Red City’s premise had sounded so promising, but unfortunately, the execution of it didn't end up working for me. it started off quite strong -- i liked Lu's writing style and the idea of alchemy being controlled and wielded by crime syndicates was incredibly intriguing and right up my alley. part one focused on the main characters' childhoods, their initial friendship, and each of their introductions to the underworld of alchemy. it was a slow beginning and not particularly gripping, but i enjoyed Lu’s character building and anticipated exciting things to come. however, the story didn't end up delivering as much on the high stakes and conflicts seemingly guaranteed in a world of brutal rival mafias and on the exploration of alchemy itself. instead, the story kept falling back on the one thing that i never managed to care about: the superficial relationship and complicated romance between the two main characters.

i can enjoy a good story about star-crossed lovers (the angst), but i found this one to be lacking. my biggest issue with it is that i didn’t find the romantic potential/set-up between the two mcs very convincing, partly due to how Lu handled their adolescent years. i understood why they were close and how important their bond was to each other, but that didn’t change the fact that their friendship was largely built on moments of telling rather than showing. coupled with a five-year time skip into adulthood (in which they never knew or saw each other), there was no longer a basis for their romantic relationship at all. the more their complicated feelings grew and became significant to the plot, the more the world surrounding them, and therefore everything i found engaging, took a step back. by the end of the book, the mmc's entire arc basically revolved around the fmc, which i didn't appreciate to say the least. the fmc’s arc was slightly better and more compelling, but i really can’t say that i connected with either of them. to sum it up, one review described the world-building as “window dressing” for what is essentially a romance story at heart and i couldn't have said it better myself.

my one other major gripe is that despite being an adult book, some portions felt distinctly YA. i understand that this is Lu's adult debut though, so i feel a bit more forgiving toward the inconsistencies in tone and structure.

despite the things that bugged me, i can see why this book receives such high ratings. it's a pretty good and propulsive fantasy romance if the romance is what you like best. everything else is like an added bonus. it touches upon interesting themes (of motherhood, the immigrant experience, capitalism and the wealthy's influence on society, to name a few) and the magic system and political machinations of the syndicates are intriguing (just not explored deeply enough imo but alas). everything is tied neatly together by the glittering urban landscape of a Los Angeles inspired city. unfortunately, i had specific expectations that were never met and that was my fault for not looking more into the book beforehand (it being compared to Jade City didn’t help those expectations either lol). all in all, i don’t think i’ll be continuing the series; the groundwork is there, but it's not enough for me to pick up the sequel.