City of a Thousand Dolls audiobook

Girl hangs out with cats, solves mysteries and kicks ass. Me gusta.

A fantastical murder mystery with a creative premise, heart-pounding pacing, and characters with secrets to keep.

Miriam Forster's debut novel is glorious. Nisha is a resident of the City of a Thousand Dolls. The city is a walled-off district for unwanted female babies, where they are raised to be skilled members of society then sold to be wives, mistresses, apprentices, and more. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than exposure - so says the Matron, Nisha's mistress.Nisha is more unwanted than most. She came to the city not as a baby, but a child. She has no caste. The Matron took her on as an assistant, but as she comes of age her position is quite precarious. Plus, she's carrying on an affair with a noble boy, Devan. If the affair is discovered it could cost Nisha her life. But when several girls commit suicide, Nisha is suspicious of something more sinister and begins to investigate. Along the way she discovers many things about the cities dark corners and her own past.Fittingly, since the novel is called CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS, the setting is quite elaborate. Forster goes for a pan-Asian feel. There are touches of Chinese and Indian history and culture, among others, and the vast majority of the girls are described as having South Asian features. But Forster wisely doesn't make it an analog of a single place. And certain touches, such as the city itself, are pure fantasy. I hated that characters kept going, "Well, the City of a Thousand Dolls isn't perfect, but things could be worse," and easily dismissing reform. Nisha addressing her home's problems was as cheering as her own growth.I enjoyed the mystery aspect as well. I don't think Nisha has a real future as a detective, but she did the best she could and kept asking questions and trusting her gut that something was wrong. I liked that Nisha was in a good position to investigate because she had connections to all the Houses. CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS showcases a variety of feminine strengths. (Not even the girls of the House of Beauty are defenseless.)Also, Nisha can talk to cats. I'll give you a moment to be jealous.CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS tackles tough sociology issues in a lush setting with a resilient heroine and an interesting supporting cast. I was breathless through the climax and quite happy that Forster leaves a few open threads to hopefully be explored in future books. This is the best sort of vibrant, exciting adventure that fantasy is capable of.

I don't get it...this book is quite good and yet, it's not that popular? Well, it's not perfect BUT IT'S GOOD! I still remember adding City of A Thousand Dolls to my TBR in 2012, really looking forward to read it once it comes out. But then it kinda got lost in the sea of other YA new releases in 2013 and the early reviews are not that promising (even now the average rating is 3.7?). So, I lost interest back then.But dang! I should know better than to trust the rating solely because (hate to be cliche but) reading taste is subjective. I borrowed the audiobook from the library because it was available straight away so I thought 'why not?'. Although I've experienced better narration, the writing and the story itself is pretty well-executed. It was vivid and rich and quite unique in my opinion. I did guess some of the twists but couldn't come up with a motive and when it finally revealed I was quite mind-blown. Some people might find the way that the girls are treated in this book as a bit disturbing but I'd like to have them try to come up with better solutions. Alas, more disturbing things are happening to girls in this world and what do people do? They voted for Trump.Shit, didn't mean to get political. Anyway, . I wanted talking cat and Sabriel didn't satisfy me so this book fills in the gap in my heart. MIRIAM FORSTER, PLEASE WRITE MORE BOOKS!

My Thoughts: This was so different.We are introduced to Nisha who lives in a little area called City Of A Thousand Dolls. It’s basically a small community where girls live who can be bought and who are trained in different areas. Right from the get go, I knew this one would be unique. She can talk to cats. How awesome is that? She understands them, they understand her, how cool!She is also seeing a young man who just happens to be royalty. She wants him to choose her as his wife.Girls start dying and Nisha gets curious. She wants to find out what happened to the girls and who did it. She needs to know! As she finds more and more clues things aren't seeming to go her way and she’s left feeling useless and not as hopeful as she once was.I loved Jeritt. Oh man, he was so cute! And funny, and quirky. I actually really enjoyed this one. I can see where some might not but I must have just been in the mood for this because I raced right through it and found myself laughing and smiling quite a bit. And, I liked how it all played out. I’m happy to see how it ended. Overall: I really enjoyed it. I liked the plot, and the characters, and all the other little weird stuff about this one. Cover: Like it. A girl standing between those big statues! It would draw my attention right away!What I’d Give It: 4/5 Cupcakes_________Taken From Princess Bookiewww.princessbookie.com

