This city is necessary because of the Bhinian Empire's rigidly enforced two-child limit, which, as it usually does, means that its citizens are more invested in keeping sons and getting rid of girl children. All in all these pieces create if not a unique and new imaginary world, but it least different from the "normal" Western ones.Īt the center of this story is the City of a Thousand Dolls, a shelter and a place of study for unwanted girls. There are touches of Japanese culture here, with fans and tea ceremonies, dark skin, castes and names of India, demographic politics of China. Its roots are hard to pin-point (unlike, let's say in the case of obviously Japanese-inspired Stormdancer). The world-building here is interesting enough, at the very least exotic. On the other hand, if you are not picky or experienced with fantasy, or don't mind your YA very young, sure, go for it. It is simply lacking in sophistication and maturity.Ĭity of a Thousand Dolls is another Asian-inspired fantasy which I would advise fans of good, clever, inventive fantasy not to bother with and read Alison Goodman's Eon: Dragoneye Reborn duology instead. Too bad it's just not that great of a novel.
You can tell that the author meant this novel to be about diverse characters and diverse cultures. It is sad mostly because City of a Thousand Dolls is written so earnestly and with such good intentions. My first read of 2013 and, well, my advice is - skip it.
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