Thursday, June 12, 2014

Review: Dark Metropolis

DARK METROPOLIS
Dark Metropolis #1
Jaclyn Dolamore
Paranormal-ish Young Adult
304 pages
Disney Hyperion
Available June 17th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.
 

Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets-even while he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.


MY THOUGHTS
Dark Metropolis is aptly titled, the story thrusting us into a world on the brink of chaos where horrors are rationalized as necessary for the greater good of a post-war nation, and death doesn't guarantee an absence of purpose. Though the premise is deeply intriguing, reading this tale feels like starting a television series on episode five–the story itself is self-contained enough that we understand what's happening, but the larger scale of the world and how it got to the point at which we make our entrance remains far from our grasp. There's mention of magic as though it's relatively commonplace (or at the very least well out in the open in this world), but aside from Freddy's ability to revive the dead, we see no other examples of it and are given no explanation for its existence, leaving our understanding of the world surrounding our characters riddled with a number of holes.

Though the synopsis suggests Thea is our main character, working with Freddy to uncover her best friend Nan's fate, what we find when we crack the spine is a story as much Nan's as Thea's, our time split between the two of them equally. We quickly discover too that Nan's storyline is the more riveting of the two, our time with Thea mostly filled with wanting to return to Nan and the darkness she finds hidden beneath a noble cause. We don't get to know either young woman exceedingly well, but Nan takes far more shape than Thea does over the course of a very quick 300 pages, her loyalty to–and protectiveness of–a young woman she meets something that draws us in far more than Thea's extraordinarily superficial relationship with Freddy.

Thea is brimming with the type of potential that could have made her a strong heroine, her problematic relationship with her mother following her father's presumed death in the war one poised to make us reach for tissues at any given moment (particularly as concluding events unfold), but our time with her moves too quickly. We instead find ourselves like riders on a carousel, circling round and round both her and Nan, trying to get a lock on either of them so that they might hold us in place and allow us to examine them more closely, but we're swept along with the ride even when we want nothing more than a moment of stillness to absorb all we're seeing. Overall, Dark Metropolis is a very quick, easily devoured read, though it is light on the world building and character complexity which leaves us wishing there had been a touch more etched in our memories when we reached the last page.

Rating: 3/5
 

Find Jaclyn


This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

40 comments:

  1. I'm still not sure what to make out of this book. Usually, I do love Disney books, the often have cinematic quality, which I love very much. However, this book never really "spoke" to me before and now when I was reading your thoughts I felt the same.. It sounds nice but I feel like there is something lacking that would make more awesome!

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    1. I just wanted a little more from this one you know? I liked bits and pieces of it, I just felt like I wasn't getting the whole story unfortunately. Maybe everything will be better developed in the next book:)

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  2. I was really curious about this one because I liked the idea and the cover is just gorgeous but it looks like all the reviews I read are a little mixed so well I think I'll pass that the end.

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    1. The cover is gorgeous isn't it? I wasn't wowed by this one, but it was a quick, easy read:)

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  3. I am kind of both yes and no about this. I think I would have to wait for book 2

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    1. There were highlights and lowlights to be sure!

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  4. It's always problematic when a book seems to be so focused on moving along the plot that doesn't give much world building or time to connect with the characters... I'm still quite intrigued by this book, so I might check it out anyways.
    Thanks for a fantastic detailed and honest review as always, Jenny!

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    1. I'll be interested to see what you think if you give it a try Pili!

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  5. I was definitely intrigued by this story (and the cover, to tell you the truth). Multiple POVs only really work when you're invested in all the characters, not just killing time until you get back to the "best" character.

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    1. I wasn't prepared to follow Nan as much as we did so that took a little adjusting too, but I ended up liking her storyline much more than Thea's:)

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  6. I think we felt the same on many of the same points, Jenny. I really wanted to love this story, the cover & synopsis really drew me in. But, I wanted more of the same things you did - and like you mentioned, I felt like I came in on an already running series.
    Wonderful review! :)

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    1. Yes, we were definitely on the same page with this one Kim. I just had hoped for a bit more from it, there was a lot of potential in the characters and story I thought:)

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  7. I've been hearing similar things about this one so I am not sure whether I want to dive into this one right away. I am always the kind of person who appreciates good world building and it's a pity to hear that that isn't that much of a focus here (*whew* that's a lot of thats).

    I do hope the sequel pays more attention that that .-.

    Lovely review, Jenny!! :)

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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    1. I was a little lost in terms of the world Rashika, I kept hoping I'd get a touch more back story or a more in-depth look at the magic, but that didn't quite happen in this first installment. Maybe the next one!

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  8. Man, I'm so torn on this one. I keep seeing it everywhere, and though I'm definitely intrigued, I'm just not sure it's a book for me. Lovely review, Jenny! :)

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    1. Maybe wait until book 2 is out Lisa - I'm hoping the world-building will be kicked up a notch in that one!

