City of a Thousand Dolls (Bhinian Empire, #1) by Miriam Forster

Feb 17, 2013 Blythe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars, 2013-reads, almost-fell-asleep, disappointments, doesn-t-deserve-the-hype, i-totally-saw-that-coming, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, meh, snark-bait-ooh-ah-ah, synopses-that-lie, unmet-potential, read-reviewed

To be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure what urged me to read City of a Thousand Dolls the day it was released, or even at all. I'm not, and most likely never will be, a high fantasy fan, and usually steer clear of high fantasies in general, unless they've received positive reviews from many friends of mine. City of a Thousand Dolls did not receive very many positive reviews from friends of mine, so in retrospect, I honestly have no clue as to why I picked this one up. I suppose I was intrigue...more To be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure what urged me to read City of a Thousand Dolls the day it was released, or even at all. I'm not, and most likely never will be, a high fantasy fan, and usually steer clear of high fantasies in general, unless they've received positive reviews from many friends of mine. City of a Thousand Dolls did not receive very many positive reviews from friends of mine, so in retrospect, I honestly have no clue as to why I picked this one up. I suppose I was intrigued by the title? The allure of an 'unpredictable and thrilling mystery', intertwined with high fantasy? The cover?

Unfortunately, even with my not-too-high expectations, I am left quite disappointed with this poorly structured novel. For me, the main issue with City of a Thousand Dolls was its pacing, which seemed to pick up not once in the entire novel. City of a Thousand Dolls could have easily been an entertaining, thrilling, and briskly paced read, given the intriguing murder mystery we're provided with, but it felt like the entire murder mystery really only took center stage in the second half, and by that point I was a lot less invested in the mystery than I was when the murders were first introduced.

As opposed to the murder mystery, the first half of City of a Thousand Dolls was focused strictly on social aspects of the world - such as social classes, clothing, et cetera. And for the first quarter or so, I ate that all up. After that first quarter, however, the social aspects of the world only became redundant, and what made it more frustrating was the fact that murders are piling up and piling up, but they were all shoved under the carpet, so to speak, to make room for the less interesting aspects of the novel.

And as for the murder mystery, it isn't too great on its own, either. While I did find it to be intriguing at first, it has been done before in a similar fashion, and has been done better, too. What frustrated me most concerning the murder mystery, though, was how blatantly obvious the revelation of the culprit was. Character development would have benefitted this book, and more prominently the mystery a lot, but considering the fact that we're given cardboard characters in a cardboard world with a cardboard plot and a cardboard mystery, I was able to pin down the murderer within the first few chapters.

While City of a Thousand Dolls does have some unique aspects to its characters and world, those few unique and positive aspects didn't amount to much in the midst of all the negatives. Without thorough world building, developed characters, and an exciting mystery and plot, which are all practically necessary for a well-written high fantasy novel, I think it's safe to say that City of a Thousand Dolls only ended up being as thin and bland as the paper it was written on.(less)

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Jan 01, 2013 Julianna Helms rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of THE SELECTION and cardboard-cutout plots

Recommended to Julianna by: meselfz.

Shelves: bam-covers, hall-of-infamy, received-via-trade-with-awesomers, rockin-the-minority-yo, skimmed-like-milk-jk, stalk-the-cover-but-not-the-book, traded-with-awesome-people, way-too-cliche

**ACTUAL, FULL REVIEW**

Original will be posted on my blog on January 10th, 2013, here. (Note: due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost.)

I'm going to try really, really hard to make this review as gentle as I can let it be. But make no mistake: I did not, at all, like this book.

Let's just discard some misinformation first. That first line in the summary? "An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-sto...more **ACTUAL, FULL REVIEW**

Original will be posted on my blog on January 10th, 2013, here. (Note: due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost.)

I'm going to try really, really hard to make this review as gentle as I can let it be. But make no mistake: I did not, at all, like this book.

Let's just discard some misinformation first. That first line in the summary? "An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure"? That is not true. At least, not for me. Let me explain.

This book is not exotic, because I felt the writing was very bland. The story was told with a sort of detachment, and no real emotions were really explored. It was very "this happened, now this, now oh look here's something else that's happened, and oh my, this is all very tragic". Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Ms. Forster can't write. Surely she can. But her style was just really not my type. Also, this book is not "entirely original". Sure, it sounds absolutely amazing and original. I thought so, too. But upon reading it, I realized that it utilizes the same variation of court intrigue that Alison Goodman's Eon series does so well, except it doesn't do it so well. It's a flurry of events that do have consequences, but are not developed. It's like watching a movie unfold when nothing seems important to you because nothing connects. Not the two-dimensional characters, not the paper-cut out world, not the misuse of Asian culture, and certainly not the absolutely unscintillating romance.

Romance first: I'm so unsure as to where the whole thing was going. It was a nice tentative thing at first--no insta-love here, and yay, a backstory!--but... it was so flat. I wished I could proclaim what so profoundly breathes life into characters, because then and only then will some people deem me qualified to talk, but as a reader and a blogger/reviewer, all I can say is that I didn't feel anything. It was more "meh" to me than anything else, and the whole thing seemed to be going in a thousand different directions at once (do you see the pun tucked in there?).

I told you this review was going to be negative, so I'll wrap it up with this last bit of complaint that is quite personal and most likely won't affect most of you.

The culture/terminology.

I'm 100% Chinese. I grew up in China. I'm quite sure I'm of enough caliber to analyze my culture, so let's look. I realize that Miriam mentioned somewhere that this book is based off of South Asian cultures, and I also understand the gap in translation. I've gone to enough museums to know that "the green-leafed Spring" is an acceptable, translated painting name, etc. But this book had so. many. of the long-named translations like "in the name of the Long-Tailed Cat" that it was ludicrous. I've never read an Asian-based fantasy that used this many "translations". Most of them didn't even contain any, or just one/two. This whole bizarre use of Asian culture/terminology (whether or not it's Chinese, I've Asian blood in me, and I've studied this whole shebang enough times that I see a book not fully researched when I read it the first time) was just distracting. I could barely focus on the story when the meh writing and misused culture/terminology made me want to just, oh, I don't know, headdesk really really hard.

