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Red City
Marie Lu
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The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.
Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.
Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city—and the paths of their lives—will be irrevocably transformed.
The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Posts about this title from Discotopia | Diverse Books
Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Dec 30 2025
9 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Feb 17
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I’ve already had my first read of February (Kindred by Octavia Butler) and it does in fact blow all of these out of the water #booktok #readingwrapup #fantasybooks #romancebooks
14 books
The Coterie\ \ Mikah Mia Reads\ \ • Jan 23
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\ \ The votes are in and we are reading Red City by Marie Lu in February! I’m very excited about this pick and hoping that reading an urban fantasy will be a fun change of pace for us ☺️ Also, don’t forget to check the Discord for the giveaway winner this month!](https://thecoterie.binderybooks.com/item/pFXYSnlve3wAlxZlqdJ2/)
FEB BOOK CLUB PICK: RED CITY BY MARIE LU 🌆
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The Coterie\ \ Mikah Mia Reads\ \ • Jan 19
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Alysha Fortune Reads\ \ Alysha\ \ • Jan 14
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Women Fantasy Authors that arent romantasy
Here is my completed list of fantasy and scifi books written by women that aren’t Romantasy! #books #booktok #bookstagram #booksta #bookworm #fantasybooks #fantasy #scifi #Romantasy #womenauthors
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Written Reveries\ \ Krystal\ \ • Jan 1
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Top 10 Reads of 2025 Part One
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Written Reveries\ \ Krystal\ \ • Dec 31 2025
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Best Book Read Each Month in 2025 Part II
Best Book Read Each Month in 2025 Part 2
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Dec 30 2025
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Alysha Fortune Reads\ \ Alysha\ \ • Dec 13 2025
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My top 10 reads of 2025 and looking ahead to 2026
I’ve read 75 books this year (so far) and here are my top 10! This has been such a good reading year I even read my favorite book of all time this year! What was your favorite read this year? #books #booktok #bookstagram #booksta #bookworm #fantasybooks #fantasy #scifi #fantasybookrecs #favoritebooks #mustreads
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Alysha Fortune Reads\ \ Alysha\ \ • Nov 10 2025
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Red City!! Must read. (Spoiler Free)
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 21 2025
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new releases & upcoming books that sound cool (& that you should add to your TBR) 📚
are your excited for any of these releases?!
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Infinite Realms Book Club \ \ Nozomi \ \ • Oct 12 2025
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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Oct 12 2025
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[Hello friends, and welcome to my first Bindery newsletter! I am hoping to post these once a week to provide a little recap of my reading week, along with some book recommendations and books on my priority TBR. If there is anything else you would like to see in these newsletters, let me know!\ \
- *\ \ Reading Updates: Audiobook | Finished: Remarkably Bright Creatures \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: My mom has been trying to get me to read "the octopus book" for over a year at this point, and I finally got to it. It absolutely does not surprise me that my mom gave an amazing book recommendation. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a charming, heartfelt book about family, grief, community, and growing old. Marcellus' chapters were so unique and endearing. Though I love how everything came together, I found myself wishing for something to add an element of surprise to the story. The plot plays out exactly how you would expect. Though it is a very sweet story, it can feel a bit one note. Cameron's character was also quite grating at the beginning. Though I appreciate his growth.\ \ Audiobook + Ebook | Finished: The Second Death of Locke \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: I don't think you understand how high my hopes were for The Second Death of Locke. It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year—I really thought it would be a guaranteed five star read. It took me a month to read this because I just didn't care about the characters, the plot, certainly not the romance. It's not that I actively disliked this, but I just felt so indifferent towards the story to the point that I had to use the audiobook to force myself to finish. With the lady knight aesthetic, the cover, themes of devotion and betrayal, and comp to Gideon the Ninth, I was expecthing this story to pack so much more of a punch. It feels like this book played it too safe with almost everything, resulting in an underwhelming story that lacks tension. The characters are just nice. They're nice, kind, and in love to the point that they feel borderline one-dimensional. The romance lacked any tension because they were both clearly in love from the start. I was particularly disappointed in Grey as this "lady knight" character. I have a lot more thoughts in my full review on TikTok if you're interested. Long story short, I think this is my most disappointing read of the year so far.