Thank you @macmillan.audio for providing me a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Vitrine is a demon who loves her city. But when Angels come and destroy it, she gets very mad and curses one of them, and now he is now stuck in the ruins of said city with her.

I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure these types of books are for me. I recently read another novel that reminded me a lot of this one. (𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘢 by Jennifer Saint.) It’s a story told from the POV of an immortal being, that tells of their experiences over the span of hundreds of years, and often in more of a “telling” vs. “showing” way.

I know a lot of people love these sorts of books, but I think I’m coming to realize that I am not one of them.

Not that I didn’t enjoy some parts of this one. I did love the interactions between the Demon, Vitrine, and the Angel she cursed, as well as some of the stories of her city’s humans towards the end. But, if this hadn’t been such a short listen, I likely would have DNF’d, as my interest definitely waned throughout.

Overall, I think this is a fine addition to this genre of fiction, with some very beautiful writing.

Audiobook notes: The narration was good. No complaints!

What this book is giving:
✅ Standalone Fantasy Novel
✅ Demon
✅ Angel
✅ A City
✅ The Span of Time

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5

Flowing with gorgeous prose and filled with achingly beautiful imagery, this mythological treatment of an ancient city is ultimate a shallow narrative that doesn’t even fill the novella length. The pace still remains incredibly slow and the development between the angel and demon is diluted by the confusing cast of side characters. A great idea that wasn’t fully realized.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

A difficult book to describe because it's both vast in the passage of time (centuries) and yet concentrated (to one particular city). The beginning is a little slow, but stick with it because where this book really comes into its own is when we start to see the Angel and Vitrine witness generation after generation of descendants each pledge one year to the city of Azril. There's something beautiful and wistful about seeing a person live their lives from childhood to death through the eyes of an immortal, and Nghi Vo captures this wonderfully. And because it's Nghi Vo, the writing is absolutely sublime.

Nghi Vo came across my reading radar when I read the novella "The Brides of High Hill" and loved the flow of words and imagery expressed by her writing. Some moments are so simple and yet so powerful, taking a blade of grass or crumbled ruin and depicting it in such a way to create powerful emotion such as loss, frustration, heartache, and so much more.

Within The City in Glass, a demon has been watching over her city for millennia, walking among the people and swaying the course of lives to how she wants things to be in subtle ways. She has fallen in love with many of them, in her on way, and she sees them as hers. She knows them each by name and their flaws.

When the angels come and burn her city to cinders, she is furious. Her people and her possession has been ripped from her . Now she must rebuild from the rubble but one angel is bound by her grief and a piece of her vengeance buries itself inside the being who destroyed everything she worked so hard to create.

There is such beauty and pain in this book and I loved watching the demon and angel circle each other as they their forced proximity kept them near enough to each other but allowed just enough distance for anger to simmer. As a reader, we are often prone to preconceived notions of good and evil, light and dark but this book seems to take those notions and turn them on their head as the angels seem to destroy and the demon seems to be the one to create and nurture (at times). Such a multifaceted story worth exploring.

“What a shame that would be, to fall in love and be made to stay.”
“I love her,” Vitrine continued, still watching the empty horizon. “Her name is in my book.”
“And you let her go.”
“There are many ways to love someone.”

A demon, an angel, and a city. This book was…vey dream like and strange. But in a good way, if you enjoy the vibes of This Is How You Lose the Time War, Piranesi and The Night Circus. This short standalone spans many years, seeing to a city’s loss and recreation. I think at its core, this story is about the nurturing of something precious, the loss of identity and country, the perseverance of generations, and more. There’s an ethereal and poetic quality to the writing that makes it beautiful.

I don’t think this one will be for anybody looking for plot or a clear storyline- it will probably feel boring to some. I enjoyed the experience, but I would approach this more like poetry rather than a traditional story. Definitely a quiet, dreamy read, if you’re in the mood for it. I thought the narrator did a great job!

This is an interesting little book.

A demon loves her city. But then angels show up and destroy it. In her rage, she curses one of them, Now the two are stuck together.

And this story takes us through their journey together of hate, unrequited love, mutual love, despair, hope, and more.

It's interesting, and weird, and unique. I think I would have liked it better if I physically read it, but that's a personal thing of me getting distracted by everything.