Overall, you definitely can give City of a Thousand Dolls a try. Warning, though: if you want a good Asian-based fantasy that will rock your socks off, I cannot say that this book is it. (less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Mitch rated it 2 of 5 stars

For me at least, City of a Thousand Dolls is a cautionary tale in style versus substance. Stylistically, this is a book that hits all the right notes - it’s rich and inviting and takes inspirations from several different Asian cultures to create a rather unique reading experience; it’s certainly not a book that lacks for world building. Yet at the same time, substantively, I really don’t feel the actual story lives up to the setting; behind the exotic fashions, the politicking, and the courtesan...more For me at least, City of a Thousand Dolls is a cautionary tale in style versus substance. Stylistically, this is a book that hits all the right notes - it’s rich and inviting and takes inspirations from several different Asian cultures to create a rather unique reading experience; it’s certainly not a book that lacks for world building. Yet at the same time, substantively, I really don’t feel the actual story lives up to the setting; behind the exotic fashions, the politicking, and the courtesan intrigue, everything from the murder plot to the romantic relationship to even the role of the City in the history and politics of this Empire the story is supposedly ultimately about just felt way too easy.

That said, the summary at least is a hundred percent accurate. I can certainly see the original, fantastical world as advertised, which seems to me like it’s sort of inspired particularly by Memoirs of a Geisha with the ceremony and the fashion (though I for one would never notice the difference between a flirting robe and an intimate relationship robe) and the misogynistic focus on unwanted girls who are at this estate where they’re trained to be wives so this society doesn’t collapse on itself, along with some tones of India and Southeast Asia for added effect. The only weakness I noticed is that a lot of the backstory behind the origins of the Bhinian Empire, particularly the reasons for the two child policy, the preference for boys, and why this City for abandoned girls has to exist, is told through some really bad exposition (magic gone awry!!), so there’s a disconnect between the setting and the plot - I get why the story unfolds the way it does, but I really didn’t see any connection between the murdered girls plot and the entire rather complicated backstory. The identity of the killer is some fairly standard stuff that’d be generic even for a mystery or thriller, the investigation is more bogged down by the vivid descriptions than served by it, and the end with all the reveals left me far less than impressed with the direction of this Empire once the killer’s caught.

Then, add to that the fact that I’m not the kind of reader who thinks vivid descriptions of style and customs and courtesan intrigue alone makes for a good read, and you see where I’m going. I wanted to like Nisha, but when the most polite way of describing this book is saying it’s a murder mystery with some heavy duty world building plastered on to cover up how shallow the murder mystery plot actually is, well, I guess it’s foreseeable that the main character ends up being a generic spunky Nancy Drew type with gumption yes but also just as much distinctiveness as a character - namely not much. A lot of Nisha’s ‘detecting’ comes across the same way - for example, she hears rumors of a mysterious house of assassins, decides to investigate, stumbles into the woods, and... discovers the house even though the assassins are supposed to be just a rumor! Huh? And it turns out these secret assassins aren't even the culprits, and actually, I'm still not quite sure what their purpose is besides ill advised red herring. Not to mention, Nisha's relationship with Devan and her friendship with Tanaya both come across in the same saccharine sweet way for most of the book, so much so the one eighty character developments both undergo makes them really unpalatable characters towards the end.

Still, my biggest problem is that, despite the richness of the setting, all of it feels incredibly underused. In addition to the murderer, there are some additional antagonists for Nisha like Devan’s power hungry relatives, but despite how much is discussed about the politics of the Empire, their connections to the murdered girls plot is almost zero and ultimately quite silly. Instead, I wanted to know more about the politics and history of the Empire, the magic, and the various peoples and everything else that's introduced and revealed about Nisha and her family that makes her seem like quite a special snowflake, and more importantly, see how these details are tied with the murders, but nothing really came of it. Instead, there's a lot of stuff about the Lotus Emperor that's thrown around but doesn't really seem to have any bearing on the actual plot, except to give certain members of Nisha's family a license to behave like jerks. And the talking cats, I’m actually a fan of talking animals, but what’s revealed over the course of the story about their origins and how they’re handled in the end had me questioning why Forster decided to just drop that huge bombshell at the end when I really don’t see what purpose the reveal serves, besides to totally screw over Devan / give Nisha a textbook happily ever after.

I guess, yeah, City of a Thousand Dolls is definitely a great concept but I really don’t feel it knows what kind of book it wants to be. A complex fantasy? A murder mystery? An Asian inspired fantasy tackling the issues with these types of misogynistic societies? So it ends up trying to do all of the above but in reality doesn’t manage to do any of it effectively.(less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Alli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, fantasy, young-adult, staff-pick

Girl hangs out with cats, solves mysteries and kicks ass. Me gusta.

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Feb 05, 2013 Natalie Aguirre rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Miriam’s publisher sent the ARC to me at the November, I planned to save it to take on my trip to China. But then, I started looking at it and immediately began reading it. And I finished it in two days. It was that good.

Miriam did a fantastic job of creating the world of the City of a Thousand Dolls, with all the smaller houses that trained girls in specialized skills, like beauty, music, and pleasure that would be useful when potential suitors came to the City once a year looking for wive...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of juvenile fantasy

Shelves: fantasy, ya, 2013

As seen on The Readventurer

My first read of 2013 and, well, my advice is - skip it. I finished it so you don't have to. It is sad mostly because City of a Thousand Dolls is written so earnestly and with such good intentions. You can tell that the author meant this novel to be about diverse characters and diverse cultures. Too bad it's just not that great of a novel. It is simply lacking in sophistication and maturity.

