Ari & Sam but yall.....hear me out. Will, though??? ✨SHE CAN FIX HIM I PROMISE✨ I was really really hoping for a taaaad bit more of the love triangle, in the sense of Ari & Will really fighting for Sam's love. I was really rooting for her to pick will & go to the dark side like 🥵 he was really serving touch her & you die type of energy & this is the kind of energy I want.

the last like 30% had my anxiety on level 10. I didn't know what to expect, who was about to betray who, what was going to happen, but it definitely did not disappoint. I can't wait for book two & this one hasn't even hit shelves yet 😭

My thoughts remain torn on Red City. From moment one, Marie Lu sweeps us into Angel City, a reimagined Los Angeles where alchemy is not an arcane whisper but a notorious drug called “sand”—a commodity that corrupts, empowers, and divides. The book’s aesthetic is simultaneously glossy and grim: there are neon-lit syndicate towers and opulent parties, but also back-alley deals, immigrant struggle, and raw desperation simmering just beneath the surface.

At the heart of it are Sam and Ari: childhood friends on divergent fates. Sam, the daughter of a hardworking immigrant single mother, watches her world tilt when she’s drawn into the operating world of Grand Central, hoping to claw out from poverty. Ari is taken from his family as a child to train under the rival Lumines syndicate, where he thrives but sacrifices pieces of his identity in the name of alchemy. As they grow, their lives orbit apart—caught in opposing power structures—until their paths inevitably collide in a war of loyalty, secrets, and shifting alliances.

What really sold me was the world-building. The city lives and breathes, a cast-glass fantasy landscape filled with smoky labs, shaded hierarchies, and grief-woven immigrant narratives. It felt like reading Sin City (the movie.) The alchemy system itself—magic that tugs from a person’s soul in exchange for dramatic physical and mental enhancement—is deeply compelling. It functions as both tool and weapon, with ever-escalating stakes. And Lu doesn’t shy away from showing the emotional and moral cost of wielding such force.

The dual‑perspective narration carries emotional weight. Sam emerges as a particularly strong heroine: ambitious, vulnerable, morally grey at times but always humane. Ari is quieter in his arc, but complex nonetheless—his devotion to duty, conflicted affection, and slow unraveling of self are handled with care. Seeing the world through alternate eyes adds resonance to the themes of belonging, power, and transformation.

That said, the novel is not without its flaws. The opening section felt sluggish: the childhood chapters, though important for emotional grounding, dragged longer than necessary, delaying entrance into the more tense and high-stakes world of syndicate politics. At times the pacing suffers, particularly in the middle when relationships and plot threads hover without enough friction or momentum.

As for the romance—while the foundation of childhood familiarity lends it weight, the development of deeper emotional bonds felt occasionally undercooked. I didn’t always feel Ari’s affection for Sam at the same intensity as I felt hers for him, making parts of their dynamic feel one-sided or forced.

The climax delivers, but some plot resolutions felt too convenient. A few conflicts wrap up with speed that strained believability, and moments that demanded nuance felt rushed in favor of spectacle. I wanted a bit more buildup or misdirection before the falling action descended into violence and betrayal.

Thematically, the book tackles heavy material—grooming, addiction, violence, exploitation, and the immigrant experience—but it does so with intention, not flash. But at the end, I still can't see that the smut scenes were entirely productive to the story.

Despite my grievances with pace and plot convenience, Red City is a dark, high‑stakes urban fantasy with unforgettable scale and an aching moral center. It’s ambitious, cinematic, and packed with characters you won’t soon forget. If you enjoy morally grey storytelling, inventive magic, and emotionally charged power plays, plunging into this gritty saga is well worth it.

As a fan of Marie Lu who has read her past YA series, I was hopeful I’d love this just as much. And I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the world building, the pacing, the characters. I could do with a bit more spice, but that’s me 😉 if you enjoyed her past books, I bet you’ll like this as well!

As soon as I seen in the description that Red City is like The Godfather meets The Magician, I love both so I was absolutely sold and was extremely to dive in. Upon reading, I was not disappointed AT ALL. This is definitely going on my top 5 reads of this year.


This was my first Marie Lu book and I was so surprised at just how good it was, I wish that I came across her work earlier. The world building was incredible and I absolutely loved Marie's style of writing. The beginning does start of kind of slow but it is so worth it when the plot starts to pick up and really develop.


This book was just WOW!!! I can't wait for the next book in the series

I’ve attempted this author several times and unfortunately I think her writing just isn’t for me. While this is a beautiful edition and a unique concept, this book struggles due to its use of present tense in a way that makes the plot and characters being distant and viewed from above.

