The Walled City

The Walled City
By Ryan Graudin
Little, Brown and Company, 2014. 242 pages. Young adult fiction.

Every type of vice lives unchecked in the Hak Nam Walled City, a walled-off district outside a wealthy city. Inside, three teens have unique missions. Jin Ling, disguised as a boy, must try to find her sister. Dai is looking for information that will bring down the notorious Brotherhood of the Red Dragon - and save his life. Mei Yee is looking for a way to get out of the grips of the Brotherhood and return to her family. Will the three be able to work together to make it out of the notorious city alive?

This is a semi-historical novel. The setting is based on the stories of the Kowloon Walled City, which was located just outside of Hong Kong until it was razed in 1987 and turned into a park. Graudin has taken an interesting premise and made a riveting novel that is packed with action until the very end. Some of the images were a little disturbing, but, remember, we're talking about a city of vice - most of the inhabitants were not living in happy circumstances. There was nothing that was overly graphic or inappropriate for a teen audience.

JH