City of a Thousand Dolls is another Asian-inspired fantasy which I would advise...more As seen on The Readventurer

My first read of 2013 and, well, my advice is - skip it. I finished it so you don't have to. It is sad mostly because City of a Thousand Dolls is written so earnestly and with such good intentions. You can tell that the author meant this novel to be about diverse characters and diverse cultures. Too bad it's just not that great of a novel. It is simply lacking in sophistication and maturity.

City of a Thousand Dolls is another Asian-inspired fantasy which I would advise fans of good, clever, inventive fantasy not to bother with and read Alison Goodman's Eon: Dragoneye Reborn duology instead. On the other hand, if you are not picky or experienced with fantasy, or don't mind your YA very young, sure, go for it. The world-building here is interesting enough, at the very least exotic. Its roots are hard to pin-point (unlike, let's say in the case of obviously Japanese-inspired Stormdancer). There are touches of Japanese culture here, with fans and tea ceremonies, dark skin, castes and names of India, demographic politics of China. All in all these pieces create if not a unique and new imaginary world, but it least different from the "normal" Western ones.

At the center of this story is the City of a Thousand Dolls, a shelter and a place of study for unwanted girls. This city is necessary because of the Bhinian Empire's rigidly enforced two-child limit, which, as it usually does, means that its citizens are more invested in keeping sons and getting rid of girl children. The City has several schools (Houses) that teach the abandoned girls music, medicine, and seduction (basically, your common high class prostitution) and assassination skills. When the girls reach adulthood, they are practically sold to the highest bidder.

The main character of the novel, Nisha, is an assistant to the City's Matron and, as often in such novels, a special kind of girl, or so we are told. The main plot of the book is Nisha's investigation of sudden deaths of several City's girls.

Not to go into any great detail, the reasons why City of a Thousand Dolls didn't work for me are the ones that I keep writing about over and over again. The quality of writing is more of MG level, which makes the whole attempt to write romance into this story with passionate kissing and such quite a failure. The romance is juvenile and void of complexity, there is no other way to describe it. The hierarchy of the City is shaky. Sometimes it's hard to understand why certain people have the audacity to be disrespectful to their superiors and of course there is the usual "special snowflake" cliche that makes our heroine special without her doing and being anything special, but having a special position in this world nevertheless. The reasonings and motivations are unclear too sometimes. Why such angst and surprise at the news of arranged marriages or employments when the main purpose of the City is just that - to find unwanted girls places to live or work once they are of age? Plus, circling back to the issue of arranged marriages and such, isn't this too tired of a trope to base a story on, the only reason for angst and conflict? It's pretty much the most worn-out trope in speculative YA right now.

And the last thing that makes the book so... young is the talking cats. I'm sorry, but I believe that talking animals belong mainly in children's lit, unless it's Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

Basically, I found this novel very simplistic and immature, albeit well-meaning and generally decently written. It just doesn't match the level of quality I prefer in my books. But sure, give it to your 12-year old. Wait, but how would you explain it to be appropriate to have schools that educate mistresses and prostitutes and assassins in an MG book? A lot of strange disconnect in this novel...(less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Barely into 2013 and already a surprise debut of amazingness! Review to come :)

She wanted someplace to belong,
someplace where she could be free"
--Miriam Forster, City of a Thousand Dolls

Gah!!!! This was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2013 and if all of them are like this I will be one happy reader! I loved this book. We all know I geek out over a good fantasy book and this was absolutely no exception. So, in this story, there is an enclosed city where only young girls live; they are traine...more Barely into 2013 and already a surprise debut of amazingness! Review to come :)

She wanted someplace to belong,
someplace where she could be free"
--Miriam Forster, City of a Thousand Dolls

Gah!!!! This was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2013 and if all of them are like this I will be one happy reader! I loved this book. We all know I geek out over a good fantasy book and this was absolutely no exception. So, in this story, there is an enclosed city where only young girls live; they are trained to be experts in different areas depending on their skills or interest. The city is divided up into different houses and each house is the home for a specific set of skills (anyone else hear Liam Neeson's voice in Taken when I said that? "I have specific set of skills..." haha, sorry, sidenote) such as healing or combat, etc..

To begin, the opening of the novel has a list of all the different characters and which house they belong to, as well as a hierarchy of the different castes of this society. Whoa. I am such a dork but the moment I saw this I had a feeling I would like this book. I love when authors do this. They give a a glimpse into the world they have created and while it makes absolutely no sense to you because you obviously haven't read the book yet, it still makes me way excited to start reading. And it provides a reference point. AND each section is opened by either a song or short story or legend from their culture. AMAZING!!! I think this is so cool! You know the author totally made this up just for their world, but you know it wholeheartedly belong to the story and the characters. Gah!

The main character is Nisha; in love with a nobleman's son, talker to cats in her head, and assistant to the Matron aka headmistress of the entire system of girls. Oh no, you read that right, she can talk to the cats that roam the ground. She hears them in her head. Wicked cool. Nisha was abandoned as a child outside the city walls so she has always felt like an outsider. She yearns to be loved and have a family to call her own, but she has found a makeshift family with the cats as well as a few girls in the city. She is a great character. She is strong and smart and brave in her actions but inside she is also vulnerable and hungry for affection. I loved this about her. She was so complex and I really understood where she was coming from. She was very relatable and I love when characters are like this, makes the book that much better.

So like I said before, Nisha's primary job is as the assistant of the Matron...and then girls start dying. Nisha's role is then evolved into finding out why these girls are dying. And I must stop here because if I keep going I will give away most of the plot and confuse you all. BUT so much happens in this one book. Oh by the way, it's a stand-alone. Holla!! The plot twists and turns and there are so many hidden side stories and secrets that I wanted to just keep reading in order to figure out what the heck was going on.

The themes of this book are beautiful. Loyalty, family, honor. This book has it all. The relationship between Nisha and the cats was my favorite! They love her so much and are there for her no matter what. So ador. And the world building! Gushing. I loved it. All the different houses. How girls are trained. The schooling. The history of the city itself. The hierarchy of the castes. I loved it all. The writing is incredible and Forster really transports you to this beautiful yet mysterious world.