I already loved Marie Lu's other work so I was curious how this book would turn out. It was so well written and incredibly engaging! A super fun read

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
Spice Rating: 🌶️.5 / 5

-----

My Summary: Sam and Ari live parallel lives. As childhood friends, they only know each other on a surface level from notes passed back and forth during their school days. Sam knows nothing of Ari's nightly lessons about alchemy, the hidden art of transformation, with Lumines--one of the two rival alchemy syndicates in Angel City. Ari was picked out of his homeland as a child and brought to Angel City specifically to become an alchemist, and since Lumines is sending money to his family, Ari is fully indebted and locked into their syndicate.

Sam is the daughter of a single mother who brought the two of them to Angel City when Sam was just a baby with the dream of a better life. Sam's mother has worked hard her entire life to provide for herself and her daughter, but when an accident leaves her out of work, teenage Sam decides to step up and explore the hidden world of alchemy to take care of herself and her mother. Sam goes to the leader of Grand Central--the second rival alchemy syndicate in Angel City--for assistance and finds herself fully immersed in the world of alchemy, and she is a natural.

For years, Sam's and Ari's paths don't cross as they both work within the rival syndicates. But when they do finally see each other again, everything has changed.

-----

My Thoughts: Red City is my first Marie Lu book, and now I can't wait to read her backlist. As Lu's adult debut novel, I think she absolutely nailed the genre along with the world building, magic system, and character development.

Sam and Ari are both dynamic characters with similar motivations but different ways of obtaining what they're after. Both of them had difficult childhoods full of trials and strife. Ari was pulled away from his family at a young age but fully taken care of by the alchemy syndicate, Lumines. Sam and her mom immigrated to Angel City when she was a baby, but her mother has been struggling to provide for them; Sam finds herself immersed in the world of alchemy with a different syndicate, Grand Central, later in life.

As Lumines and Grand Central are rival alchemy syndicates, Ari and Sam are fully on opposing sides of a political, and now physical, war. They've been asked to commit deed and crimes they never thought they would be asked to, and it's often at the expense of the other person. They have to each decide what they're willing to do to keep climbing the ladder to obtain more money and power or if they want to leave it all behind for a simpler life.

I love how Lu explored the motivations of both Sam and Ari through their points of view as well as the points of view of those people who were integral in shaping their lives. It was so eye-opening to see how Sam and Ari viewed those closest to them and then see how those people viewed Sam and Ari; and how those people worked behind the scenes to take care of Sam and Ari.

As far as the magic system goes, I thought alchemy was explained well enough while still remaining mysterious because that's really what it is--a mystery. One of my favorite things was how Lu fully explores the heavy cost of alchemy on a person's soul. Every time they use the magic, a piece of that person's soul is chipped away, and the larger the alchemical transmutation, the larger the cost on the soul. The magic systems I enjoy most have this sort of balance and cost to them. Because if there isn't a give and take, what is there to stop people from taking the magic to the extreme? Now, there are people in high positions or power in this novel who do take alchemy to the extreme, but you can see how much of a toll it takes on them and what they've had to give up to gain the sort of power they have.

Overall, Red City is an extremely fast-paced, dynamic novel. As the first book in The New Alchemists series, I'm so excited to see where Marie Lu goes with this story both with Sam's and Ari's character arcs and the political unrest between Lumines and Grand Central in Angel City. I recommend Red City to readers who love science fiction and urban fantasy stories with a unique magic system and multi-dimensional characters.

I was lucky enough to receive a physical copy of this book, so I'll be reading and evaluating that instead!

I devoured this book in one sitting, but my feelings are a little conflicted. It definitely checked a lot of my boxes:
- Creative magic system
- Good romantic tension
- Well paced
And if you have enjoyed Marie Lu’s previous books, you’re likely to enjoy this one too. It has the same tone, but is definitely more adult.

But I have one major complaint…

Marie Lu has an issue with creating inappropriate relationships with some pretty clear imbalances.

So I was a big fan of the Legend series when I was younger (in case you don’t know this is a YA series by Marie Lu), but I didn’t realize until I was much older how creepy it was to engineer a relationship between a 15 year old girl and a 20 year old man (mind you these characters were romantically involved but the man was not the MMC). This wasn’t presented at all as problematic, and the man was written to be a totally nice guy. At such an impressionable age I thought this age gap was normal, but when I mentioned the book to my older sister she was SHOCKED. Looking back, putting this detail in a young adult book is astounding, not to mention gross.

‼️Minor Spoilers Ahead‼️

Now I could write this plot point off as a lapse in judgement, but Marie Lu repeats this same dynamic multiple times in Red City. She describes in detail the “desire” between 15-year-old Sam (the FMC) and 24-year-old Will (not the MMC), and several years later when they get together, Will says how he’s “wanted this for so long” 🤮.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t end at Sam. Lu repeats the same thing, to a more minor degree, when she has Ari (the MMC), around 17 or 18 at the time, hook up with a character who I could best describe as his teacher?!??

