Wow this was amazing! I'm a sucker for a star-crossed/rivals/enemies romance and Red City hit all of the markers. The tension build up between Sam and Ari was delectable and this intriguing world of magic and politics drew me straight in and wouldn't let me go. I am now eagerly awaiting the sequel, desperate to find out what will happen next!

Red City is the new book from Marie Lu. It is a contemporary urban fantasy set in an alternate Los Angeles that focuses on mafia style gangs but with a sci-fi angle to it. In Red City the science of alchemy has been perfected and is practiced in a variety of ways, but most prominently through the production and distribution of Sand. Sand is essentially a distilled form of the Philosophers Stone and causes mild transformations for people, whether that is enhancing their looks or causing certain characteristics to be more prominent. The different syndicates in Angel City battle both in the glittering skyscrapers and in the murky underbelly of the city for control and power and everything is in the balance from one day to the next.

We follow dual POVs of Ari and Sam as they navigate their friendship (and more) and their continuously rising positions in their respective syndicates and I really love this choice of going with the dual POVs. Although I feel you are supposed to be split on them and not have a favourite, I was firmly team Sam and was absolutely rooting for her to “win” throughout.

The “magic” system is cool. The way alchemists specialise in different areas is interesting and adds for various dynamics that the alchemy can be displayed. It causes some incredible fight scenes and Lu’s imagination for how the alchemy could be put to use is great. The fight scenes would look great on screen and it almost felt like they were written with that in mind. The more subtle ways it is put to use was also great. Being able to change someone's mood by adapting the chemicals inside them and reduce panic or increase pleasure was a really clever way to show just how widespread the uses of alchemy are.

The continuously escalating stakes are a good form of storytelling too. We go along the journey with both Sam and Ari and each time they take a step they can’t undo it feels like we are also almost complicit in it. Lu takes our hand and guides us deeper and deeper into the darkness and simultaneously higher and higher into the upper echelons of the syndicates. As the delicate balance shifts and the storm clouds of war begin gathering, the actions get more and more desperate and the stakes get higher and all of a sudden it feels like nobody is safe and anything could happen.

The struggles they have, especially Sam with adapting to the riches and powers are beautifully written too. We see her take on guilt but also pride, we see her struggle with the conflict of knowing she has done what her Mum wanted and made something of herself, but done it in a way that her Mum would never approve of. We see her struggle with hiding things from her Mum, weaving a web of lies that ends up causing her more and more issues and with such comes more and more guilt.

Red City is brilliant. It’s dark and gritty and tense, it has a great magic system, an interesting and somewhat magnetic cast of supporting characters, introspective and emotionally charged POVs from Ari and Sam, and a steadily escalating plot that brings the tension to boiling point and beyond.

Marie Lu delivers again with Red City! From the very first chapter, I was pulled into the fast-paced, high-stakes world she’s created. The characters felt layered and real, with struggles and choices that made me care about them deeply. The balance of action, emotion, and intrigue was spot on—every time I thought I could put it down, something else drew me right back in. The worldbuilding is vivid without ever being overwhelming, and Lu has a way of weaving in heart with the tension that makes her books impossible to forget. A thrilling, emotional ride that easily earns 5 stars!

This book blew me away. Dark, emotional, and totally immersive. Set in an alternate LA where alchemy is real and powered by your soul (literally), Sam and Ari get caught between rival gangs, addiction, loyalty, and a love that never really fades.

Sam’s invisible until alchemy gives her power. Ari’s gifted but trapped. Their connection is quiet, deep, and unforgettable—even though they’re on opposite sides. The worldbuilding is sharp, the magic system is brutal, and the emotional weight hits hard. Loved every second and need the next one ASAP.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Marie Lu never lets me down. I am insatiable. I devoured this, and I need more, RIGHT NOW. I am addicted to the world, and I think this may be my new favourite Marie Lu book.

I need more Sam, and I need more Ari. I beed more EVERYTHING. I don’t know how I’m going to cope waiting and I wish I could step into this world for a day.

SO MUCH HAPPENED. I NEVER PREDICTED WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT

book two pls??

𝘈𝘭𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

This book was everything I wanted and more. The writing was exquisite, the plot and politics a treat, I couldn’t put it down, it was so addictive. As for the characters, they were insanely good and nuanced. I loved Sam and Ari so much but also Connie as well. Red City is a dark urban fantasy about traumas, toxic environments, and desires. What would you be willing to achieve to save your loved ones? To get a glance, a chance, at a better life? It’s about costs and sacrifices, what a soul can take. It’s also about the twisted need for more in a world where perfection can be manufactured. A business that takes and takes, by making you think it gives back.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵?

Alchemy is the art of transformation, a power wielded by crime syndicates who market it to the elite in the form of sand—a drug that enhances everything about who you are, the strengths as much as the weaknesses. The magic system was everything; so intense and well thought out.

