Black City (Black City, #1) in And So It Begins Reading Challenge

Mar 10, 2012 Ezmirelda rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, vampires, paranormal, dissapointing, okay, drags-in-middle, insta-love, not-what-one-expects, dystopian-2012

Germany in World War 2…but with vampires
The whole entire book could be summarized as just that: Events from World War 2, Germany and the Holocaust—but with vampires thrown in for good measure. The connection between this book and actual historical events is really stunning. In the end, I felt more like I was reading a history textbook than a paranormal romance novel. Why? Well there are some pretty obvious connections right from the start, like how the Darklings and were forced to live in the “g Germany in World War 2…but with vampires
The whole entire book could be summarized as just that: Events from World War 2, Germany and the Holocaust—but with vampires thrown in for good measure. The connection between this book and actual historical events is really stunning. In the end, I felt more like I was reading a history textbook than a paranormal romance novel. Why? Well there are some pretty obvious connections right from the start, like how the Darklings and were forced to live in the “ghetto”. The ghetto is a term used for the places where Jews were forced to live in during the Holocaust. There was wide-spread poverty and starvation there which parallels to the “ghetto” used in Black City. Another connection I made was how the Sentry leader “Purian Rose” decided to use children to become “trackers” or rather young soldiers. This reminded me of how Hitler used an army of children (young German boys) as a last ditch effort to try to win a losing war. Then, the book mentions use of cyanide as a quick and painless way to end your life, and this is historically known as the way Hitler chose to commit suicide. On one page it said, “It was common practice during the war for less moralistic Darklings to collaborate with Trackers, in return for food and protection.” This is the same thing they did to Jews during the Holocaust. They had male Jews round up and help murder their own kind in return for their insured safety for the time being. All this and much more happened just in the very beginning of the book. I found myself really confused at this point, wondering if this was really going to be a rehash of the Holocaust. And it turned out to be just that.

Vampires, cheese, and insta-love. Oh my!
The narrative and dialogue were cheesy to a fault. At one point I found myself not able to believe anything the characters were saying. Everything was an empty reason, their actions and reactions unexplained. There were times when the characters would say or do things that seem so out of character and unnatural that I would often wonder if I had read it right or not. The insta love moved way too fast for my liking. First they planned their first date without dating in the first place. Then there was an info dump in the scene where Ash explains the term “Blood Mate “ which was all tell and no show. Next thing you know they’re both willing to give up everything and risk their lives for each other. It all felt very sudden and unnatural, I actually thought that the relationship between Natalie and Ash was a lot more romantic and sweeter before they officially decided they wanted to be together.

In a nutshell…
I liked this story but the inconsistency with the characters, predictability of the plot, insta-love, and the cheesiness in general made it a slow read for me. Overall, I think what made this story the most interesting for me was the world building of the Darkling/ Sentry world. It’s not typical to see a universe in which humans rule over the vampires. Normally you would see quite the opposite. If you’re a historian buff and like vampires I would recommend this to you. However if you, like me, don’t particularly care for insta-loves or cheesiness you probably might want to stay clear of this one. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Carrie Ardoin rated it really liked it

Shelves: posted-on-blog, arc-tour, vamps

Natalie and Ash are both living in Black City, which has been ravaged by war, but their lives couldn't be more different. Natalie is the daughter of the Emissary, a woman with a lot of political power and she knows how to use it. Ash is a half-blood; he has a human father and a mother who's a Darkling--a blood sucking creature who lives on the fringe of society.

Things are getting heated in the city when the leader of the nation tries to pass a law that would essentially mean death for all Darkli Natalie and Ash are both living in Black City, which has been ravaged by war, but their lives couldn't be more different. Natalie is the daughter of the Emissary, a woman with a lot of political power and she knows how to use it. Ash is a half-blood; he has a human father and a mother who's a Darkling--a blood sucking creature who lives on the fringe of society.

Things are getting heated in the city when the leader of the nation tries to pass a law that would essentially mean death for all Darklings. Ash's life is hard enough as it is, and things just get tougher for him and the few remaining Darklings and half-bloods. But he finds himself falling for Natalie for reasons he doesn't totally understand. Ash has to follow his heart...after all, she's the one who caused it to beat.

OK. Let me just get this off my chest. I almost quit reading this book at first because of one reason and one reason only. NATALIE. I HATE THIS B****!! Yes, I finished the book and was pleasantly surprised that I could give it a good rating, but I still hate her.

Ash, however, was really cool. Even though a lot of people in society look down on him, he is still pretty caring and kind. He helps his dad donate food and supplies to the less fortunate. And yes, it's very sad that he has to resort to basically being a drug dealer, but even through that, I couldn't help but feel for him. He was doing what he needed to do to help his family.

Which is why I completely DON'T get why he could have fallen for someone like Natalie. (The TECHNICAL reason why is told late in the book, but he says this reason was not the only one he had for loving her.) She completely came off as a whiny, selfish snob. Yes, I understand she is the daughter of a powerful political figure, but there's really no reason why she should have been so bitchy and cruelly naive.

Luckily for me, the plot itself was enough to let me rank this book as I did. It's full of conspiracy and scandal, which is pretty cool for a YA book. It did somewhat remind me of a couple of dystopians I've read in the past, though. The Hunger Games and Legend come to mind.

There were definitely a couple of moments that made my jaw drop, and of course I loved Ash, so I will be on board to read the next book in this series. Hopefully I will be able to tolerate Natalie better next time. ...more

Like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Priscila Patatas rated it liked it

Great background story. The world was incredibly created. But that was the worst romance ever. Both the main couple (Ash and Natalie) and the love triangle were some of the worst I have ever seen.

Like · see review