It doesn't dive deep into the relationship. That just kind of brews in the background. You're not going to get a lot of deep pining, but I also really love that.

4 stars. My first Nghi Vo book but not my last!

audio-ARC from NetGalley.

3.5

A demon once loved a city. She watched over it for generations and remembered those people she loved most. Until, one day, the angels descended from heaven and destroyed all of it. As they left, she threw a pebble, striking one of the angels and infecting him with her agony. From then on, he was trapped on Earth with her always.

I'm not sure what to make of this one. I found it very slow and too distant to enjoy at first. I almost DNF'd about halfway through, but I convinced myself to keep going since it's so short. And, in the end, it became something beautiful.

In a way, I understand the need for distance. As immortals, they watch over everything and grow detached from all but those most special to them. There were moments between the angel and the demon, even amongst the distance, that felt so primal and invigorating. The rage and the sacrifice. The hate and the devotion. The way this city was rebuilt and torn asunder again and again. It was truly special.

I only wish it had caught me before 60%.

Beautifully written - broad in scope and also intensely personal, delicious and well-worthy of revisiting. The audiobook was well produced, and I didn't think the narrator was bad, but they did sometimes make it really difficult to understand sentences, mostly by way of placing emphasis on words that didn't need it or pausing in odd places. This likely wouldn't have bothered me so much if I had been listening at the speed I usually listen, but I had slowed down the narration out of appreciation for the prose, as the carefully chosen wording is one of my favorite things about Vo's style.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I really enjoyed Susan Dalian's narration of THE CITY IN GLASS. I think that she got the tone just right.

The story itself was very unique, if not a little reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman stories. While I did enjoy the read, I didn't feel like there was a lot more to it than what was already stated in the synopsis.

4.5⭐️



I absolutely loved this book so much. The writing is beautiful and covers many topics regarding grief, morally gray decisions, community and different forms of love.

I can see this book having polarizing reviews. Where it works really well for some and the complete opposite for others. This book really has no plot or true world building, but it's getting a slice of life from a demon and angel. You'll feel many different range of emotions thru out this book.

The only thing that wasn't perfect for me was the romance. I think it would have been honestly better with out as it just didn't feel quite right.

The narrator of this book was fantastic. She expressed these characters with such emotion and it felt real. I would love you listen to more books by this narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

3 ⭐️

This book was just so aggressively not for me. I think if you’re someone who likes short thought r experiments coupled with pretty prose, then this is for you. If you want a cohesive plot, deep magic or world building, or traditional character work…then this probably isn’t for you. This was my first experience with Nghi Vo but if she is always this all vibes to the extreme it might be only one. I will say the writing was pretty and some of the metaphors and symbolism were interesting. I also think that the audiobook narrator was quite solid. She embodied the ethereal almost magical realism vibes quite well. This isn’t 3 ⭐️ because anything was bad, it’s just not for me but I’m sure it’s great for the right kind of reader.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The City in Glass is a book I really appreciated and know I'll get even more out of on a second read. The conceit of the city-as-a-character is one that I enjoy reading in any iteration. The City in Glass is a blend between philosophical and contemplative narrative with subtle plot and clever character development. It reminded me of Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (apparently Tordotcom agrees with me on this) and This is How You Lose the Time War, but with Nghi Vo's signature style prose. It's on the more speculative end of the fantasy genre, which I appreciate, with gorgeous atmospheric [literal] worldbuilding.

This is perfect for those who like to think about their SFF books without the prose feeling overly lofty or pretentious. At 215 pages, the prose is tight and the word choice judicious.

The narration is great, but I found myself drifting much more while listening, so this may be better suited to read with the eyes.

Well, hmm. I don’t know how I feel about this one. It is a beautifully written story, as every Nghi Vo story is beautiful. I’ve also noticed many times that her books are better on a reread because knowing the broad strokes it’s easier to pick up the smaller threads, and I can The City in Glass following that pattern.

All that said, it does a lot of really interesting things regarding grief, autonomy, and community. This is a love story, but not a romance. The ending left me feeling very what the fuck and that’s a large part of why I don’t know if I enjoyed this yet, because I don’t know if the ending was worth the journey, as much as I was engrossed. I definitely recommend this, especially if you’ve enjoyed previous Nghi Vo works.