Overall, loved this book. World building was fantastic, the main character rocked and the the relationships were real. It was definitely a great choice to start off the year with and a great pick for a debut of 2013.

(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Soumi(in love with Puck) Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-arcs, owned-copy, young-adult, fantasy-others, shapeshifters, mythology, books-i-reviewed

Enriched with cultural details and patterned with vibrant descriptions, City of Thousand Dolls was an exotic fantastical story mingled with murder, mystery and ancient cults.

An isolated estate that gave refuge to orphan girl, abandoned after birth, and trains them in various arts such as music, dancing, combat etc. Sixteen years Nisha never belonged to any one particular house, making her way as Matron’s assistant. But when she began flirting with a handsome young courier, she dared to dream abo...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS was an enjoyable read and offered something different to readers. It may not exactly impress those fans of epic, high fantasy and it may not have been the story I wanted it to be like, but I still found it really entertaining on a whole and sets up a great start for a potential YA series. I'm looking forward to reading more of Miriam Forster's work because I really love her writing style!

Full review: http://talesoftheinnerbookfanatic.blo...

3.5 stars!

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May 10, 2013 Katy rated it 1 of 5 stars

also posted on my website: http://ablightedone.wordpress.com/201...

The summary sounds exciting but the book was disappointing. The entirely original, fantastical world doesn’t seem very original. There is an extreme class system, magic that used to be, mistreated women, and talking animals.

In Nisha’s world, there’s a two-child limit because resources are slim. People prefer boys because boys can be important and when they aren’t important, they can be apprentices. They have power and opportunity...more also posted on my website: http://ablightedone.wordpress.com/201...

The summary sounds exciting but the book was disappointing. The entirely original, fantastical world doesn’t seem very original. There is an extreme class system, magic that used to be, mistreated women, and talking animals.

In Nisha’s world, there’s a two-child limit because resources are slim. People prefer boys because boys can be important and when they aren’t important, they can be apprentices. They have power and opportunity on their own. That isn’t exactly original either. But girls are a problem because if they can’t do anything and you can’t marry them off, they are useless. So it’s best to just drop them off at the City of a Thousand Dolls.

In this City, unwanted girls are groomed to be useful to others. In this world, the City is good because otherwise I guess they’d just drop the orphan girls off in a forest or something. Instead they are fed and given skill sets that will help them rise above their meager beginnings. Find worth in the House of Pleasure (are girls younger than 16 being taught to be sexually pleasing to men? squick), House of Beauty, House of Jade, House of Flowers, House of Combat. If you are found to be worthy you can be purchased on Redeeming Day, oh excuse me, “there’s a redeeming fee to pay, but it doesn’t mean you actually own the girl afterward.” Ohhhh, good. That’s a lot better. Then you will be married, a mistress, or employed as a healer, musician, fighter. Oh, the possibilities. But if the girl isn’t er- redeemed- the city provides her with money and sets her “free” to find a life of her own.

Nisha isn’t in any of these houses, though. She’s an errand girl and narc for the Matron (the director) of the City. She receives training but doesn’t really have an area of expertise. She knows nothing of her past or her family. She is very naive and she converses with cats in her mind. Nisha is 16 but she seems so much younger. I’m not sure if it’s the cat thing, but when she would think and talk to House of Pleasure matron, it felt uncomfortable because it didn’t feel like she was old enough. Not that any of the girls are exactly old enough, but still. She does have a secret and forbidden romance with Devan, a noble’s son slash mailman (oooh Mr. Postman). She has hopes that he will buy her on Redeeming Day, but if they’re caught before then she’ll probably die.

It’s getting close to Redeeming Day when murder strikes and chaos enters the City. Is the orphan haven safe? Who is out to get them? Some of the house mistresses are convinced it’s an accident. But of course, they are sticking their heads in the sand. Nisha, being an important assistant, must find the truth. This mystery of the dying girls should be big, but I think I was too distracted by everything else going on to care much. She eventually figures out the truth about her questionable background (that was obvious to the rest of the City) and discovers the obvious murderer. Despite everything going against her, the book ends easily and neatly.

For me, this book seemed weak in every aspect. There was a magical background, but not enough magic in the story to actually make it interesting. The background of the talking cats is interesting, but their portrayal made Nisha seems younger. The politics and misogyny were disappointing and boring. Even the big mystery was predictable. This book had a lot going for it, but needed a lot more to be great. I wouldn’t want to read it again and I won’t be checking out the rest of the series. However, if you’re a fan of fantasy and talking animals, you might actually enjoy it.(less)

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Apr 28, 2013 Rich in Color rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery

City of a Thousand Dolls was a fun read, once I got over the telepathic cats. (The dust jacket does not mention that the cats can talk. I actually stopped reading so I could reread the dust jacket in case I had missed something.) The world of the Bhinian Empire is a fascinating mixture of Indian culture (with a Chinese-style two-child policy and some isolationist Japan vibes) and fantasy.

The City itself—established so parents could drop off their unwanted girl children instead of killing them—is...more City of a Thousand Dolls was a fun read, once I got over the telepathic cats. (The dust jacket does not mention that the cats can talk. I actually stopped reading so I could reread the dust jacket in case I had missed something.) The world of the Bhinian Empire is a fascinating mixture of Indian culture (with a Chinese-style two-child policy and some isolationist Japan vibes) and fantasy.

The City itself—established so parents could drop off their unwanted girl children instead of killing them—is very much a lesser-of-two-evils establishment. While many of its inhabitants don’t fret much about the City’s purpose, Nisha and some of the other characters will at least acknowledge that training girls from infancy so they can be sold as courtesans, rich men’s wives, soldiers, etc., has definite skeeve potential. One minor critique (which could easily be leveled at books like Divergent or even the Harry Potter series), is that I think there are more available slots to humanity than just the seven presented in the novel via the Houses of Combat, Flowers, Beauty, Jade, Music, Pleasure, and Shadows (or Abnegation/Erudite/Amity/Candor/Dauntless or Gryffindor/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Slytherin). Then again, Forster does offer some condemnation of both the City and the Houses through characters like Zann and Tanaya.

