Red City by Marie Liu

October 14, 2025

Red City by Marie Liu

Two young magicians in training, Sam and Ali, are recruited by two rival magic syndicates who control Angel City. The Lumines and Grand Central have maintained a polite balance of powers in Angel City for decades, but their relationship is becoming strained, mostly because of a highly coveted alchemical substance called sand. Sand enhances everything: beauty, intelligence, charisma, desirability, sexual prowess. But now Sam and Ali realize that their organizations are going to pit them against each other.

This was recommended to me by Edelweiss because I have read most of V. E. Schwab's books, and I do love me some V. E. Schwab. It's supposed to be the author's first adult novel, but it reads pretty YA to me. I enjoyed the multiple points of view. The story moves slowly in the first two sections and I really didn't connect at all with the characters. This is the first book of a new series and the ending makes that pretty obvious - not exactly a cliffhanger or sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for the next volume. Possible triggers include graphic sex, murder, explicit violence, organized crime mentality/politics.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.