The thing I loved the most about this incredibly original story was the way it was grounded in the gritty reality of New York, while building a phenomenal, elaborate fantasy world around it. I'm utterly intrigued by the story set up and can't wait to continue the trilogy. The idea that avatars of a newborn city are chosen based on their embodiment of that city's traits is wonderful to explore, and even better that New York's wildly different and multicultural boroughs are acknowledged as the city is split into separate avatars that must come together to face its threat. I felt a little bad for the rep Staten Island got though, at least at first!

The evil presence of the Woman in White is insidious and a great combination of creepy and hateful. But there is also a sympathy that underlies her actions, as you know she has experienced incredible loss somehow. I hope the process of a city's birth and the collateral damage surrounding it are explored in more detail in the rest of the series, as the lines of good and evil don't seem to be clear in this story and I'm sure more will come of it.

New York is one of my favourite places on earth, and the fact that it became the protagonists of this book just made it all the more enticing. And of course it made me desperate to go back there!