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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
I gave the first book of the series five stars because of its unique story, pervasive setting, masterful construction, and intriguing themes. This book is a worthy follow-up, though some of the magic is lost as the focus moves from introducing exotic characters to following them through their daily lives.
Once again, early 20th century NYC vibrantly comes to life. We view it now through the eyes of two youths—Toby, the brave son of Anna Blumberg who works as a bicycle messenger, and Kreindel, the recently orphaned daughter of an ambitious rabbi—more so than from the eyes of Chava the golem and Ahmad the jinni. We also travel to the middle east with Sophia Winston who still suffers physically from her romantic encounter with Ahmad. Add another golem and another jinniyeh, and this book is full of storylines and complex characters.
Crafted much like the first book, Wecker writes with a broad lens, moving luxuriously slowly to set the stage for the climax when everything comes crashing together. She is a gifted writer and storyteller with meticulous attention to historical veracity and detail.
I found the ending frustrating open-ended but appropriate, as life does continue after "the end," which she has written realistically. She treats her characters with respect to their personhood, rather than neatly ending the story.
Like visiting old friends, I enjoyed following these characters' stories a little further into the future; however, this book lacks the mystery and awe that made the first book so magical.
Once again, early 20th century NYC vibrantly comes to life. We view it now through the eyes of two youths—Toby, the brave son of Anna Blumberg who works as a bicycle messenger, and Kreindel, the recently orphaned daughter of an ambitious rabbi—more so than from the eyes of Chava the golem and Ahmad the jinni. We also travel to the middle east with Sophia Winston who still suffers physically from her romantic encounter with Ahmad. Add another golem and another jinniyeh, and this book is full of storylines and complex characters.
Crafted much like the first book, Wecker writes with a broad lens, moving luxuriously slowly to set the stage for the climax when everything comes crashing together. She is a gifted writer and storyteller with meticulous attention to historical veracity and detail.
I found the ending frustrating open-ended but appropriate, as life does continue after "the end," which she has written realistically. She treats her characters with respect to their personhood, rather than neatly ending the story.
Like visiting old friends, I enjoyed following these characters' stories a little further into the future; however, this book lacks the mystery and awe that made the first book so magical.
I was nervous about reading The Hidden Palace because I loved The Golem and the Jinni so much, but my fears were unfounded. The Hidden Palace expands on the stories of the Golem and the Jinni without undercutting what I loved about the first book.
I find both of these books hard to describe, but one way is that they are a fantastical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I found myself thinking about the characters and what they were doing when I wasn't reading the book, just as I did with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The main characters really became real people for me. The narrative is very slow moving, as we watch America grow and change while the lives of the characters we are following also grow and change. The author does a great job capturing New York in the early 1900s while featuring fantastical creatures as her main characters. I find it remarkable. The Acknowledgements section talks about some of the research that she did.
The Golem and the Jinni are challenged in this story, as people and as friends. Societal issues abound. The author notes that The Hidden Palace was written during the pandemic, and it shows. Many characters are dealing with the effects of stress, anger, and grief.
The ending was disappointing to me – if there is no sequel. I really really hope there is a book three. For the right reader, I can’t recommend these two books enough.
I find both of these books hard to describe, but one way is that they are a fantastical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I found myself thinking about the characters and what they were doing when I wasn't reading the book, just as I did with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The main characters really became real people for me. The narrative is very slow moving, as we watch America grow and change while the lives of the characters we are following also grow and change. The author does a great job capturing New York in the early 1900s while featuring fantastical creatures as her main characters. I find it remarkable. The Acknowledgements section talks about some of the research that she did.
The Golem and the Jinni are challenged in this story, as people and as friends. Societal issues abound. The author notes that The Hidden Palace was written during the pandemic, and it shows. Many characters are dealing with the effects of stress, anger, and grief.
The ending was disappointing to me – if there is no sequel. I really really hope there is a book three. For the right reader, I can’t recommend these two books enough.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not quite as good as the first, the first hour had a lot of repetition from the first book and some plot points were a bit too forced for my liking.
I had mixed feelings about the idea of a sequel to The Golem and the Jinni. That book works very well as a self-contained story, and I didn't see the need to risk a second entry that might not live up to the first. I'm happy to say, though, that I very much enjoyed this.
Chava and Ahmad are challenged by mirrors of themselves in this book, and it allows us to better reflect on how they have both changed and what the repercussions of those changes are. I think we may also get a better sense in this book of how their presence has impacted the lives of the humans they surround themselves with than we did in the first. Honestly, though, it's been so long since I read the original that I may just be imagining that. Whatever the case, that aspect of the storytelling works well in this book.
It's good! If you liked the first, I'm confident you will also like this one. And there are some interesting implications to the end of the book, suggestions that leave open the possibility of more. Having seen how this book turned out, I'm a bit more confident that future installments would also be positive contributions to the series.
Chava and Ahmad are challenged by mirrors of themselves in this book, and it allows us to better reflect on how they have both changed and what the repercussions of those changes are. I think we may also get a better sense in this book of how their presence has impacted the lives of the humans they surround themselves with than we did in the first. Honestly, though, it's been so long since I read the original that I may just be imagining that. Whatever the case, that aspect of the storytelling works well in this book.
It's good! If you liked the first, I'm confident you will also like this one. And there are some interesting implications to the end of the book, suggestions that leave open the possibility of more. Having seen how this book turned out, I'm a bit more confident that future installments would also be positive contributions to the series.
I liked the book, but not as much as The Golem and the Jinni. It seems that the author tried to put too much into this one, and sometimes it felt muddled.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this sequel as much as the first book!
I love how much these books talk about the importance of community in our lives.
The new POV characters were great and I enjoyed getting to know them, just as much as becoming even more familiar with our Golem & Jinni ❤️
Excitedly awaiting for another installment into these beings lives.
I love how much these books talk about the importance of community in our lives.
The new POV characters were great and I enjoyed getting to know them, just as much as becoming even more familiar with our Golem & Jinni ❤️
Excitedly awaiting for another installment into these beings lives.
I preordered this book ages ago and received it on the day of release, but I put off starting it a bit because I just knew this would happen. Wecker continued and expanded this universe in a delightful way and I loved every moment of it. But now I’ve reached the end and it’s bittersweet that now I must turn away from this wonderful world and await a third volume that I certainly hope will come in the future.
*You must read The Golem and the Djinni first*
I’m usually not a big fan of reading book series - I prefer to experience the whole story in one go. However, I wasn’t done with this story. Neither the golem OR the djinni were the main characters in this story. Sophia’s journey throughout the Middle East was transportive, and Kreindel’s story was perfectly told through the eyes if a teenage girl.
I’m usually not a big fan of reading book series - I prefer to experience the whole story in one go. However, I wasn’t done with this story. Neither the golem OR the djinni were the main characters in this story. Sophia’s journey throughout the Middle East was transportive, and Kreindel’s story was perfectly told through the eyes if a teenage girl.
Similar to [b:The Golem and the Jinni|15819028|The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1)|Helene Wecker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349205573l/15819028._SX50_.jpg|21547736], this book is mostly character and world development with all of the action at the very end. Fortunately, [a:Helene Wecker|6466778|Helene Wecker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350589061p2/6466778.jpg] avoids the mundane even in the long buildup. Not quite as good as the first book but pretty close.