I absolutely loved this book! I went on vacation for two weeks and this is the only book that I took with me. I unfortunately gobbled this up in two days and nothing else to read the rest of my trip but that's okay, because this book was amazing! It's immersive and fast paced. I loved the characters. There is some toxic romance and some sweet romance. I loved the unique magic system as well. I cannot wait for book two to come out so that I can continue on in this journey.

I’ve never read Marie Lu’s YA series, so I was very excited to be introduced to her writing through this adult fantasy. I instantly got attached to Sam and Ari. They’re adorable weird young kids and seeing them grow up was so fun and heartbreaking. I did want more from the actual magic and how it all works. Like we spent a lot of time with them going to classes, but I feel like there’s still so much to alchemy. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this and I can’t wait for the next one!

I think the most notable thing about Red City for me wasn’t the fantasy aspect (surprisingly), or the romance, but actually the mother daughter relationship and the vengeance Sam sought for that. It very much reminded me of the stories I used to read between mother’s and daughter’s by Amy Tan who was pretty much one of my favorite authors growing up.

My heart absolutely broke during some of their interactions and it for sure has to do with being a 1st gen. Not that my relationship with my parents is that way entirely but in some aspects it is?

Anyways, it was an honor to read and I’m invested enough to continue the series to see where the story goes because honestly this wrapped up in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I loved this book! The characters were all interesting. They each had a backstory that made them more complicated. I also loved the writing style. The story did start out a little slow but I liked that we get to see the early friendship of the main characters.

Look, I love Legend and consider it one of my favorite reads of all time, but depending on what direction this series takes, I might have a new favorite Marie Lu book...

Red City is Marie Lu's debut into the adult fantasy world, and it exceeded my already super high expectations. I saw some comparisons to Babel, but I think it reminded me more of a mix between Blood Over Bright Haven and These Violent Delights, and I loved every second of it. It's dark, it's bloody, it's addictive, and I'm already adding it to my list of auto-buy series. I loved the worldbuilding involving alchemy and how many creative (and horrific) ways it can be used. Bioalchemy was especially interesting to me; the idea of using alchemy to manipulate the chemicals of people's bodies, like dopamine, to evoke specific responses was such a cool concept. Also, sand as a drug, enhancing a person's nature, and the parallels between its effect on Ari and Sam? Super intriguing. I also really liked the attribution system, and I can't wait to see if it has more symbolism in the future.

Ari and Sam are childhood friends, but they're drawn apart as they gain the attention of the largest rival syndicates in the world of alchemy. Both Lumines and Grand Central thrive on the production of sand, a drug created from the philosopher's soul that enhances a person's natural abilities, and they demand full loyalty of all of their alchemists...now including Ari and Sam. I can't say much else without revealing spoilers, but the plot is very focused on the rivalry and warfare between Lumines and Grand Central. It takes a very dark turn around the halfway mark, which is where a lot of the gritty crime aspects of the plot come from. Similarly, it's a bit slow starting off, but the last 30% or so is fast-paced and so suspenseful that I didn't want to put the book down, even for a minute. Also, the angst? It's been a while since I read Legend, and so I forgot how angsty Marie Lu can be...but dang. This book hurt. I know future books will only hurt more. This book may have a relatively satisfying ending, but I know the next ones won't. I am not prepared.

The characters are all incredibly complex, and I may or may not have gotten way too invested in some of their arcs. Sam is probably one of my favorite morally grey FMCs; her ambition is both realistic and relatable, and her backstory makes it even more impactful. Her devotion to alchemy was so fun to see, and I just really enjoyed seeing her inner conflict with her role in the syndicate and the tasks she was assigned. I loved Ari, too, and although he felt like a bit less of a focus than Sam (but only slightly), I'm super excited to see how his arc progresses in the next book. He's sensitive, but just as morally complex as Sam, and his power was probably my favorite. Their relationship did feel a bit underdeveloped at times, which is why I'm even more excited for book two, but there was so much angst involved, too, and I was hooked from the beginning. Will, on the other hand, I hated. Yes, some of it was because I wanted Sam and Ari to end up together, but also, I just hated how manipulative he was, and now I despise him with every ounce of my being. I wasn't an Isla fan for the same reason, but I hated her a bit less because she felt slightly less toxic. The dynamics between the syndicate crime lords were super fun to read about as well, and I can't wait to see where the next book goes.

Red City is one of my new favorite Marie Lu books, perfect for fans of dark urban fantasy, complex characters with angsty dynamics, and super unique worldbuilding. I will be thinking about this for at least the next week. I am not okay.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.75/5