Sam lives alone with her mother who only wants what’s best for her. When she gets injured, Sam finds a way to join the rank of Grand Central to help her. At school, she’s invisible to everyone except Ari. Ari has a strong soul; everyone is drawn to him, wants him or wants to be him. Because of it, he’s plucked away from his family in India as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice in exchange for his family safety and wealth.
While fighting for the same thing, they found each other at a crossroads, on opposite sides of a war bigger than themselves.

𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

Sam is a lethal weapon, a ghost.
Ari is the best bioalchemist there is.
Together or apart, they fall. From childhood friends to forced enemies.
They broke me and they’ll break you too.

This is quite honestly a 6 star read, one of the best books ive read so gar this year! This is my first read from Marie Lu, I requested the ARC after seeing Page&Wick potentially teasing a special edition and their books choices are always impeccable. I am now going away to check there is going to be a book 2 because I need more of Sam and Ari!

Holy shit this book was amazing. It's one of those stories that feels all encompassing, that you can loose yourself in. Sam and Ari's story is by no means a happy one, it's filled with blood and violence, but also a love that divides loyalties and brings two people together against a backdrop of gang violence in an alternate Los Angeles.

Sam and Ari were both so incredibly well written. Sam the daughter of an immigrant who never feels like she fits in, feels almost invisible in life. When she first hears the word 'Alchemy' she is instantly intrigued, knowing this might be her only chance out of obscurity, to be able to give herself and her mother the lives they deserve. Ari's natural Alchemical ability, his strong soul, caught the eye of another Alchemist who takes him from his family in India under the guise of a better life for all of them. When Sam and Ari first meet there is an instant connection, an instant friendship made through school and notes passed to each other, but neither are willing to delve too deeply into the personal, Sam seeing Ari's car picking him up from school every night knowing he must be someone special, and Ari unable to mention his Alchemy to anyone outside of a chosen few. They will never know each others truths until their eyes meet across a room years in the future, a moment that will change both of their lives.

In Sam and Ari's version of Los Angeles Alchemy is real and it runs the world. Rival gangs fight for control over ground, but also a substance called Sand which allows Alchemists to increase their ability. Lu really brings her version of LA to life, we traverse a large portion of it thanks to Sam and Ari's jobs for their respective syndicates: Grand Central and Lumines. Think the Montagues and Capulets, the sharks and the jets. Both syndicates are vicious, clawing at each other for control over the city they call home, willing to main and kill to claim it, but we only start seeing the true depths of their depravity as the story progresses. Through them, Sam and Ari become something more, something different but not better, instead they become what they fear most. Sam, a ghost, someone who can pass through a room unnoticed, who can secret information away from competitors without them even realising. And Ari becomes the opposite, he walks in a room and everyone notices him, feels drawn to him, wants to claim some part of him.

I loved Lu's take on Alchemy, that it relies on the strength of a soul, that each time to use it a little bit of your soul dies and it causes incredible pain. That in of itself was interesting enough, learning about all the different kinds of alchemists, those whose abilities lie in the physical; being able to change someones mood with a simple touch. Those that use their ability in the art of war, who can draw weapons out of walls. But Lu creates an extra depth to these abilities with the addition of Sand, a drug derived from The Philosophers Stone that enhances an Alchemical ability. Though it doesn't simply affect Alchemists, humans can also use it to make them more beautiful, movie stars become more charming, scientists make more breakthroughs etc. The reliance on Sand for both Alchemists and humans plays a large part in the story, showing the dangers of addiction and reliance on something to make you better than who you already are.

The romance in this shouldn't really work. Sam and Ari spend so little time together on the page, and each have their own complicated love interests separate of one another, but boy was I here for the doomed romance vibes. These are two people who loved each other when they were nothing more than themselves. They didn't need alchemy, didn't need sand to develop those feelings, they loved the base version of each other, and that is something hard to strip away despite opposing loyalties. They will always be each others firsts, the ones that got away, and when they finally meet back up again as adults, with all the guises and secrets in the light, despite the pain they've caused each other, they still cling to each other, to the people they were before alchemy. Despite me being firmly on the Sam and Ari bandwagon, I did enjoy their other relationships. Sam and Will, the son of the leader of Grand Central. Sam has an almost rosy-eyed view of Will, who is not a good person in the slightest, but he is the first person who recognised her power, her ability, the first person to find it useful. Ari and Isla, his first tutor in alchemy and fellow Lumines.

I said this book felt all encompassing and it did, Lu transported me to her alternate LA through her descriptive and prosaic writing, but it was more than that, it was the emotions, the danger and despair woven into the story that really gripped me. Her characters both being immigrants, how she delves into the feeling of belonging, or lack of, that comes with that. The truly complex relationship between Sam and her mother who wanted nothing more than to protect her daughter, give her a better life, but constantly struggled with the how. It's beautifully tragic in so many ways, it broke me more than once and had me gripping the pages more times than I could count and I am so desperate to return to the world and characters after the absolutely shock filled ending we were left with.

Marie blew me out of the water with this one, I was a huge fan of her books growing up and now I'm happy to say I'm still a fan as she dives into the adult genre!