One of the biggest flaws in this book is that there is a lot of infodumping. Sometimes the infodumping is strictly for the readers, but oftentimes Nisha gets a secret history lecture. While the latter is important for the plot, both forms are awkward and occasionally difficult to get through. Whenever the Bhinian Empire comes up as a discussion topic, be prepared to learn.

The mystery itself is fairly good. While Nisha is not the kind of detective who would fit into a procedural or noir, she does the best she can with her limited skill set and resources. I was wrong about the murderer and the murderer’s motives, but I easily guessed several other important plot twists. (Protip: You ruin the mystery of whether or not the City trains assassins when they’re listed in the cast of characters.) I also felt that Forster cheated in a big way in the deaths of one of the girls—her death only happened in order to keep the mystery going. Honestly, almost all of the characters in this book are hiding something from Nisha. It didn’t vex me too much, but it will probably be infuriating for some people.

Nisha’s romance with Devan is cute but is undercut by a lot of the City’s skeeviness. Much to my delight, this is explicitly acknowledged in-world (and gets contrasted with another relationship later on). Nisha is often competent and typically knows when she’s about to go in over her head. Of course, since she’s the heroine, sometimes she has far more bravery than caution, but that is far from atypical in a fantasy novel.

Recommendation: Get it soon if you want a fun, quick read set in an India-inspired fantasy. There were a few too many missteps, particularly with the mystery, for me to recommend it whole-heartedly. However, there is a lot of potential in the world, and that means I’ll be back for the companion novel in 2014.(less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the books I read and wish I could have written. Maybe not the story in particular, but the setting, the world, I’ve had many ideas similar to the world building in this novel so immediately I fell in love with it based on the synopsis alone. I stuck it in my Kindle and forgot about it. Tends to happen to me a lot. Then recently, in the midst of a rant where I was complaining about a reading slump to my roommate, I remembered this book, and immediately started to read it. Let it be...more This is one of the books I read and wish I could have written. Maybe not the story in particular, but the setting, the world, I’ve had many ideas similar to the world building in this novel so immediately I fell in love with it based on the synopsis alone. I stuck it in my Kindle and forgot about it. Tends to happen to me a lot. Then recently, in the midst of a rant where I was complaining about a reading slump to my roommate, I remembered this book, and immediately started to read it. Let it be noted that I stopped talking midsentence in order to start reading this book, but thankfully my roommate is used to such bizarre behavior from me.

Nisha was an interesting character; I believe the author’s principle flaw with her was not developing her background more. There was only one scene where she “gathered information” for the Matron, in the rest of the book she was running around jumping to conclusions and sleeping. Actually, now that I think back on it, Nisha slept a lot… Anyways that’s neither here nor there. It would have been nice to see her interact a little more with other characters, to see her “in action” gathering information, that sort of thing. One of the matrons for the school is creeping her out for the first few chapters of the book and when she finally gets an explanation, she accepts it without question. The only reason for that would be that before the matron started creeping her out, they actually got along, but it is not really explained.

I like the way she deals with romance in this book. Although she is in love and the boy is not necessarily bad, he is a product of the society he was raised in and when she realizes that she accepts it. Nisha is not a stubborn, inflexible protagonist. She’s open-minded. Unfortunately, like I mentioned before, this means she jumps to conclusions a lot. It’s rather heartbreaking to see where her impulse decisions take her at times.

Another pro of this book is its finale. It’s open-ended, meaning that if you want, you can stop reading just there, it’s not a conclusion set in stone but is satisfactory enough that you feel good about not reading more. Or if you want, you can continue reading the series, no problem. This is a very good thing because I believe that a book series should not have to rely on cheap tricks and cliffhangers to get the reader to continue the series. The story and the characters should be good enough to make the reader want to. (Of course, in some cases, leaving the book with a cliffhanger is a good decision, but this is not the case for every single book). This story and its characters make me want to read more. I want to find out what happens to Nisha and her cats after the mess of this book is over. I want to see what happens with everybody she met and what she discovers about herself. In this book she is still growing up and figuring herself out, I want to see what she figures out.

Needless to say, this book is definitely 4 armchairs and I will most certainly continue the series.

Originally posted on: http://thecozyarmchair.blogspot.com/2... (less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Andrea J rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the pan Asian setting of this novel - it takes a bit from Japanese, Chinese, and especially Indian cultures to create a world that is thoroughly described in the novel. Since the novel takes place in a small City, the world building is especially solid.

The writing itself, while not bad, definitely could use more sophistication - hence the 4 instead of 5 star review. It was very passively told, with a lot of description that lays it out flatly in front of the reader, not drawing...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Erin Stuhlsatz rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this magical dystopian novel (something terrible happened and now the empire is cut off from all magic!), a strict two-child policy means that excess girls are left to be raised by the City of a Thousand Dolls, where they are trained in the houses of combat, jade (medicine/knowledge), beauty, pleasure, and music. Why is there only one house for all knowledge and science, yet two basically identical houses in beauty and pleasure? This is a very good question. Possibly because this is a city of...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Drucilla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: f

I liked it better than I thought I would. I thought I wouldn't like the city very much because they kind of exploit the girls, but I found myself very interested in the way it was run, specifically how much psychology went into picking each girl for her house and training. I'm glad Nisha and Devan's relationship worked out the way it did. The author set it up that way and saw it through. She didn't try to force an improbable change on them. I also liked how the author didn't worry about explaini...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nisha is an outsider in the City of a Thousand Dolls, which houses abandoned female orphans to become educated in a discipline and sold to various buyers as apprentices, wives, or courtesans. She belongs to no house, but is free to roam the city, being educated here and there while doing errands and gathering information for Matron, the matriarch and protector of the city. A few friends make her life bearable as well as her cat companions, who can communicate telepathically with her and each oth...more Nisha is an outsider in the City of a Thousand Dolls, which houses abandoned female orphans to become educated in a discipline and sold to various buyers as apprentices, wives, or courtesans. She belongs to no house, but is free to roam the city, being educated here and there while doing errands and gathering information for Matron, the matriarch and protector of the city. A few friends make her life bearable as well as her cat companions, who can communicate telepathically with her and each other. Then girls start to die under mysterious circumstances, putting the usually peaceful city into turmoil. After the trend continues, officials are looking for someone to blame and Nisha's future in the city becomes tenuous. She volunteers to find the killer both to save herself and future victims, but she has no idea the danger she will find herself in or how much it will change her life and the City of a Thousand Dolls.

