Clare Hooley reviewed The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg
A city-building fantasy romance
4 stars
Coming from only having read the Whimbrel House series from this author before, I was surprised to find this set in a world with non-human characters. Although at heart this book is a romance, much centres on, if not world-building, at least city building - the hanging city of the title is imaginative, and you feel its solidity right from the diagram at the start of the book. This is the city of the trolls, built down into a crevasse with careful engineering beneath an ‘old world’ bridge. It shelters the trolls from a harsh drought-ridden earth above but also situates them near constant danger from monsters. The trolls themselves are presented with just enough detail to make you believe in the reality of their caste system, which cleverly is not entire martial, and to also see those we meet as individuals. Our human heroine and story teller, Lark, enters …
Coming from only having read the Whimbrel House series from this author before, I was surprised to find this set in a world with non-human characters. Although at heart this book is a romance, much centres on, if not world-building, at least city building - the hanging city of the title is imaginative, and you feel its solidity right from the diagram at the start of the book. This is the city of the trolls, built down into a crevasse with careful engineering beneath an ‘old world’ bridge. It shelters the trolls from a harsh drought-ridden earth above but also situates them near constant danger from monsters. The trolls themselves are presented with just enough detail to make you believe in the reality of their caste system, which cleverly is not entire martial, and to also see those we meet as individuals. Our human heroine and story teller, Lark, enters the city as a refugee seven years after fleeing from an abusive father and in search of somewhere she can belong, clinging to a fortune told to her years early. Lark too, is well thought out; her unique ability, to instil fear, is used effectively and is the main driver of the story as she falls in love with a troll and inevitably has to prove her loyalty both to her love and to the trolls in general. We have satisfactory pacing and an ending that is believable rather than saccharine. 4.5 stars, only not reaching excellent because it’s a bit light. (Perhaps this author’s special talent is the life she gives to buildings, and that at least is not so different from the house of Whimbrel House after all).