2.5 stars rounded up

Savage City is the kind of book that has interesting ideas, but feels underbaked in execution. Talia dies but instead of an afterlife, she ends up in a parallel version of San Francisco where two factions of people with magical abilities are at war. Talia is mistaken for the missing princess of one faction and she must survive in a brutal world where prisoners of war are enslaved and people risk their (3!) souls to gain power through a symbiotic relationship with a daemon.

Again, cool ideas. But Talia is very NICE, very concerned with other people being hurt, willing to sacrifice herself on behalf of others. None of which is bad, but she ends up feeling a bit one dimensional. And when paired with a plot that lacks tension for most of the book, we end up with a rather bland reading experience. And while there is a romantic subplot, the characters feel underdeveloped which made it hard for me to care about their romance. Which is unfortunate, because I think the ideas have potential. This just feels like an early draft that needed some fine-tuning, deeper character work, and added plot tension. The audio narration is done well with two narrators. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read fantasy and it took me a minute to follow a long but i was hooked and intrigued! Id love to continue with the series but in paperback form! ❤️

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I have to admit I was a little confused about where L. Penelope was going with this story at the beginning. I am glad I stuck with it because it was fantastic, full of magic and post-apocalyptic scenery.

Talia dies but instead of entering the afterlife, she ends up in a terrifying city with kings, dragons and war. She is mistaken for the princesses and is brought to the dragon king that looks just like her real father. Ryin is a warrior that doesn't want to fall with Talia, especially since she is the daughter of the enemy. But the more time he spends with her the more he realizes he isn't who she thought she was.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. This was an easy read that felt like a young adult book while not being one. There were some slow moments, but overall I found it interesting and unique. I enjoyed the magic system and thought the universe-building was well done. This book had castle vibes but took place in the city which was fun.

I liked the concept between the Nimali and the Fai and enjoyed the characters even though at times they felt one-dimensional. The romance felt odd at first because a lot of Talia's feelings were driven by old relationships we don't see. But as soon as it started to pick up I totally wanted them to be together. I didn't expect smut so I was very happy that this got steamy.

My favourite part of this book was the Antagonist. He was clearly a psychopath but also complex with a pretty big soft spot. I enjoyed all his scenes and was honestly taken aback by his heart at the end. Talia's relationship with him was complicated and I appreciated his uncertainty when it came to it. He allowed horrible things to happen but I also understood how he ended up the way he did.

I think this was a great read and I am excited to see how the rest of this series unfolds. If you haven't added this book to your tbr yet, what are you doing? Despite its flaws, it was enjoyable and I totally recommend this if you love young adult romance but want it more adult.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmmm… I’m not quite sure where to start with this review.

First of all, the premise is an amazing idea. Girl dies… only to be reincarnated elsewhere in the midst of a monster attack?? Absolutely WILD!

But from there… I didn’t really feel anything. Talia felt very bland to me (she was so boring on Earth, and that’s coming from me: the most boring person on the planet). Also… how did she fall in love with Ryin so quick? I know he looked like her old crush on Earth but… I don’t know, I guess it felt unbelievable to me. Like, one minute they were kissing and the next they were having sex in a closet??

That was another thing that weirded me out: the entire book felt super young and YA and I would have guessed the characters were 16-18 based on how they acted, but they were really in their twenties?? And there was a graphic sex scene and talk of boners and things like that? It just didn’t feel like it fit. I literally gasped because I felt like it came out of nowhere.

So much of this had good potential… but I don’t think it really hit the mark for me. Not quite sure if I will read the rest of the series when it comes out or not. I did sort of like Prince Shad… so maybe I will have to give him a go.

💥Many thanks to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for providing me an audiobook copy of L. Penelope 's "Savage City" in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, let's start~

🪞𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹:
- New Adult verging on YA
- Magic 🪄
- Forbidden romance
- Racially diverse cast of characters (POC main characters)
- Multiverse? Parallel universe? Afterlife?
- Soulmates 🫀
- Daemons
- War, violence, racism, slavery, death
- Human/animal shifters 🐘
- Fake princess 👑
- Spicy scene 🔥

🪞𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
- the world building! 🪐 It was slow, natural and not rushed.
- the writing style of the author! 📜 L. Penelope hooked me from the very first page.
- the mystery of the world 🗝️ It kept me guessing, where is Talia, Celina? What's going on? Why is our main character here? Is this a futuristic Earth or is this in a parallel universe?
- the characters ⚜️ they were likable and their plight was palpable
- the narrators 🙊 they did an amazing job!

🪞𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
- Too short! ✂️ the book was too short and the story too rushed at the end
- Predictable 🔮 the story was similar to many other fantasy YA/NA novels

🪞𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
3.7/5 ⭐ rounded up to 4/5 ⭐

I will be honest and say I had low expectations for this book because I couldn't find much about it when I searched and it was listed as fantasy. Fantasy can be hit or miss for me for sure, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It had a well developed plot and solidly built universe, very interesting characters and a diverse cast. I would love to continue the series in audiobook format, it had especially good narration.

Such an intriguing concept! I can't wait to see where Penelope brings this series... I have so many questions! This series could go in so many directions and honestly I'd be okay with anything. I'll be checking out more of Penelope's books because I really enjoy her writing style.
The strong points are a diverse cast of characters (our main character is a woman of colour), the multiverse, and an intriguing mythos. I'd say the only downfall is Ryin, He's just a bland character and I felt that he dragged Talia down.