Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Truly one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, and I mean that in a positive way! It is a short but hauntingly beautiful read. I adored how Azril was a character in its own right, and watching its rebirth with Vitrine and the angel was an incredible and unique experience.

Vitrine and the angel’s relationship was perfectly ethereal, cruel, shattering, delicate, and pristine all at once. How Nghi Vo created such depth of character in a novella should be STUDIED.

All to say, this is a MASTERPIECE and you should definitely read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!!

I really loved The City in Glass, though I suppose I’m not entirely sure who else will. The prose is lovely and I loved the vibes and atmosphere, and I thought that the title and the writing style lended themselves well to what Vo was trying to accomplish, because so much of it felt like I was being held at arm’s length, or that I was peering through a glass encasing. And, also, I really enjoyed that the immortal beings did feel some level of detachment. I’m impressed with how Vo managed to tell a story of such a large scale in so few pages, but it worked well for me. I think this will be a particularly challenging read if, as a reader, you prefer something with a strong plot or you like to get into the weeds of world building. There’s a sort of literary quality to this, and I feel like you need to either typically like vibes-based books or be in the mood for one to have the most success with reading this.

I liked the audio and found it easy to listen to, but at the same time I found it a little easy for my attention to stray. Still, Susan Dalian’s narration does an excellent job with adding emotion to the story.

This speculative fantasy was beautifully written and felt like a fever dream, much like Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills novellas. It explores themes of identity, belonging, grief, and the delicate beauty of human existence. The lyrical prose crafted a unique, poetic, and deeply moving narrative that enriched the entire experience for me.

Beautifully written with a non-linear timelines. The writing is quite poetic. The love between the Angel and the Demon is so beautiful... I definitely wanted the story to be a bit longer, but it's Vo's writing is impactful (as usual).

This was an absolutely beautifully written story. I only wish I would have read it first. I received a copy of the audiobook early through NetGalley (also thanks to the publisher). The narration from Susan Dalian was as beautiful as the words that Nghi Vo wrote. However, this story was particularly difficult to keep track of through audio. I am sure that reading the book and seeing the formatting would have helped me understand the story better. The audiobook format did not take away from the emotions this story brought up. The City in Glass makes you rethink what it means to learn and grow. The absolute grief and happiness and love I felt while listening to this book is like nothing I’ve felt before! Nghi Vo pulls you in with their words and keeps you hooked with the dramatic storyline. It’s a tale of Demons and Angels like you’ve never read before!

This was difficult to get into. I stopped and started and tried again for months, in both print and audio formats. Once I got passed the 30% mark, however, it gripped me enough to let me finish and I read the rest in a single afternoon.

The book is hard to describe. It's beautiful and terrible and haunting and strange, and Vitrine and the Angel are alternately relatable and unknowable. The language and the way the story is told are gorgeous, and the words flow like honey from the narrator's tongue. It's fascinating and unsettling and weirdly compelling.

The audiobook is phenomenally performed and I love it more for having listened to it. The narrator really brings Vitrine to life in all her strangeness and fierce love for her city.

It's the story of a city over centuries, as it rises and falls and rises again, guided and nurtured by Vitrine, a demon who loves it fiercely, and the Angel who doesn't really know how to love but tries anyway. The years flow past in fits and starts and characters come and go and age and die, only for their descendants to take up the tale.

The ending was unexpected and strange and I'm not sure how I feel about it, other than that it was haunting.

It reminds me most of Piranesi, and a little of How you Lose the Time War, and of course of Nghi Vo's other works.

It's the sort of book that leaves you questioning what it was all about and at the same time strangely moved by it and feeling subtly changed for having read it.

*Thanks to tordotcom and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

This was a lovely, quick audiobook that kept me company while doing a lot of international travel prep (aka having a lot of anxiety). I had a nice time, but I do feel (once again) that I'd like to revisit this story when I'm able to devote more attention to it because I feel like I missed a lot of details. But I really loved Vitrine, and the poetic writing style worked well for me. The pacing may have been a little slow at times and a little fast at others, but overall, I enjoyed seeing the long-term, immortal's-eye view of Azril's past and present. I'd absolutely recommend this if you like other work from Vo!

I'm not quite sure what I just listened to. Was it beautiful, yes. Was it poetic, yes. But, what was it? I liked the love story between demon and angel and demon and city. I liked the magic. But I wish the plot had a flow to it, because I could not for the life of me get into this story, despite really wanting to. The narration was great, though.

This is a short, meditative novel about a demon in love with a city. She's its patron until one day a gang of angels arrives and destroys it. Over the next 300 years, she nurtures the new civilization that grows in its place. Oh, and one of those angels is cursed (?) to stay on earth, not to re-enter heaven. He also falls in love with the city, and perhaps with the demon, too...

This isn't a romance, although maybe it's a love story between two immortal beings and a place.

I listened to the audio of this one, but it is very slow moving and I had to read the first couple of chapters with my eyes before I could settle into the audio. I think this is a function of the prose, rather than the narrator.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

Narrator and Production quality - amazing, beautiful, I loved it! The narrator really sucks you in and does a wonderful job of pacing and storytelling.

Book: I loved it. Nghi Vo has such a unique voice but always manages to pack so much punch in so few pages. I've never in my life read a story like any of hers and The City in Glass is no exception. We've all seen or read about the Angel and the Demon falling in love.....but never in such a subtle and beautiful way. The romance is secondary to the love of the Demon for her city, regardless of how callous she tries to appear toward it's people.

