Review: City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: February 5, 2013
Pages: 361
Source: For Review from HarperCollins Canada
Rating: 4 Stars

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.
Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.
Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

In short: City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster is an entertaining and addicting read with lush and fascinating world building.

At six-years-old, Nisha was abandoned by her parents at the City of a Thousand Dolls - a community that takes in unwanted girls, trains them in a specialized area like fighting, beauty, healing, or pleasure, and then sells them off to the highest bidder at sixteen-years-old. When one of the girls is found dead in the City, Nisha decides she is going to track down the killer in order to protect the girls, as well as herself. Along the way, she also uncovers secrets about her past.

The world building is where City of a Thousand Dolls truly shines. Debut author Miriam Forster integrates South Asian culture into a lush and fascinating world to pleasing effect. I loved spending time in the City of a Thousand Dolls, learning about the different houses and castes, and the training and schooling for the girls. And, OH YEAH, Nisha can speak telepathically to the cats that roam the city and these cats are basically her makeshift family. I thought that was cute! There are so many ways that the concept of telepathic cats could have gone awry, but for some reason, I found it worked and was never super silly or cliched.

I feel a bit conflicted about the plot and characters in City of a Thousand Dolls. On the one hand, the mystery was a good one and the reveal was shocking. But the execution of the mystery was a little clumsy at times and the plot twists were predictable. And the ending was tied up WAY too neatly and quickly for my tastes. Similarly, I did like Nisha most of the time - she was ultimately brave and good - but she often made questionable choices and could be a little slow on the uptake. The romance was very limited and nothing particularly special - but sweet just the same.

Okay, okay - so that may sound like a lot of faults that I've just listed, but the fact of the matter is that I enjoyed myself while reading City of a Thousand Dolls. It was addicting and easy to read. And I must reiterate that the world building was super interesting! There may not have been as much depth as I was hoping for, but I had FUN reading it and isn't that the most important thing?

City of a Thousand Dolls works well as a standalone, but there is room for a sequel. Recommended for readers who like fun and easy books and cat people.

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