This book was requested on a "requesting frensy" and, while I don't regret it, I did give this a try.
I truly enjoyed this read, and it had given me a good closure on YA Fantasy. I enjoyed the world building, the political unrest and steampunk setting... very interesting!

"Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing... unless they risk everything."

Thrilling, exciting, pulse-pounding. Diamond City's is a fast-paced high concept novel that will appeal to readers of thrillers, YA, fantasy and everything in between. Definitely add this to your TBR.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

This book has been sitting on my Negalley shelf for ages, collecting dust, and I've felt so guilty about it. But today, I learned of some of the violently racist things a Wednesday Books employee has been spouting and thought it was time to clean house on here.

I will be reviewing this book on Goodreads and Amazon at a later date since the author has absolutely nothing to do with this. But I will not be promoting any books from Wednesday Books, St. Martins Press, or other related Macmillan imprints.

Anyone who tolerates racism is not okay with me.

This was a really fun and immersive read! I wouldn’t say it was the most mind-blowing fantasy as far as technicality goes, but I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the second one!

My favorite part of this book was the element of assassins! I love anything with assassins, and this one didn’t disappoint! Our main character is an extremely intense assassin who slits throats and drops bodies like it’s nothing, the Blood King’s best Blade… Am I ok for thinking she’s insanely cool? I don’t know. But seriously, she is good at what she does! And the action scenes are well-written and intense! We also have the fugitive trope on our hands and everyone is out to get her – so she KEEPS being cool!!! Boss girl things! Does she always make the decisions I want her to? No, because she has a lot to figure out throughout the book. While I wish she could have realized some things a lot sooner, she kicks butt and I’m here for it.

The world itself is interesting as well. It’s fantasy but with a modern feel – there are guns and there’s a sort of urban environment, but the city’s dynamics feel somewhat fantastical. The world-building is an aspect that’s lacking somewhat; the city is fairly developed, but the world outside is foggy. There are also a couple plot points that lean towards coincidence. However, these elements did not impact my reading experience at all, and I’m intrigued to see if the world expands in the sequel as the plot reaches past the city walls.

My least favorite element of this book was the romance… or the lack thereof… or actually just the confusion of it. You see, our main character ends up having about four love interests, none of whom she actually commits to. She just kind of waffles around in her brain throughout the entire novel, thinking “oh, am I supposed to like him?” and “I’m having flirty feelings about (a)” and “have I liked (b) all along?” and “maybe I actually will like (c) in the future” and “woe is me, I can’t forget about my abusive boss lord for whom I’ve had twisted feelings since I was like twelve.” It was a point of frustration for me because the romance just felt tossed in there with no actual purpose whatsoever and it was just too chaotic. I actually liked that a romantic arc wasn’t present because it allowed her to focus on herself and what she wanted in her life. She too has this realization at the literal end of the book. But her random thoughts about romance dragged that down and distracted from her overall character arc. Plus, she didn’t really have chemistry with anyone, possibly because there were just too many potential love interests. I am excited to see if she ends up with anyone in the next book (I know who I’m rooting for lol), but I wish the romance didn’t try so hard in this first installment.

Despite the romantic confusion, I really liked all the characters! Teo is a precious cinnamon roll and I was going to quite literally THROW HANDS if he died. I really really really like Ryuu and I think his personality is really good for Aina (he’s the one I’m rooting for… teehee). And we love a fierce girl gang so love my gals Tannis and Raurie.

For technical reasons, my rating might have been 3.5 or 3.75, but the assassin element had me giddy and I had to rate this one a solid 4 stars. I really did enjoy it, and I’m very excited to see what the next and final installment has in store as far as romance, world-building, and character development!





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This was ok - it wasn’t anything special and I have read many stories like this before. Diamond City isn’t memorable and I would say to skip it

This was a fun action-packed fantasy! I found the main character to be a strong heroine! She is tough, can fight, and can be ruthless! I also loved the ending and can’t wait to read the sequel! I recommend this for fans of Throne of Glass!

DIAMOND CITY is so atmospheric, with plot points cutting deeper than Aina's knife and a magic system that'll chill you to the core!

Gritty, and yet sparkly as a diamond, Flores' prose sucks you in and keeps you flipping the pages for more. Filled with non-stop action and a totally fierce protagonist, it's fresh, it's fun, and it's the dark fantasy we've all been waiting for!

Aina's story gripped me from the start, so I cannot wait to read Book 2 (and find out what happens next)!

