The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 432

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Released: 4th of November 2014

730. That's how many days I've been trapped.

18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out.

DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible....

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister....

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window.....

What I Have to Say

This books was amazing. It had such an interesting setting, reading like a dystopia despite the fact that it was based on a real city that existed in China. It made everything so much more real and gritty. 

The characters were all really lovable, their traumatic pasts and the things they had to do to survive only served to make them more realistic and gain the readers sympathy. I don't think I even have a favourite out of the three characters, which is really unusual for me, normally I have a favourite from early on, but I warmed to all three of these characters pretty quickly.

I also liked the fact that the love subplot between Mei Yee and Dai was as hyped as it would have been in some other books, because the focus was on the plot, on escaping and getting out of the Walled City. Dai wanted to rescue Mei Yee, but he also wanted to rescue the other prostitutes and Jin. There wasn't the all consuming love that seems to be everywhere in YA. 

In short, this book was amazing. Historical fans, Dystopia fans, fans of other cultures, you'll all like this book.