This book was quite unique with its structure and to be honest, it wasn’t for me. The writing was very flowery. I wish I could say I loved it but it was just okay.

Absolutely blew me away! The writing is breathtaking, the world-building is insanely rich, and the characters—wow, just wow. Every page is packed with so much depth, especially around themes like reclaiming power and identity, that you can’t help but get completely lost in it. If you’re into fantasy that’s as stunning as it is thought-provoking, this is an absolute must-read.

holy and infernal, absolutely blissfully devastating. it makes me want to get a library card for every city i've ever been to.

The beginning had me hooked but it did start to drag with the repetitive actions which is on purpose but it slows down the momentum. This was a very thought provoking short story that I still think about. This story reminded me of Laini Taylor's Strange the Dreamer duology.

This was the first book by Nghi Vo I have read, and I cannot wait to get my hands on others. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and it is hard to put this slim book down once you begin reading it.

I struggle to begin to explain the plot, and even when I try, I know that I am not doing it justice. This is definitely going to be one of the books I hand to customers and friends saying, "Just trust me, this one is good."

It might seem odd, but I appreciated that this was a rich fantasy story without a lot of world building. I also liked the way the story switches between Vitrine's memories and the present time. It isn't exactly a romance, but it is also one of the most romantic books I have read in a while. The ending was perfect and also heartbreaking.

I really can't wait to read more by this author!

Oh my Lordy this book was so good. Thank you to the publisher for the arc. Without adding life to the synopsis, this boon was so freaking good.

Nghi Vo's way of writing is totally absorbing and delicate. I think he has a unique way of telling a great story in just a few pages.

Yes, I admit that I have not managed to connect 100% with the story and the characters, but I cannot fail to mention the incredible way it has of conveying to us what the story requires.

Although it is the second thing I have read by this author, I feel that maybe I haven't found something that really catches me yet. However, I highly recommend it for those looking for a story told in a fresh, different way that allows you to travel to a completely different world with just a few words.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nghi Vo is such a fantastic writer that I will read anything that she has out--and she just keeps getting better. The City in Glass focuses on the demon named Vitrine (the word also refers to a glass cabinet for storing curios) who has come to the city of Azril and tends to it over the course of many years, storing various treasures and memories in the glass cabinet in her heart. That is, until one day, an unnamed angel comes to the town and destroys it, along with several of his brethren. (Although the angel Azrael is in Jewish and Moslem lore as the angel who separates the body and soul at death). That day of destruction is the beginning of the story of the relationship between Vitrine and the angel, and the bulk of the book explores the complicated facets of what it means to love. There are so many layers to all of it! This is such a many-layered story that one reading will never be enough, and I look forward to finding more insights with every re-read of the story. I highly recommend it.

This book is so strange, a demon has spent centuries growing a city when a group of angels descend to destroy it (for no reason that I could understand but I might have missed it, the prose is very slippery). As the angels are departing, the demon's heart is shattering and she flings a shard of it at the last angel, tethering him to herself - and this ruined city. The narrative style is very like the Singing Hills Cycle books. We learn about-and in my case grow to love- the lost city through the memories that the demon relives as she slowly clears way to begin again. This is a beautifully written story about death and rebirth, a cycle that everything partakes in on some scale. I loved the vignette style of storytelling, unearthing stories from the cities past as the narrator unearths remains of the mayor's mansion, for example. With a timeline that is impossible to pin down and a narrator that changes shape with a thought and has moods that shift just as fast, this book will sit snugly in my heart for a while!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Tor Publishing Group, for giving me access to this book in exchange for this honest review!

To try to describe this story would be like trying to define grief. Vitrine is an demon who has adopted a city as her own, watching it grow from the seed of a city into something great. Until the powers of heaven burn it all down. Among the rubble and rust of her beloved city she vows to bring it back, and curses one of the angels who destroyed her home.

In The City in Glass, a demon and an angel oversee the rebuilding of the city of Avril. (After the city had been destroyed by the angel and his brothers.) Our Protagonist is Vitrine, a demon whose hobbies involve city planning and culture engineering. She had been working on Avril for many human generations when the angels show up and completely destroy her city and everyone in it. Vitrine is not able to do do anything to stop it, though she is able to snipe one of the angels, cursing him so that he is unable to return to his brethren.

Following the city's destruction, Vitrine tumbles into a state of grief. The angel meanwhile attempts to make reparations, in hopes that she'll remove the curse. The reparations are extremely unsuccessful, and not just because Vitrine is extremely vengeful and also a demon: the angel is unable to understand why Vitrine is angry with him, and the reason for her grief. (Vitrine and the angel are equally alien, inhuman beings but Vitrine is more empathetic and sympathetic toward mortals. The angel on the other hand is at first unable to differentiate between a girl and a crane...and why it might be important to do so. Yes...that's a spoiler.)

The narrative flow of The City in Glass is reminiscent of Patricia McKillip's writing style; poetic and dreamlike, though much darker in tone. The novel is full of loving descriptions of the city, it's history and the people Vitrine loved and influenced. Vitrine is an interesting character, as are her brothers and sisters, all of them who have a cabinet inside them where they keep things that are important to them. (Vitrine's cabinet has a book that she writes the names of all the people she's cared about...other relatives have stranger or more horrifying things in them.)