This is a late review, but I liked the storytelling of this book. Overall, that's all I remember. I enjoyed it while I was "in" it, but I am having some trouble recalling the story. I felt like it was tied up in a nice bow at the end, so I'm curious about the #1 next to the title. I'd read it though, if just to get a refresher on the world-building.

This book as entertaining, however, the plot felt wierdly paced and it was boring at times. The world-building was done primarily through info-dumps and I never felt pulled in or very interested in what was going on. The characters were interesting, but again, I wasn't very attached to them and this made the book not as engaging as it could've been. Overall, a fun read, but lacking something that makes me excited about the story.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

In a world of interesting magical and adversarial conceits, Diamond City has a promising premise. However, its inability to draw strong ties to the protagonist or any other character makes each action sequence take precedence over any overarching dynamic or theme that the story may be drawing towards. It has all the trademarks of a book that I'd likely enjoy without the pull to successfully draw me into the world. I am willing to give the author a try within a different series which does a better job in writing compelling characters.

This was an excellent debut. I was glued to page one, and stayed up long after my bedtime to finish the novel!

I tried to read this one a couple of times in case I just wasn't in the right mind space the first time, but it still didn't work for me the second time. I didn't finish this book because I couldn't connect to the characters and wasn't interested in the world at all. The concept sounded good, but it just wasn't for me.

This was such a fun fantasy, following esteemed assassin Aina after she is given the chance of a lifetime from her boss--a big job that, if she succeeds, will give her enough money and freedom to open her own business.

I really enjoyed following Aina through this story. She is both ruthless and compassionate, and those two sides of her battle back and forth through the book as she tries to discover who she really is, and who she wants to be. Her sidekicks made up a wonderful cast of side characters, who were all fully fleshed out and each had their own distinct personalities and motivations for why they were helping her in her quest.

The writing was utterly compelling. Easy to read but never overly simple, it was a great stylistic choice for this kind of novel: one that is mostly plot-focused, with action almost always going on and very few slow spots. While there is character development and the characters are well written, I would definitely call this a "plot" book.

The end fell a little flat for me, with a lot of things conveniently happening in the last 15% or so that didn't have much lead up. I would have preferred some more foreshadowing earlier in the book or for the ending to be a little messier, with more loose threads so it didn't feel like the author was tying everything up in a bow. Overall, though, I thought this was a very strong start to a series and Francesca Flores's debut. I am excited to read the second book, Shadow City, which releases later in 2021.

Magic: check
Assassins: check
Strong female lead with a bad ass attitude: check

Thjs book was an amazing start to a new series. I can't wait until the sequel gets released in January. The characters are wonderfully written, witty and enjoyable. They definitely stick with you. The world building is incredible and the plot is filled with a ton of action. This for me was a quick read because I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Aina is an orphan in a country where diamonds make up the main industry, and even though their use as such is outlawed, diamonds can also be used in magic. After Aina's parents are murdered, she is taken in by one of the city's biggest crime lords, the Blood King. He trains her to be the best assassin in the city. But when he gives her the biggest job in history, things go awry and she ends up in a fight for her life. This book has twists and Aina begins to see the world in a new light. I thought the book's premise was very similar to books I've read in the past and so it took me a long time to get into it, but in the end it was enjoyable. I will definitely read the sequel.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book but I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. This was gut clenching good time with its blend of different magic systems tied up in one fabulous plot. This could have been a disaster but some how Francesca Flores made this work beautifully. Flores has created a world filled with blood/elemental magic, a steampunk setting and shady political system that leads to blood, mayhem, and of course revenge. This is the first in a new series, and y the time you get to the end you are excited for the next installment. If stabbing fiction and a slow build up is your thing then read this book.

While this novel tackled issues of religious persecution, classism and homelessness/drug abuse, it mostly came across as a silly, YA book about a girl who, many times was starving and high but now she kills in order to eat, who agonizes because the “boy” she likes doesn’t like her back and her best friend may or may not like her and she may like him but isn’t sure. The disparate ideas and the way they are handled were extremely disjointed and unappealing. The story, once you’ve gotten past the strange mentality of the main character, is entertaining enough but I did not care enough about the characters to really be invested or even want to know what happens to them next. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator appeared inexperienced and could not seem to get the cadence of the story right.

Diamond City by Francesca Flores was a book that I really wanted to love. I found myself being disappointed. The main character Aina was so emotionless and heartless that I just could not connect with her. I found her to be a pretty static character. It is really hard to work with that. She had no redeeming qualities to me. Which makes for a very long book if you don't like the main character. She wasn't written int he way that you love her. Like the way you love villains sometimes.