Book Review- City of Stairs

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
Speculative Fiction/Fantasy
Broadway Books
September 2014

My Book Review Rating for City of Stairs- 3.5 Stars

For the city of Bulikov, it was once a power to be reckoned with. It had divine protectors that gave them the power to conquest others, enslave and brutalize their enemies and from that mighty rise came a hard fall when the Bulikov protectors were killed. Now the history around this city is censored, even erased as its citizens are oppressed. But just by looking around you can see the legacy of the guardian’s miracles all around the city. But the time is coming when Bulikov’s guardians are going to rise again and this time, Bulikov’s cruel reign will not yet be over.

I got to admit this is the first book by this author I have read and holy moly, what a ride he takes us on. The world building is spectacular, the characters are very well defined and multi-dimensional and the story just flows like a river, full of twists and turns along side some jaw dropping moments that leave you breathless. The writing is excellent and this author delivers a story full of gods, intriguing characters, history and more for the reader to devour. What really enthralled me was how this author delivered such interesting plot hooks throughout the storyline. He kept my attention from beginning to end and I was enraptured with his prose. This is truly one of those stories you just can not get enough of.

CITY OF STAIRS is a story of not just a city broken and conquered but also about murder, secrets and more. In this book we meet Shara Thivani, a woman sent to Bulikov as a junior diplomat but in reality she is so much more. She has to solve a murder and as she pursues a killer, she finds out things about Bulikov that are not known, secrets that could change the course of history. I really enjoyed Shara a lot. She was resourceful, intriguing and kept me on my toes while I read CITY OF STAIRS. All the characters are well written, intriguing and quite enjoyable to read. The best part was there were not so many new characters being thrown at the reader that they needed a score card for them all.

CITY OF STAIRS is an enjoyable and entertaining read that will keep you glued to the pages till the very end. With Mr. Jackson’s world building, we get to see a world where conquest, magic and more play a strong part in shaping events and the future. That right there is the heart of CITY OF STAIRS in my opinion. The way this author captures and writes about this world is just magical. If you are looking for a different sort of book to explore on a cold day, then try CITY OF STAIRS. You just might find yourself drawn into a world of gods, magic and more to explore. Now all I can ask from this author is more please!

I got this book from Blogging for Books and is in no way an endorsement.