I think perhaps 4 1/2 stars for Miriam Forster's City of a Thousand Dolls. It is a few days before the Redeeming and sixteen year old Nisha Arvi hopes fervently that the dashing noble Devan tar'Vey will speak for her but then girls begin to die within the City of the Thousand Dolls. With the help of her spotted-cat friends, Nisha must find the killer if she is to hope for a future. In the Bhinian Empire, a realm cut off from the rest of the world by a catastrophic magical apocalypse , unwanted girls (due to the two-child policy) are brought up and trained in Seven Houses to give them a future in the a hierarchical and caste-structured society of the Empire. City of a Thousand Dolls is part fantasy dystopian, part detective mystery. And while the plot is predictable at times, Miriam Forster does a fantastic job of weaving a believable and fascinating world, drawing inspiration of Japanese and Chinese culture and history. Nisha and her cat friends are likable characters and Forster maintains suspense with a dramatic and clever finale at the end.I look forward to reading more books about Nisha and the Bhinian Empire.

I am going to be completely honest here.  The sole reason I added this book to my TBR was because of that exquisite cover.  It's so reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood movies ever that I knew I'd read it, no matter what it was really about.  But with a gorgeous cover like that, there's little chance the book will be a big ole fail, right?The story wasn't a failure...not really.  It only failed at being the epic fantasy novel indicated by the cover, and the author even admits as much in her acknowledgements at the end of the book.  Even the book trailer makes this book seem infinitely more epic than it is.  But despite the fact that the novel didn't quite live up to the amazing cover, I still found it relatively engaging, full of murder and intrigue.  However, the rather slow pacing and the not-so-mysterious mystery both left something wanting.Nisha is an orphan, as are all the girls in the City of a Thousand Dolls, henceforth known as the City in this review.  But somehow, Nisha is different.  Unlike the rest of the girls in the City, she is not trained for a specific house, to be purchased by the highest bidder at the Redeeming.  Nisha learns what she can from a couple of the houses, including wielding a weapon and dancing, but what she excels in is collecting secrets for Matron, head of the City.  She is already not very popular with the other girls, but this skill leaves her even less so.Her only true companions are the cats that follow her around the City and speak to her in her mind.  At first, I was afraid that the presence of these feline friends was going to annoy me, but the spotted cats actually ended up being one of my favorite aspects.  The murder mystery and the romance both took a backseat to these creatures who seemed to know way more than they were letting on.This is a book full of secrets, just waiting to be uncovered.  Sadly, though, by the time Tac made his first appearance -- could that subplot have been any more glaringly obvious? -- I had every secret and mystery sorted out and compartmentalized until nothing surprised me anymore.  All of the deceptions and trickery were very obvious and not at all subtle, at least not to this avid reader.  Had I not been able to guess literally every element of the ending ahead of time, this might have been an even more enjoyable read.As it stands, I liked it.  I wouldn't recommend it to those who get bored easily or who are expecting high-action fantasy.  But if you love a multi-layered plot full of mystery and intrigue, or if you just love cats, this might be a good fit for you.  I'm definitely interested enough in the characters and the storyline to continue it should this turn into a series, but I'm also happy with the material presented and the way it ended.  I'm game either way.This review can also be found at The Starry-Eyed Revue.

Even though at page 75-ish, I'd spoiled myself on who the killer was, it didn't make any difference! (mostly) I still quite enjoyed it and oh, how I loved the ending! This book is pretty awesome and there are so many things I liked about it (how there wasn't AS much romance, which made perfect sense here since people were DYING and stuff and how not everybody turned out to be super incredibly good (view spoiler)[ Like the prince. He was supposed to be a brat and he WAS a brat. For a while, I'd thought he'd be misunderstood and actual have a heart gold! *snickers* (hide spoiler)] and how (view spoiler)[ She wasn't noble or anything and when she had the chance, she didn't want to be noble, either. She would much rather be a normal girl. She'd much rather be free (hide spoiler)]) It would've been 3 stars for the first 75% of the book but the last 25% was awesome! :D

City of a Thousand Dolls was an engaging read, though the ending felt rushed. Whereas at first Forester hoarded clues and secrets like a squirrel with acorns, the last quarter was revelation after revelation, giving me very little time to adjust. Some of the secrets were subtly woven in, often buried beneath each new murder so that in the end I was able to look back and recognized the signs. And some became painfully obvious far too quickly. At first I didn't understand the big deal about Nisha. She alternated between being unbelievably naive and independent. I blame Devan for this mainly. The entire family of his were a thorny manipulative bunch of of jackals, though to his credit I think Devan did genuinely care for Nisha...he was however a spineless coward as well. Nisha rose above her early unlikeableness though. Her interactions with the cats, her investigation and insistence for the truth drove this story. In some ways I think this reminded me of Avatar: the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. At least what I enjoy most about those shows. This story was about balance in the end. The Empire finding a balance between what was working and what wasn't, the girls of the Houses finding a balance between their wants/expectations and reality, the balance of past mistakes and potential failures in the future and lastly Nisha finding a way to come to terms about where she belongs.I can't help but think that there will be more books about Nisha and this world, and for that I'm hopeful. While Forester does a good job wrapping up Nisha's story in this novel, there are by far more mysteries and secrets to uncover before I think her story is fully told.