This is a story told over generations and through individual stories, pieces of them, that combines to create a stunning tapestry. It illustrates the importance of the every day, how each soul in a place has impact on it's history if only we pay attention while also giving us the full picture of the city. It's one of the coolest story telling adventures I've ever experienced and it's a short novel I can see myself returning to many times over and finding different things to appreciate about it each time.

Don't regret missing out on this one!

A tale of angels and demons and a city that brings two together. Nghi Vo has a way of telling stories that wraps you up and doesn’t let you go till the end. This book is no exception.

This is a story about a city that is loved by a demon before it is destroyed by angels, one of who is captured by the demon. It is an interesting Perspective that the angels were the destroyers

I agree with most reviewers in saying this is a beautiful story! There isn't too much plot but the beauty of the writing and vibes the author created helped make up for it.

Nghi Vo once again proves they are the master of the atmospheric fantasy. Susan Dalian brings to life two complex characters with poise and inciting tone.

Nghi Vo is arguably one of my favorite authors of all time. Vo always manages to create in-depth worlds and storylines with ease that always feel perfectly rounded.

Another triumph in literature with a lovely narration by Dalian.

Nghi Vo always brings something interesting to the table and this one was no exception. Vitrine is not your typical demon and this isn't your typical love story. It is a hauntingly beautiful story about loving your home, people and maybe even your enemies.

If Nghi Vo writes it, I will be inclined to read it. After reading a handful of her novellas, I can say her work may not be for everyone but I can also say Nghi Vo has the most immersive and beautiful storytelling I have ever read.

The City in Glass is a story of love. Vitrine loves her city, a city that she has built from the ground up but after an attack from angels, she's left with nothing but memories and rubble. This tale follows a unique storyline of rebuilding her beloved city and Vitrine's transformation with help of a cursed angel. Through a demon's eyes, we see history of a fallen city rise once again and learn how change may not be a bad thing. This is fully character driven, mostly vibes and light on plot.

I found this book charming but her characters lacked in personality. The banter would show glimpses of it but not enough for me to feel invested in that love between the angel and demon. Still a beautiful story, just may not be for everyone.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC. This review is my own opinion

"Exquisite" keeps coming to mind to describe Nghi Vo's prose, but The City in Glass reminded me why I hesitate to say that. The prose is not merely pretty; it is meticulous, carrying meaning one can unpack, but also which has immediate impact. Details and implications of history lurk in so many descriptions. It is a pleasure to walk into a new world from Vo, just to experience all the new outlines forming a new space. The central character is Mitrine, a demon who once loved a city, watched it destroyed by angels, and now plots a path of revenge. But any pursuit of the superficial plot abandons the evanescent experience of seeing that love blossom, and the many small relationships pop and fade. I would have happily laid in the world for far longer than the pages permitted, save that Mitrine's desires are so palpable that one must follow them. It is a book that swallows you up, sentence by sentence.

The audio is well-produced, with the sort of crisp and restrained narration that matches how I'd imagined the book sounding on the page. It is easy to listen to, quiet and undemanding despite the power underlying the story.

Thank you for the arc!
What a strange and lovely story. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Lush story telling about love and grief and immortality. Just gorgeous. I listened to this in one sitting and just couldn’t get enough!!

This was a short novel/novella with absolutely beautiful, lyrical writing. The story centers around an angel and demon and the city that has been destroyed, but the story still feels very quiet and reflective. This was definitely more character-based than plot-based. A lot of reflection and emotion was packed into very few pages. The audiobook narrator was decent.

I think I personally went into this one with the wrong expectations, but I’ll reread it again later because the writing and characters were great!

The City in Glass is my first by Nghi Vo. It won't be my last. The prose was stunning. The story was incredibly thematic and atmospheric. There is no doubt that Vo can write. I loved the characters. However, for a novella that is roughly 215 pages, it felt overly long. As the story continued, my interest waned. It felt very lit fic, and that is not a genre I love. If you loved This is How You Lose the Time War, I think you will love this. Otherwise, mileage may vary.

I did this via audio, and the narrator did a great job.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The City in Glass is a haunting and beautifully crafted story about the cyclical destruction of Azril and its unlikely guardian, the demon Vitrine. After shaping and loving the city for generations, Vitrine watches in horror as a host of angels reduces it to ashes. In her grief, she curses one of them, binding him to the ruined city he helped burn. Though sworn enemies, Vitrine and the angel form a complex and consuming bond as they piece together Azril’s fragmented past and rebuild its future. As the city rises once more, they must confront the possibility of another war that could destroy everything again. Nghi Vo’s standalone fantasy explores themes of memory, desire, and redemption in a world teetering on the edge of ruin.

Having not read Vo’s previous works, I found this slim novel absolutely captivating. At times, the narrative feels like a collection of interconnected stories, as Vitrine recalls figures from Azril’s vast history. The tone is dark and a little weird, but immensely rewarding for readers who stick with it.

Susan Dalian’s narration is a perfect match for this eerie tale. Her deep, rasping voice brings Vitrine to life, capturing the character’s fierce protectiveness and the shadowy allure of Azril’s streets. It's a beautiful, haunting performance that complements Vo's prose in every way.

The City in Glass is a dark, evocative tale that leaves a lasting impact. Nghi Vo masterfully intertwines themes of loss, love, and transformation within a richly imagined world, making this novel both deeply emotional and thought-provoking. Whether you're drawn in by the intricate relationship between Vitrine and the angel or the haunting beauty of Azril’s history, this book offers a unique and rewarding experience. Paired with Susan Dalian’s stunning narration, The City in Glass becomes even more immersive, making it a must-read for fans of atmospheric, character-driven fantasy.