\ \ Audiobook | Currently Reading: My Friends \ \ Progress: 16%\ \ Thoughts: The first ladybugs.mom audiobook recommendation I actually picked up was My Friends by Fredrik Backman. This story is incredible. I am absolutely loving the audiobook but I know that this is one that I want to read with my eyes so that I can tab all of the amazing lines about art, life, and friendship. I'm planning on starting over with the physical copy once I finish my current physical read.\ \ Paperback (ARC) | Currently Reading: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter \ \ Progress: 60%\ \ Thoughts: The Howl's Moving Castle vibes are strong with this current read. Too strong? Undecided. Heather Fawcett delivers another delightful cozy fantasy read, this time with lots of cats. This is a very heartwarming read so far and I love the choatic whimsy of the magic and the cat shelter. I do find myself wishing for a little bit more of a plot. I think I prefer the combination of cozy, romance, and magical action featured in the Emily Wilde series. Regardless, I am really enjoying it and hope to finish soon!\ \
- *\ \ On my radar (possible next reads): \ \ I recently found out that Cinder House is actually a novella! A queer, Gothic Cinderella retelling, this will be the perfect read for a moody fall evening.\ \ \ \ The people are loving this and I could not be more excited to read it. The only other thing I have read from Marie Lu is the Skyhunter duology but that remains one of my favorite YA fantasy series. Urban fantasy with alchemy, I cannot wait to get started!\ \
- *\ \ Fantasy Standalones Perfect For Fall: \ \ I feel like I am constantly starting new, incomplete series and I can never catch up. Recently on my TikTok I recommended some completed series, but here I wanted to shout out something even rarer—fantasy standalones. I narrowed the list down to a few recommedations that I think would be perfect to read during the fall.\ \ \ \ The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez: This recent fantasy release beautifully weaves Jewish history and folklore together with a fantastical world. In order to save her mother from being accused of a crimes she didn't commit, young healer Malka journeys into the forest to find the monster that is stealing the village's young girls. In the forest, Malka stumbles across a monster, but not the one she expected. She makes a deal with this disgraced golem that gets her involved in politics, rebellion, sinister threats, and ancient magic. I highly recommend the audiobook in particular. The narrator does a fantastic job bringing Maddie's beautiful writing to life!\ \ \ \ Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier: This YA fantasy story absolutely swept me away when I read it last year. In this book we follow Lord Cassia who returns home after being held prisoner in an enemy kingdom for years. A near death experience during his captivity has left him with the unusual ability to see the dead. His emotional return home is interuppted by an assassination attempt that sets the court on the trail of a terrible secret. I absolutely love this story. Cas is such a compelling main character and I loved watching him start his journey of healing. There are great family moments in this as well as a sweet romance subplot.\ \ \ \ Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs : Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a tightly woven story of family, loyalty, and power. This book is a unique love letter to books that reminds me a lot of The Starless Sea(another great standalone). What I enjoyed the most was how everything connected together. None of the reveals were particularly shocking, but it is incredibly satisfying when an author effectively uses every single element of the story.I loved the book based magic system and I really appreciate how the author explored the topics of conservation, power, and control through the library and the books.\ \
- *\ \ Have you read any of these books? I would love to hear your thoughts! See you next week with more reading updates and book recommendations.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ Samantha (ladybug.books)\ \ Join for free or login](https://ladybug-books.binderybooks.com/item/rQuiLGKpWddiZmcCjAWa/)
Ladybug.books Newsletter (10/5/25 - 10/11/25)
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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Oct 3 2025
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://azhangia.binderybooks.com/item/7yIVUIbPELjhWaR02aGj/)
October 2025 Book Releases (Fantasy & Sci-Fi)
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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Sep 30 2025
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://azhangia.binderybooks.com/item/MGIXVauyrqStiF6oRRQu/)
September Reading Wrap-Up (Ratings & Reviews)
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