The City of a Thousand Dolls acts as a solution for the Bhinian Empire's two child limit. Unwanted girls can be taken there to be trained in the arts of music, healing, pleasure, combat, or (if certain rumors are true) assassination. Even though the opportunities available to these girls are many and it's infinitely better than being left to die, these girls are still being basically sold into slavery. They have no control over who buys them and there is no telling if their buyer will be decent or abusive. The entire concept makes me uncomfortable and it's meant to. It's easy to forget that the city is a gilded cage because of the quality of education and amount of work that each girl undergoes. This tradition has been going on for a long time and, because it is so much better than the alternative, the Bhinian people are reluctant to change it. Part of that is also because the city is separated from the rest of the Bhinian Empire and it's easy to dismiss something you never really directly interact with. I loved how the Bhinian Empire is a lush and vibrant amalgamation of Chinese and Indian culture and aesthetics. The background of the empire was touched upon, but left more to be uncovered for the next installment. I think this novel would be a cinematographer's dream to film in either a movie or television show.

The characters really make this book shine. Nisha is amazing yet realistic. She is an outsider in the city due to being abandoned there when she was 6 and had no ties to any caste. At first, she seems more free than the other girls in the caste system because she won't be sold, trains in more than one house, and gets extra privileges due to being Matron's eyes and ears. Then, everything comes tumbling down. Nisha is suddenly in danger of being sold as a slave with no one able to do anything to save her. Instead of folding in on herself and taking her fate, she tries to solve the murder to earn her freedom. Nisha is a very strong girl, but not without vulnerability. She has her moments of doubt and despair, but never gives up in the end. Her relationship with the cats in the city is one of my favorite parts. She can communicate with them telepathically and they are a family to her. Some thought this aspect was too childish, but I found it awesome (probably because I'm a crazy cat lady), especially when their true nature was revealed in the end. Nisha's friends are equally fleshed out. Tanaya is a seemingly perfect stock character who will eventually become princess of the Empire, but her character gains dimensions as the book goes along.

City of a Thousand Dolls is a formidable YA debut that guarantees that I will read anything Miriam Forster writes. It's not a perfect book, but the writing and characters that sucked me in the story made me forgive the few flaws. I can't wait to read the next Bhinian Empire book, which will sadly not be a sequel but will take place in the same world.(less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-kayla

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: A girl who’s an outcast discovers her heritage while also trying to solve a murder mystery inside the City of a Thousand Dolls.

Opening Sentence: “Don’t move, Nisha.”

The Review:

I think the synopsis is a bit misleading. I started this book thinking it was going to be about a school that trained assassins or something to that degree, but instead, the book focused on a orphaned girl with a lot of secrets. The assassins are just a small tidbit...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Yune rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fantasy

Young adult high fantasy, where a two-child law (reminiscent of modern-day China) causes families to abandon unwanted daughters to become trained in a variety of arts in the City of a Thousand Dolls. They then become courtesans and performers, depending on which House they learned their skills from.

Nisha doesn't quite belong anywhere. She supposedly serves as the Matron's eyes and ears, but shows no real skill at spying. Her main advantage is the ability to silently communicate with cats. Yeah.

I...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Kaitlyn Curtin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought that it was very good, I was surprised by it. At first the pacing was slow, I didn't think that I would really end up being invested in the story. But when the mystery of the deaths of the other girls started to unfold that was whenI couldn't put the book down and was interested in what was going to happen.
The ending was definitely gratifying and I was kept in surprise by the end of the book. I never knew who the real villian was nor the mysterious boy that appears into the main chara...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Miriam Forster's debut novel is glorious. Nisha is a resident of the City of a Thousand Dolls. The city is a walled-off district for unwanted female babies, where they are raised to be skilled members of society then sold to be wives, mistresses, apprentices, and more. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than exposure - so says the Matron, Nisha's mistress.

Nisha is more unwanted than most. She came to the city not as a baby, but a child. She has no caste. The Matron took her on as an as...more Miriam Forster's debut novel is glorious. Nisha is a resident of the City of a Thousand Dolls. The city is a walled-off district for unwanted female babies, where they are raised to be skilled members of society then sold to be wives, mistresses, apprentices, and more. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than exposure - so says the Matron, Nisha's mistress.

Nisha is more unwanted than most. She came to the city not as a baby, but a child. She has no caste. The Matron took her on as an assistant, but as she comes of age her position is quite precarious. Plus, she's carrying on an affair with a noble boy, Devan. If the affair is discovered it could cost Nisha her life. But when several girls commit suicide, Nisha is suspicious of something more sinister and begins to investigate. Along the way she discovers many things about the cities dark corners and her own past.

Fittingly, since the novel is called CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS, the setting is quite elaborate. Forster goes for a pan-Asian feel. There are touches of Chinese and Indian history and culture, among others, and the vast majority of the girls are described as having South Asian features. But Forster wisely doesn't make it an analog of a single place. And certain touches, such as the city itself, are pure fantasy. I hated that characters kept going, "Well, the City of a Thousand Dolls isn't perfect, but things could be worse," and easily dismissing reform. Nisha addressing her home's problems was as cheering as her own growth.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect as well. I don't think Nisha has a real future as a detective, but she did the best she could and kept asking questions and trusting her gut that something was wrong. I liked that Nisha was in a good position to investigate because she had connections to all the Houses. CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS showcases a variety of feminine strengths. (Not even the girls of the House of Beauty are defenseless.)

