Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a deep love for all things Assassin's Creed. From the historical aspects, to the lore, to the characters; this is a fandom I absolutely thrive in reading about. I was extremely excited to jump into The Golden City, because of where this story takes place and the historical pieces that the author integrated into the book.

Right off the bat, I was absolutely mesmerized by Jaleigh's ability to write out the scenery and complex characters in a way that made me feel like I was right alongside the Assassin's. The main character, Hytham, is a complex and brilliant character who really has to figure out and balance the idea of being overly protective while also trying to complete his task. The delicate balance of trying to both protect the child while at the same time do his job was an internal conflict that the author does a great job of showing.

After reading so many other Assassin's Creed books, I can definitely say that Golden City is ranked among the top three. These characters were overall extremely interesting, displayed complexities that have to be dealt with to move on, and a great adventure that was relatively easy to follow as a reader. This was a great book & great story!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

Just two quick notes to put out of the way:

- There are some lines on Chapter Sixteen I’m sure they need to be in italic. The narration suddenly goes from third person to first person on regular font, and does not seem right. Would be better to confirm.
- On Chapter Twenty-Three, Hytham refuses to spar because he’s all beaten up, and crippled, yet on the following day he goes on an archery challenge with another character. Considering the (detailed) injuries he sustained not long ago at that time, he wouldn’t be capable of neither sparing nor archery. The posture and muscles required for him to be that effective are, in big part, the same he would use sparring. I know this sounds specially nitpicky considering they eagle jump from tall buildings, but this followup of events is just too close, in my opinion, to not notice.

I stopped with Assassin’s Creed after finishing Black Flag. Character wise it peaked on the Haytham family, granted they are my favorite clan of assassins. Ezio had great games, but as a character, I did no like him, except for Revelations. That said, the only books I've read were Forsaken and Black Flag, and I enjoyed them. The Golden City is a good time as any to check how the franchise has evolved, and this one seems a tie in novel to AC Valhalla, wish I definitely wishlisted for its soundtrack alone.

AC is one of those franchises that stuck to a formula for years before deciding to try something new. Personal tastes aside, Ezio was a marketing success and was a personality hard to come out off. After Ezio came Connor Kenway, bringing another personality and symbology with controversial results, but marked the first attempts at delivering something new. The consecutive attempts seem to have been generally successful game wise, also for technical reasons, but the book quality seems to have gone down towards an opposite fate.

The Golden City seems an odd title after reading the story, and the cover, while good, it does not match what I got from the text. The book does attempt to describe Constantinople as grand as it was in the day, and most of the plot happens at the Emperor’s Palace. The author did a great job at describing the environment and I quickly got immersed on the physical space, but what I related to most was the fatherhood theme.

These books are not made to be deep but they can convey some ideas. This one had a struggle between being overly protective towards the next generation, or showing tough love. Hytham goes from being a child bodyguard into kind of a “helicopter parent”, and that brings complications into his job. But he has competition: another guardian who is more than tough towards the child, a child with many enemies that want to kill him. This conflict ends up shaping the child one way or another. He is not stupid but lacks the freedom to learn and grow. The palace people want him to grow into a strong example of the people, making him learn various skills, but it’s an oppressive environment that punishes severely any kind of failure. Hytham, on the other hand, gives him freedom and emotional comfort, but makes the child too reliable on others for protection, risking not learning things by himself and becoming too soft in a culture of politics.

Sometimes I got frustrated by how the child was shoved and carried around like a puppet, but I assume that’s the idea. He is a pawn in the middle of a greater game, and despite being conscious of his powerlessness, he is not growing fast enough nor well enough to face life’s challenges. A big part of the plot is about figuring out how to solve this mystery. More than foiling the emperor’s plan, Hytham and Basim are figuring out how to bring a safe environment for a child to grow. I did enjoy the little twists and how they went about finding a solution. I was not expecting that ending either: it was masterful but ordinary in a way spy stories tend to be. Unlike previous AC stories, where everything is very overt, this one really showed how pieces moved in shadows can result in unremarkable but truly meaningful events. Was like a young adult CIA story but in Byzantium.

My main gripe was how Hytham seemed capable of fighting despite all the injuries he got. Requires a suspension of belief I can’t hold for long. I would prefer a more clever way of going about it while letting Basim and others do all the fighting. As for all the violence happening in the Palace, multiple times, and seemingly with little consequence overall, I can “forgive” considering the players involved. I just wish the Order was more complex and fearful than usually portrayed. The Golden City made them all around bad guys that lose a lot of people yet just keep throwing them like cannon fodder, and can get tiring, specially when the Assassins seem to get away with it with not very meaningful injuries. I know how the games work, but a novel could turn that down a notch.

Regardless, I enjoyed very much the read. Hytham internal conflict with the challenges of parenting and loyalty was something I could relate a lot, and earned points. Also bonus for not having more Ezio copies wandering around once more. Three Stars means I Liked It, Fours means I loved it but isn't a favourite. The Golden City is fun, immersive and themes I can relate to, but at the same time, some pet peeves.

This is a phenomenal read, the author manges to give us new life to prestablished characters but also keep them mysterious. The world is alive and vibrant and I was so hooked In the 3 days it took me to read the book I couldn't put it down. A must read for all assassin creed fans

Stream-lined action and enjoyable storytelling. Jaleigh Johnson writes a story that inhabits the larger franchise world of Assassin's Creed with entertaining results.