The City We Became

A Novel

by N. K. Jemisin

448 pages

English language

Published Aug. 8, 2020 by Little, Brown Book Group Limited.

ISBN:: 978-0-356-51266-2

(176 reviews)

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power. In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her. In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels. And they're not the only ones.

9 editions

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'LibraryThing'

4 stars

There's a lot in this book. A love letter mainly to NYC but also to cities in general. And at the same time a really powerful allegory about whiteness and the terrible work it does - one which has only felt more timely in the few weeks since I read it. But I also found it kind of a frustrating read, because Jemisin repeatedly interrupts a good, clear story to somewhat condescendingly say "look reader, this bit's about whiteness", when the plot and characters were doing the work and really didn't need that help.[return][return]I do want to read the next in the series, but I hope that in book 2 she's more content to let the storytelling work.

Zivan reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I can see what Jamisin was going for here but found it hard to connect with the NYC theme.

I'm not a city dweller and I'm not aware of the minutia about the different NYC burrows.

I'm also not aware of the minutia of many a fantasy world. But something about this NYC mythology felt forced to me.

bbbhltz reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Unknown'

5 stars

If I only knew how to write a fitting review.

The timing of this book's publication is as perfect as the story itself. This is a beautiful book despite dealing with a prime selection of the most horrible things life can throw at us: hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia, intersectionality, gentrification and even a very little dash of MRM.

Now, we just need to wait for the rest of the trilogy.

Rainer reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book is a treasure for anyone who appreciates New York

Barbara Krasnoff reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The City We Became is an absorbing, wonderful and troubling book. It is written with all the skill and poetry that I've come to expect from N.K. Jemisin, and I am grateful for it. At the same time, it has to be one of the angriest novels I have read for quite some time; the fury burns through the pages. And in the end, as much as I have strong personal issues with Staten Island (for a variety of reasons, including local political ones that I won't go into here), I've had relatives there and have visited its nature preserves, and so ended the book feeling sorry for the isolation of the borough and its avatar. Perhaps I was supposed to. I'm not sure, and that could be a reflection of either the skill of the author or of my own background. Or both.

settingshadow reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

So I had this carefully calibrated to-read list, and then the world ended, and I didn't feel like reading anymore. But in my head, I just kept repeating: "everything changes in a season", so I figured if I could read anyone, I could read Jemisin.

I had thought that Jemisin was the epic fantasy writer of my generation. I was wrong: I'm pretty sure N.K. Jemisin is THE speculative fiction writer, in general, of my generation. This is an urban fantasy that redefines what it means to be urban fantasy. This is a book about the fantasy of cities. It's a love poem to cities. (a much needed ode, when currently living in a city seems like a death sentence, weaving around masked figures on the sidewalk.). I've never been a fan of New York, but through Jemisin's eyes, I found myself loving it. (Jemisin notes herself: there are NYC people and there are London people; I'm a London person). Even before the fantastic elements, Jemisin's NYC is alive.

And Jemisin's NYC is alive, in one of the most inventive modern fantasies I've read. Full of relatable, human characters, who also manage to slip to just the other side of inhuman. There is a villain who is relatable, understandable and also completely evil. It's the best modern take on Lovecraft: acknowledging and incorporating his racism

Alex Keane reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Jemisin's story telling is fantastic, and her characters make perfect avatars of the boroughs they represent.

Jemisin writes a love letter to an imperfect New York as a living breathing changing entity made up of its pieces and more than them.

Strakul reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was an excellent book. Jemisin manages to take an already well-established setting, the "mythological" New York, and take it to new heights with surrealist magic and eldritch horrors. A diverse set of characters lead the story as the avatars of the five boroughs of New York and it's really neat to see them embracing who they are and interacting with each other. Thanks to a fast paced plot, I finished this fairly quickly and kept wanting for more as there are some tantalizing mysteries left out in the open. I was presently surprised to hear in the acknowledgements (yes, I read those too) that this is the first of a trilogy. Looking forward to more books in this strange new universe!

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-review-city-we-became-by-nk-jemisin.html

Balise reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Series)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

There are some books that are fairly long to finish because your brain is CONTINUOUSLY fangirling about how great they are. This is one of these books for me.

Aaaand since it's the first of a series, I very much look forward to re-reading this one when the second one gets published ;)

Also: made me want to go back to New York, but that's probably expected ;)

unicorndeburgh reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Such an imaginative idea! Fascinating world building, wonderful characters, suspense. Humor!

nekokat reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I feel like I should've liked this more, I mean it's an homage to NYC with a side of Lovecraft thrown in, but it just kinda... felt like the gimmick didn't carry it for the length of a novel. And most of it was petty infighting between allies which is just kind of annoying, and like "lol fuck Staten Island" like okay as someone who has lived in NYC I get it, but also I don't really need it explained to me that it's the cultural differences that make it work, like... I dunnnnno

Adem reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Dug it. Very 90’s urban fantasy vibe.

CuriousLibrarian reviewed The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (The Great Cities Duology, #1)

Review of 'The City We Became' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Jemisin loves all of New York. This is a very creative story about defending the city from extermination. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Robin Miles, had a spectacular time with the accents and inflections from the different boroughs. What a ride!