The narration is really good and I really liked how much the tone was expressed and how that enhanced the listening experience.

Vitrine is a demon ruling over her world, Azril, when it is destroyed by an angel. She curses the angel and has to live amongst their presence and she mourns her old city and citizens. She tries to recover and preserve all of the history books and traditions of her land.

The angel and the demon are designed to be enemies, but when the war of their world threatens the city again, they must decide if they will work together or not. With the latter meaning sure demise for the fantasy city.

One word to describe this book BEAUTIFUL. I loved the perspective from the demon perspective and evil isn’t always as it’s conceived to be. You feel her true loss and motivation and she tries to rebuild her city. his was a quick read, but a definite must read and 5 stars. Will be looking for more from this author !

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 10/1/2024!

I enjoyed the gorgeous writing that flowed throughout this book. However, I wanted a little bit more plot, character development, and world building. I found myself struggling to stay engaged in the storyline and it was difficult to figure out which parts were in the past and which were in the present. I listened to the audio and found the narrator’s voice to be very soothing which worked well with the lyrical writing style.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy!

A demon loves her city and the people within. While she delights in the darker parts of life, she doesn't seem to cause them. However, a band of angels destroys the city and its inhabitants because of her wickedness. She curses one angel, who sticks around, falling in love with her. Slowly the city is rebuilt and resettled.

This is an unusual story, I felt like I was waiting for it to start even though I was sucked in. It is hard to describe but I did thoroughly enjoy myself throughout the entire story!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for the audioARC!

Thank you to Nigh Vo (author), Susan Dalian (narrator), Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader copy of "The City in Glass" for an honest review. At this point, I will never be able to resist reaching out and seeking out the newest Nghi Vo book. I started trying them out here on Netgalley, and I have fallen forever in love with their worlds. This world is a testament to the long, slow march of time, and all that is born, glitters, rusts, dies, and is born again.

It's about a demon who loved a city so hard she mourned it with all she had within her heart, soul, and glass case. It's about an angel who was perfect as he was made, cursed for his arrogance and shortsightedness. It's about the city that grows on the ashes of those actions and those beings. It's about love and death, about growth and change. It's about genuinely examining who you were, who you are, and who you might be. It's about loving someone for who they are and not who you assumed they were or the assumptions they might be lumped into.

It's about books and time, mothering as a calling both beautiful and heart-shattering, immortals woven into the mortality of everything around them, and the importance of every tiny spec of life. It's all of this, none of this, and everything else a sky of stars can be filled with.

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My compliments to Dalian who so fully filled my mind with the heart, thoughts, emotions, and wild fierceness of our main character. I hardly knew she was there with me, because it was always Virtine's whisper crooning into my ears the whole time.

I really enjoyed this slow burn buildup of a demon and an angel coexisting in a toppled city.

First of all the style of writing of Vo is unsurpassed. The imagery and way of drying the reader into the story cannot be accomplished by anybody else. So much is always accomplished within her short Novellas. The character development of vitrine in particular was absolutely stellar. I related to the loneliness and heartache that she experienced throughout this short novel.

I thought the dynamic between the demon and the angel was interesting and somewhat of a flop on what is typically happening between a demon and an angel. While the angel did not seem inherently evil or bad to me in anyway he definitely was not the shining good guy that they are usually portrayed as. Vitrine had a lot of emotion and love for those in the city, which is not typical of a demon in most stories. I enjoyed that change of pace, and I thought it added a lot of complexity and richness to the story.

Overall, another stellar installment Novella from this lovely author. I will continue to cherish her work.

I really enjoyed this work!. This was something new and exciting. Wished it was a bit longer to fully delve into the world.

To be quite honest, I don’t even know how to describe this book… but I know one thing… I absolutely loved it. Vo solidified their self as a favorite author of mine with The Singing Hills Cycle, but this might be my new favorite. The writing was lyrical, the world building was so unique, and I loved the non-linear timeline of these immortal beings who ended up loving each other so tenderly. This book is definitely a vibes only book, but I found that it worked really well. The characters were complex and well fleshed out. I know this won’t work for everyone but it really worked for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.