Jumping straight in, the one issue I really had with City of a Thousand Dolls was Nisha. She was just so annoying and naive in my opinion. She thought she knew everything about the City and acted like such a know it all! And, even though I could understand why, it was annoying when she couldn't forgive herself for something someone had done to herself. She was too impulsive for my liking and I felt myself groaning in frustration so many times. She was so...hmm...On the other hand I loved how she could talk to the cats and how much they seemed to adore her. It definitely made for some interesting conversations. I also looovvveeddd Jerrit. I want a catty best friend. Literally."There is more than one kind of secret, Nisha"The worldbuilding in this was simply amazing and I loved finding out more about the City, the Redeeming, and the Houses. It was done so neatly and I loved how much Asian culture was included! I was excited to discover what lay beyond the gates and what happened to Nisha's parents all those years ago. The City was a fascinating place that was filled with contradictions--that "Beauty is serious business" and that worship of beauty is dumb, that women should be able to be free to do what they want, yet trapped into a marriage or apprenticeship, and so much more."There is the secret that no one may know, the kind one kills to protect."I loved the plot twists. While I could see the major one coming (it was a bit obvious, if you've read most YA), it still left me in a breathless feeling, the way it was executed. There was barely any hesitation, and doubt, and that definitely made me like Nisha a little more. The other twists? I couldn't see them a mile away. They were so unexpected, yet so perfect for this book. This was truly a thrilling read that was pretty impossible to put down!"And then there is the secret that everyone may know, but no one will admit to knowing."The romance is something...I can't quite discuss. But let's just say, I'm happy with the way it ended.While I've heard some complains (and a few squeals) about another female assassin book, let me say this: this isn't really about an assassin (unless you count the one killing the girls). It's more of a book about trying to find out who you are, where you came from, and how much your freedom is worth to yourself. The idea of a City of girls is definitely original and most of the plot is too, so I had nothing to complain about here except that City of a Thousand Dolls? Way too short for my liking!"Then there is the secret that everyone knows, except the person the secret is about."A fantastic read that brought you to it's fantasy world with vibrant descriptions and scenes, City of a Thousand Dolls is definitely one I'd recommend to all epic fantasy readers and lovers and to paranormal readers ready to try something new! It's an amazing debut and I'll be here, eagerly anticipating the sequel, and wondering what house I'd belong to. Currently stuck between House of Jade or Combat."There are more secrets in the City than you could possibly know about. Which ones do you really care about?

When Miriam’s publisher sent the ARC to me at the November, I planned to save it to take on my trip to China. But then, I started looking at it and immediately began reading it. And I finished it in two days. It was that good.Miriam did a fantastic job of creating the world of the City of a Thousand Dolls, with all the smaller houses that trained girls in specialized skills, like beauty, music, and pleasure that would be useful when potential suitors came to the City once a year looking for wives and mistresses to purchase. Nisha has a unique role in the City as the Matron’s assistant and moves freely within the houses. Yet even the Matron cannot protect Nisha and Nisha faces a terrible fate if she somehow can’t make herself super useful to the City. She’s such a strong, sympathetic character and I totally was routing for her till the very end of the story. I just interviewed Miriam at my blog Literary Rambles (http://literaryrambles.com) and have a ARC giveaway contest through 2/16/13 if you're interested.

Nisha was abandoned at the "City of a Thousand Dolls," where unwanted girl babies are left and then trained by one of the houses (Combat, Music, Jade, Beauty, Flowers, Pleasure, Discipline, and the rumored Shadows) and then sold as apprentices, courtesans... Nisha was different though and became Matron's errand girl and has always been able to "talk" to the lucky spotted wildcats that roam the city. As Matron's eyes and ears Nisha also tries to solve the mystery of who is killing off the girls of the city.

Wow, interesting story. You think you know what is going on there and dang! you find out something different. And it's like 'There's secret and everyone know about it, except the one who the secret is about"