Also, Nisha can talk to cats. I'll give you a moment to be jealous.

CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS tackles tough sociology issues in a lush setting with a resilient heroine and an interesting supporting cast. I was breathless through the climax and quite happy that Forster leaves a few open threads to hopefully be explored in future books. This is the best sort of vibrant, exciting adventure that fantasy is capable of. (less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sixteen year old Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City as a toddler. She has only the vaguest memories of life before she came there. Unlike the other girls in the City, who are assigned to one of the seven houses that specialize in certain types of education (medicine, music, beauty, combat, discipline etc), she has been trained in several. As the assistant to the head of the City, she is used to gather information on all the goings on in the City. When one of the girls dies, Nisha’s job...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Tamara Richman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, young-adult, romance, military

Wow what a thought provoking fantasy read! This is a mystery/fantasy/historical books that pins that reading line of 7th-9th grade perfectly. It is about a China-like, 18th century-like society that has 2 child policy due to a scarcity of resources thanks to a greedy emperor and corrupt feudal system. To deal with the glut of unwanted girls (of course) they have established the city, a huge orphanage where girls are educated in different houses (music, flowers, combat, pleasure, beauty, etc.) Th...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Yoon-Ji rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://www.theinkgobbler.blogspot.com/

I'm just going to come right out and say it... I was hooked from the title. Seriously. When I was scrolling through the list of new releases this month, "City of a Thousand Dolls" just popped right out at me. It sounds beautiful and magical and mysterious, but a little creepy at the same time. And boy, it really is the perfect title for this book. Miriam Forster's debut novel weaves a story of murder and adventure, with threads of romance (of course!), and o...more http://www.theinkgobbler.blogspot.com/

I'm just going to come right out and say it... I was hooked from the title. Seriously. When I was scrolling through the list of new releases this month, "City of a Thousand Dolls" just popped right out at me. It sounds beautiful and magical and mysterious, but a little creepy at the same time. And boy, it really is the perfect title for this book. Miriam Forster's debut novel weaves a story of murder and adventure, with threads of romance (of course!), and of self-discovery.

Sixteen-year old orphan Nisha lives in the City of a Thousand Dolls, a secluded estate where unwanted girls in the Bhinian Empire are trained as musicians, healers, courtesans, and--if the rumours are true--assassins. Her closest companions are the mysterious cats that trail her shadow and Tanaya, the perfect girl trained in all the Houses, chosen to be the wife of the High Prince. Only through a forbidden flirtation with the city's handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside of the walls. Until one by one, girls around her begin to die. Nisha begins to uncover the secrets that surround the deaths, but by doing so, jeopardizes not only her own future within the City, but also her own life.

One thing that I think needs to be mentioned first is the setting and background of the story. There's some incredible world-building in "City of a Thousand Dolls". While it may not have a huge, expansive world like those you find in a lot of heroic fantasy novels, the City itself is a really ingenious idea--an estate where you send unwanted girls because of the two-child rule (kind of reminds me of China's One-Child Policy), where they're taught in Houses to become assistants, apprentices, mistresses and wives for those outside the walls. Ms. Forster also brings in elements of what I pictured to be something akin to Indian culture, with draped assars, rubied slippers and kohl-rimmed eyes. There's also the concept of the caste system, with the nobility at the top and the wind caste--the wandering nomads--at the bottom. If anything, you should read the novel for the setting alone--it's magical and so all-encompassing that it feels like you really are there.

As for the heroine herself, I found Nisha to be a generally strong protagonist who's compassionate and determined. Plus she can talk to cats, sort of. Looking back on the book though, I realize that there wasn't anything too excitingly different about her--no quirk or flaw, or strong personality to really make her stand out among the sea of kick-ass or interesting heroines in the world of YA literature. Nisha to me was a protagonist who was easy to follow throughout the book as the events unfolded, but the person herself wasn't someone I'd like to meet in real life--and that's a biggie with main characters in YA novels. It's a shame because she's actually quite a likable character, and there's nothing I found annoying about her. She just unfortunately didn't have that special something that made her an excellent, engaging heroine.

The rest of the characters were diverse and really added to the story. Tanaya and Zann were two of the more complex characters that I felt for over the course of the novel, and it's interesting to see how these people interacted with Nisha in the past and in the present. As for Devan, the young noble courier Nisha has the forbidden flirtation with, at first I was a little dubious towards his true intentions and feelings for Nisha. I'd thought he was only using her for a casual relationship before ditching her for a noble born girl and formed a bad impression of him, but I must be a little skeptical and suspicious about hidden intentions right now... I have mixed feelings towards this young noble! And last but most certainly not least, the cats! When I read in a review that there were talking cats, I kind of wrinkled my brow and went "what? Talking cats?" But then I read about Jerrit and Esmer and everything (trying not to spoil things!) and it's not too bad in the end. So long story short, give the talking cats a chance.

When I was scrolling through the reviews on Goodreads, I was a little surprised that quite a few people remarked that the novel was a little bland and unsophisticated. I was pretty darn engulfed in the story and the murders that I sped by the chapters with speed and fluidity! I do see a little bit of cliche with the whole forced marriage business going on in the novel, but it wasn't such a big thing that it hindered my appreciation of the compelling plot.

All in all, "City of a Thousand Dolls" is an exciting debut novel with a magical, exciting setting that drops you right in the middle of the Bhinian Empire. While the characters weren't as unique and engaging as they could've been, the compelling plot doesn't let you down. I'd definitely give this novel a go--you might find yourself falling under its spell!

Rating: 4.5/5(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Vikki VanSickle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-pledge-2013, fantasy, ya, ya-crossover

Nisha lives in The City of a Thousand Dolls, a unique walled village where orphaned girls are raised and trained in one of seven houses specializing in various trades and arts. Unlike most of the girls, Nisha belongs to no house. She is the Matron’s assistant, gathering information. Nisha values her unique position until a string of murders jeopardizes her future. She is enlisted to search for clues, only to discover a wide web of deception and danger.