Vitrine slowly rebuilds her city with and without the angel's assistance. I found their relationship to be fascinating and extremely complicated. It starts out antagonistic, but slowly becomes more empathetic as the angel slowly begins to understand Vitrine and her motivations. They grow closer and fall apart as their relationship develops, and the angel ends up influencing the city and its people as much as Vitrine does.

The City in Glass is a intricate examination of grief and revenge. (And also love, but definitely not forgiveness. Vitrine is after all a demon, and the angel did after all destroy her city.) It's also about recovering from grief and rebuilding from the ruins. This book was an enjoyable, thoughtful story with complex characters that are both incredibly alien and inhuman, yet relatable.

This review is based on a galley received from NetGalley.

Nghi Vo has crafted an absolute masterpiece with The City in Glass. It is a breathtaking journey through memory, transformation, and redemption, weaving a tale that is both epic and intimate. Vo’s storytelling is simply magical, making this a must-read for any fan of sci-fi and fantasy. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you Tor Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

Astounding, beautiful, deeply moving, and mythical. Whatever you think this story is about, think again. While the book is being touted as an epic love story by the publishers, I would argue that the love story is only second to the story of the demon Vitrine and the rise and fall of her city.

This was an incredibly beautiful and, at times grotesque, depiction of a demon mourning a city that once was and coming to terms with the city it is now growing in its stead. The prose Vo uses to express the evolution as seen through the eyes of Vitrine is phenomenal and a work of art. It is not written in the typical manner where the main character learns and grows or goes on an adventure. In The City in Glass, the character study is really Azril as Vitrine remembers its long dead citizens and the new citizens as they build it up again. Over the centuries Vitrine reflects on their pains, traditions, and loves, and how they shaped and continue to shape the city.

The telling of Vitrine’s story seemed more what you would hear in mythologies passed down through generations. Everything done by Vitrine was mystical but still grounded by nature, almost as if someone was explaining why certain unexplainable things happened in this city. Even the love story between Vitrine and the angel depicted a love born from grief and rebuilding. An allegory for the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

I just cannot explain how much I loved this book. I do know that this will not be for everyone as it is a weird concept and may feel too short for a character study. I however will be reading this over and over as I think there’s more I could glean from it upon each read. Just WOW!

Another reviewer called this a novel that feels like a short story, and that is exactly how I described this to my husband this morning after I finished the last page. It's a work of world-building and vibe-creating, successful at those tasks. I could see Azril, both its towers and its ashes. But if readers are looking for a deep study of character or fast-moving plot, this is not that book.

It felt a little like a fable or a fairytale, one where the lesson is murky, if it's even there at all.

this moved me surprisingly deeply as someone grappling with change and permanency; a romantic and dazzling (re)creation myth between the demon who loves her city and the destroying angel who, inexplicably, loves her. a story of loss, remembering with all senses, and remaking, that knows how to love a place and its people in both vastness and tender detail - a gone and returning world for those who love placemaking and storytelling with a little bit of an epic love.

I’ve never read a book by this author before but I absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for the ARC! I loved this story, it was extremely well written. Will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author!

Perfect For….

Fans of fantasy intertwined with mythology and pining.

Quick Synopsis

The demon Vitrine, who has taken care of the city of Azril is left with a book of the names of those she has lost and memories after angels come and strike the city down. She is also left with angel bound by her curse to haunt her city. They both learn more about the city’s past and try to shape its future, all while being fascinated by the other, whom they are supposed to hate.

My Review

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I liked the plot and the idea of the book, but found it hard to get into and keep up with as the time moved really fast since the main character is an immortal. If it were easier for me to get into and keep up with, then I would probably have given it a better rating. I would not recommend this book just because I think it would be hard to get into based on my own experience. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

The City in Glass has to be one of the most uniquely structured books I've ever read. It's beginning feels more like and ending and it's ending more like a beginning. The story follows Vitrine the immortal demon of Azril who was there when the Angels came down and burnt her beloved city to dust, and stayed to try and build a new future. It's a strange story, with Vitrine as our POV we get flashbacks to her creation of the original Azril, the people that called it home, as well as her now, desperate, angry and distraught over all she has lost. Left with nothing but memories and a list of names kept in a glass box inside her chest, she wants vengeance, blood, instead all she is left with is a broken Angel, one she wants nothing to do with, but who been banned from their home. The two clash over the days, years, centuries, but burning between them is a tension, a love almost, for each other maybe, but also for this city they are building together from the ruins of Azril.

It's not your typical, burning with passion romance, rather one with two beings who each carry a piece of the other inside them. Their relationship starts more as a battle of wills, of words and actions, and Vo does a brilliant job at showing us how time, love, devotion are treated by immortal beings. Beings who have, quite literally, all the time in the world. It's definitely a different take from others, instead of that instant click, the whole 'I want to spend eternity with you.' These two see the world and time differently, and thus their romance is more of an extreme slow burn. It's enemies to lovers at it's truest I suppose, showing how love can form from even the greatest of hates.