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  9. Oh, that's a shame! It sounds like this one has all the potential in the world, but it just fell a bit flat. I find it really frustrating when I struggle to get a hold on the characters and plot, and it seems like this one embodies this problem. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny!

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    1. Exactly. I liked so much about it, but it never quite made it to the point where I was just blown away. I kept waiting for it though:)

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  10. While I was initially curious about this book, I can't say that I am anymore. Everyone has been mentioning how under-developed the characters and the world-building were. But since this has a sequel, I'm willing to see what people think of it first before I jump into this series. It's interesting how you found yourself being more invested in one character's story more than the other. It happened to me with On Jellicoe Road which I just read yesterday where I was more curious about a past story which was told in snippets at the beginning of the book than the main story!
    Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed this overall, Jenny!
    Lovely review!

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    1. I was definitely surprised that I gravitated toward Nan, I thought for sure Thea would be the focus, but she really wasn't. And Nan just felt more fleshed out to me:)

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  11. Hmm . . . I was thinking I really wanted this one, but now I'm thinking I might want to wait it out . . . *deliberates* Oh well. Regardless of what I decide--excellent review, Jenny ;)

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    1. I think this one can probably keep for a bit Jessica, I wouldn't rush to read it, but it was a quick read for sure:)

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  12. I love the cover of this one but I've heard similar complaints from other readers, so I don't think I'll be picking up this series unless the sequels are significantly better. Lovely review, Jenny!

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    1. I really love the cover too! I'll be interested to see what happens in the next book and if it improves upon this first one:)

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  13. I am not sure about this one, I love aspects but need some world-building and character development. Thanks for a wonderfully informative review Jenny :)

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  14. I have read a couple of reviews on this one and they are all very similar, that the premises is great but that you feel kind of like you jumped int he middle of an already ongoing story right from the beginning, which is really too bad. I love the sound of this one.

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    1. I just needed a little more history with regard to the magic I think. I'm good with suspending disbelief in terms of paranormal elements, but I like to know how they came to be:)

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  15. I always find it weird when a story seems to start smack dab in the middle of things without proper world-building or explanations. I'm always like:Huh?! Did I miss something o.O I was really curious about this one so I'm glad to be forewarned to that aspect of it. I might just hold off on this one for a bit...save it for when I'm in the mood for a quick an easy read! Thanks for the insightful review though ^^ I enjoyed reading your thoughts!

    Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews

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    1. I definitely was asking myself a few questions as I read and often felt like maybe I'd missed something, but like you said, this is a good one for when you're in the mood for something easy:)

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  16. I think I will skip the Carousel ride, even though I like the zombie part. I struggle with shaky world building so I would not like this one, and if you didn't like it, I will pass.

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    1. Hehe, I wanted off the ride on occasion as well, but overall this was a solid enough read for me. I just wanted a bit more from it:)

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  17. I've been curious about this one because of the time period and setting and stuff but the lack of world-building and stuff might be a bit frustrating.

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    1. It was for sure. I just kept wanting another chapter here and there would take me beneath the surface more:)

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  18. third review of the day! LOL i've seen this book EVERYWHERE today lo! I like the fact that this one deals with zombies lol (although i'm not a zombie person) and the setting of the book but it kind of sucks that the world building isn't all too strong in this book since the setting of the story is one of the major things that intrigues me about this one.
    Great review

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    1. It's Dark Metropolis day apparently:) I'm not a zombie person AT ALL, but they're a really subtle element in this one. Just enough to be creepy without making me want to sleep with all the lights on:)

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  19. Definitely. I know I'm a reader who likes things a bit more fleshed out, someone younger might not be as picky as I am:)

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  20. I agree with you on this Jenny, while the premise does sound intriguing, I don't think I would be able to grasp the lack in detail of both the world building or character development. I'm fairly okay with world building not being a main focus, but in such a novel where there needs to be just as much world as there are characters, I would totally mind its absence. Its odd that you somewhat connected with only one of the characters over the other. From what you have described, I do like the sound of Nan, and am curious to see 'experience' her character, but I'll have to be in one of my weird moods when I decide to pick this up. I do love that cover though! Its so weirdly intriguing. LOL

    I'm glad you found some aspects of this enjoyable, Jenny! Fabulous review! :D

    ~ Maida
    Literary Love Affair 

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  21. It seems lately that a lot of books are leaving the world building for later or second books and just diving in leaving us to kind of figure it out for ourselves. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. Magic worlds need a little background, I think, the more fantasy, the more explanation needed. And very weird that the MC wasn't actually the MC. Can't say this is high on my reading list right now. Great review.

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  22. I know this is silly but this one hadn't even hit my radar at all until it showed up on my doorstep and then now I find out it has zombies - cause I was silly and didn't even read the description. So yeah. I'll definitely be reading it as soon as I can find where the heck I put my copy!! Now it's driving me nuts that I can't find the darn thing!

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