I didn't realise this was a sequel until I was well into the book; the narrative may have tied together slightly better in a couple of sections had I read the first book; but nothing detrimental to my reading experience. I enjoyed this, very much a dystopian fic set after the 'big event' and focused on how lfe goes on

This started intriguing! I loved the premise comparing the book to The Last of Us as I am literally obsessed with the franchise, so I was super excited to get into this. It was risky as it gave me such high expectations which could have backfired. However, that wasn’t the case. I loved it from start to finish. The characters were so well developed and had a life of their own. I cared about what happened to them and I was rooting for them. The setting was incredible. It was the perfect base for the story, and its unique flavour added to the plot. I’m excited to see what’s next for this author, and I’ll definitely check out their future works. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

Silent City
Fantasy
Sarah Davis-Goff
⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. At around the 60% mark I just didn't want to continue reading.

The writing style didn't flow right for me. It seemed very choppy and full of short sentences. I also found that the author used a lot of "telling" rather than actually "showing" what was happening which meant that I couldn't become engrossed in the story.

I didn't connect to any of the characters and I found the pacing slow.

Although this book wasn't for me, other readers might like it.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

A nightmare vision of Dublin with only whispers of the city as we know it, Silent City is a world of warrior women called banshees, foul and terrifying beings called skrake that fall somewhere between the living and the dead, breeders, wallers, farmers, and shanties, all ruled by the ominous and brutish management. Inside the walls of Phoenix City is where it’s safest. Or is it?

Silent City is a gripping and immersive novel that is parts feminist dystopia, parts post-apocalyptic zombie horror. Girls are no longer taught to read and near silence is expected within the walls. There’s an element of Big Brother in the constant possibility of being reported by others. The writing style is visceral, evocative, capturing the overcrowding, the ‘meat’ of people, smells, fear, and violence of this living nightmare. And yet the bond of sisterhood, tried and tested but mostly holding strong between these banshees, is vividly explored, especially once a make-or-break plan is hatched, and it’s in this unfolding of the dynamic and relationship between the banshees, as things come to a necessary head, that this story really shines.

This makes for bleak but hopeful reading in the best possible way, as we find ourselves propelled through this cruel world by how much we are rooting for our narrator Orpen, a protagonist as tough, resilient and smart as she is fearful and vulnerable to hurt and disappointment; dreaming of her past and hopeful for her future, all the while driven by an impending need for justice. She stands slightly apart from the others due to her past in a way which allows Davis-Goff to richly develop a character with additional perspective, and perhaps even empathy, to those around her.

Bleak as it is - and let’s really hope this isn’t a prophetic vision of Dublin’s future - this makes for compulsive reading, and I ended up invested enough in Orpen as a lead character that I’ll be lining up the prequel, Last Ones Left Alive, soon to find out more about where Orpen came from, and the Emergency that resulted in the creation of Phoenix City.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

Orpen, the teenage heroine of Sarah Davis-Goff's Last One Left Alive, returns - this time, she's living in Phoenix City, drawn as a beacon of hope in LOLA. Phoenix City is not all its cracked up to be, though, and Orpen finds herself embroiled in plans to change the patriarchal and cruel culture of the city.
Last Ones Left Alive was one of my favourite books of 2018, and I was super hyped for Silent City, a sequel that doesn't quite require the reader to have read (or remember) the first novel. Sadly, Silent City failed to live up to its predecessor, and it fell completely flat for me. I take absolutely zero pleasure in this as this was one of my most hyped books of 2023.