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Reviewed by:
  • Black City
  • Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor
Richards, Elizabeth. Black City. Putnam, 2012. [384p]. ISBN 978-0-399-15943-5 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 9–12.

The war between humans and the vampire-like Darklings has reached an uneasy truce in Black City, with the Darklings herded into militarized ghettoes while humans attempt to rebuild the surrounding area. Seventeen-year-old Ash, one of the few remaining half-breeds, is currently allowed to live with his human father, but that will likely change under the tyrannical rule of Purian Rose, a politician bent on ridding the city of all Darklings. Ash is too busy dealing drugs to humans and trying to pay the rent to much care about politics but all that changes when he meets Natalie, a human girl who literally starts his dead heart beating and with whom he falls hopelessly in love. Natalie, however, is not only human but the daughter of the local Emissary, a woman who is one of Purian Rose’s biggest supporters and who has a history of abusing and exploiting Darklings for personal and political gain. Despite the appeal of Ash and Natalie’s forbidden romance and their many steamy scenes together, their relationship is probably the weakest link in this dystopian tale of doomed love. Their characters lack any real development, so they fail to evoke reader attachment, making the romance feel disingenuous and (pardon the pun) half-hearted. The world-building is far more successful, with Richards creating a portrait of a populace mistaking bigotry for protection, and the alternating viewpoints between Ash and Natalie give readers a look at the entire scope of the clash between humans and Darklings. Readers will find more emotional nuance in Cat Hellisen’s When the Sea Is Rising Red (BCCB 3/12), but those looking for a quick, lusty romance in a world gone awry will likely find satisfaction here.

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