This was a great combination of escapist fan...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Miriam Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-by-friends

Well, I just wrote a review of this for Amazon.co.uk, and it seems a waste to write a completely new one for Goodreads, so how about I just paste it over? :)
---

Okay, disclaimers first: I read an ARC of this, which I won in a competition on Miriam's blog. And I've been an internet friend of Miriam's for a few years. That said, I make it a matter of principle NOT to write unfair reviews, so this will be honest. I promise! (And can I just say, that is one AWESOME cover? No, seriously. It is.)

The b...more Well, I just wrote a review of this for Amazon.co.uk, and it seems a waste to write a completely new one for Goodreads, so how about I just paste it over? :)
---

Okay, disclaimers first: I read an ARC of this, which I won in a competition on Miriam's blog. And I've been an internet friend of Miriam's for a few years. That said, I make it a matter of principle NOT to write unfair reviews, so this will be honest. I promise! (And can I just say, that is one AWESOME cover? No, seriously. It is.)

The basic premise of this book is that orphaned girls are brought up in all these different 'houses', which train them for different skills. However, our main character is Nisha. When she was brought to the 'City', she was a bit too old to go into one of these houses, so she sort of floats between them, learning all different skills and working for Matron. This means she's in a prime position to know what's going on, and to find out more by spying. However, it also means she's likely to get in danger, and unlike those who belong in a House, there is no one to protect her.

Miriam likes worldbuilding. I know this because I read her blog. She likes worldbuilding; her favourite books are those with intricately detailed worlds; and she will spend a lot of time researching things which later become just a sentence or two in passing. And that shows. The world is carefully developed and while I am left with some questions, I believe there is to be at least one sequel (I may be mistaken), and perhaps those will be answered then. Certainly, I would enjoy seeing MORE of the world outside the City, though the details of the City itself are fairly awesome :)

Back to our main character Nisha. She hasn't got any protectors, but she DOES have friends. Admittedly, several of them are talking cats. No, seriously. They talk telepathically, but somehow Miriam manages to make it seem realistic for the world it's in, rather than cheesy and clichéd (it's not the first book I've read with talking cats). Later, you'll discover that actually, there's a reason Nisha can hear them and other people can't. This was my one nitpick with the book -- I guessed that plot twist. It felt like it was supposed to be sudden and revelatory, but I guessed it. Actually, this is generally a problem with books, for me -- 98% of the time, I guess the main plot twist. Probably the one exception would be The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, but that's a story for another review.

Having said that, there were several other plot twists that took me completely by surprise, often in a very emotive way. As a result, I found it difficult to stop reading and blew through the whole book in a matter of hours which, while fairly common for me, still means I enjoyed something. The mystery continued to deepen throughout and just when you thought you knew who was behind everything, you would be led astray... sometimes by a red herring, and other times by a genuine development. The trick was trying to work out which was which, as I suppose Nisha had to as well.

In general, I'm not a big fan of stories with romance in them, and this did have a bit. However, it was skilfully done and didn't overpower the other concerns of the characters or completely dominate their perception of Every. Single. Thing. There wasn't the annoying 'infatuated teenager' voice, but -- for me -- a character who was prepared to way up the potential risks of things.

Several months after reading it (ARC, remember?), it's difficult to remember exact specifics of plot or whether there was anything that annoyed me, or blew me away. However, my overall memory of the book is positive, with a tiny niggle that I guessed one of the plot twists. As a result, therefore, I shall heartily recommend it to anyone who reads this review! I would say it's primarily aimed at girls, probably between the ages of around 12 and 16, but could definitely be enjoyed by a wider audience.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Tara-lee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads

This book was all fantastical and awesome. Nisha is a orphaned who's just searching for where she belongs and who she really is. At first she believes that her ticket out of the city of a thousand dolls is through the redeeming and Devan. Then all these dead girls from different houses start showing up, well only three, there's a new council head, they're thinking of selling her, and everyone around her is changing including herself. To be honest I didn't really like Devan, he was more of a flin...more

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May 02, 2013 ♥ Ashleigh ♥ contrary to popular belief im not actually mad! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, favorites, heroine, reviewed

rating 4.5

This book was awesome!! Im so glad i picked it up! And the talking cats actually make sense towards the end – surprising i know.
The only reason i didn’t give this book 5 stars is cause some things where pretty obvious and i though Nisha was a little dumb not to see it – plus her blame herself for everything and wallowing in self pity was a little annoying, i understood why she felt like that, but that didn’t change the fact it was still a tad bothersome, i think it bothered me more cau...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wait I jut realized the description says "exotic" - I take issue with that in that India is not supposed to be exoticized/fetishized. I admired this book for being representative of underrepresented cultures but that is definitely not something that should happen.

I did like this book, though I thought it was extraordinarily light for a murder mystery. I don't think it quite lived up to the title of high fantasy, especially considering that it subverts the traditionally European fantasy setting....more

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Apr 02, 2013 Victoria rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-science-fiction, young-adult

Ehhh - though marketed as a YA novel, its simple writing style makes this a more suitable read for the youngest edge of the genre. Talking cats (though charming characters) add to that more Middle Reader quality. Despite a murderous plot (and a surprisingly high body count), and some surprising twists to the plot, the pacing still has a very slow rhythm to it. The convenience of the resolution also detracts from ending this on a satisfying note. It isn’t a terrible book by any means though - and...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Erin Sterling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: character, middle-school, read-2013, story, teen-fiction, teen-fantasy, teen-mystery, setting

Entertaining mystery/fantasy that will appeal to some kids who like dystopian books as well because of the societal flaws. In this society, people are only allowed to have 2 children and prefer males. The City of a Thousand Dolls was created as a way to protect and provide a home for orphaned girls, but the sinister aspect is that the girls are trained to eventually be purchased to be a wife or mistress or professor, depending on the house they've been trained in. However, the main character is...more

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City of a Thousand Dolls (Bhinian Empire #1)

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