There's really no way for me to describe this book that would do it justice, or give you a true understanding of what it entails. It's a story of grief, at it's heart, shown through the eyes of someone immortal, Vo manages to make Vitrine immune to a lot of things, but grief is not one of them. The story follows her through the burning of the city she built, her anger and burning hatred for those that caused it, and her slow but steady decision to try and re-build, even if the city could never end up being the same as it was before. Vitrine's immortality come's through in a multitude of ways, but none more so than the writing style and non-linear way in which the story is chosen. Who other than an immortal could spend that time grieving over something dead, reminiscing on a city and people who will never live again. It's an interesting way to tell the story, but I did enjoy getting the flashbacks to the Azril we never knew, whilst also seeing the new city come to life.

As beautiful as this was, I know it wont be for everyone. The non-linear fashion of the story alone will put some people off, as will the non-traditional romance. In fact I would go to say nothing about this book is traditional in anyway. Vo takes the usual tropes of immortal beings, enemies to lovers etc and just completely puts her own, beautiful and heartbreaking, spin on it. But if you're willing to suspend reality for a moment, delve into a world newly broken and watch as it slowly comes back to life, whilst also getting to see a love story of biblical standards, I can highly recommend giving this one a go.

In The City of Glass Nghi Vo give us an angel and a demon who meet at the end of a civilization, and who witness and help it grow for centures after.

I'm going to get the obvious out of the way right now- there are going to be Good Omens comparisons. And in some ways I agree. In this book we get to watch two beings who start as mortal enemies and slowly grow into... allies? Friends? More? But where Good Omens focuses mostly on a set period of time, and has a larger cast of characters, Vo gives us a very stripped back cast and a deeper character study of the two leads.

For a book that spans centuries, it feel like not a lot happens. And that's intentional. For immortal beings, what happens in a human lifetimes is barely a speck in the sands of time. If you like morally questionable characters, intense chacter insight, and slow moving plots, you'll probably love this book. It was sparse, and heavy, and glorious, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

“Hey Jordan! It’s been a bit since we had a review that talked about fantasy cities being main characters in books. Do you have anything new along those lines?”

Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there. How did you get into my house? I guess it doesn’t matter.

In fact, I have been thinking about city-as-character again because I just got done reading The City in Glass by Nghi Vo. We’ve previously talked about city-as-character in the context of Gareth Hanrahan’s The Gutter Prayer (Guerdon) and Adrian Tchaikovsky’s City of Last Chances (Ilmar). If you are interested in reading those reviews to get caught up, they are here and here, respectively. The City in Glass is similar in some ways to those books and also very different in a lot of ways. As I started thinking about this book, I started to almost think of it as the antithesis to those books. If those are books that look at the city-as-character by looking at a large ensemble of characters from varieties of life locations, the City in Glass looks at the city-as-character from only two perspectives; that of the demon that protects the city and the angel that destroyed it.

Honestly, plot-wise the story is pretty simple. A demon, Vitrine, essentially acts as the patron of Azril and has through the ages essentially propped it up and turned it into the wondrous city that it is. This all turns out to be for naught, however, when angels show up and destroy the city in one horrific evening. She puts a curse on one of the angels who is forced to stay and live in the aftermath of the destruction he was part of bringing to Azril. They then stay and muse on the city as it slowly rises from the ashes and something new fills its space. There’s some romance and a lot musing on the development of a city and how a space becomes a home. It’s definitely a slower book than many I’ve read. It feels more poetic and more introspective than a lot of fantasy books. I think the closest similar vibe is comparing it to This is How We Lost the Time War. If you are looking for epic fantasy full of battles and magic, I suggest starting elsewhere because this is definitely less about that and more philosophical.

In order for something like this to be successful, the characters have to be great and Vitrine is definitely a brilliantly written character. Getting to read about the people she protects versus those that become her enemies is mesmerizing. Her love for Azril is also palpable and one of the best parts of this book. In some ways, she feels like one of those locals that Anthony Bourdain or a similar travelogue tv host would talk to and have to guide them around a city. She is the reader's guide and you learn to love Azril as she does.

Azril is the other character we should talk about. Similar to Guerdon or Ilmar it is definitely the true main character of this book. And in this book, we see Azril start as something not even named Azril yet to being a beautiful metropolis to being destroyed and then everything that comes after and we get to learn, alongside Vitrine, how to love this city as well. Vo describes the city beautifully and it’s hard to not feel immersed in the life of the city and the people that live there.

All-in-all, The City in Glass is definitely the most introspective book that I’ve ever read that works with the concept of city-as-character. For someone looking for a book that feels like This is How We Lose the Time War meets City of Last Chances, look no further. It’s the Anthony Bourdain of epic metropolitan fantasy and it’s a beautiful look into the life of a city that is dying and being reborn.

(This review will be posted on Kaiju & Gnome (https://kaijuandgnome.substack.com/) in October