The Hidden Palace

I enjoyed this sequel, the new characters as much as the old, and hope there will be another installment (a change in location to Chicago is suggested at the end...) The Golem and the Jinni work as metaphors for immigration, displacement, otherness and integration, as well as being touching and believable as characters in their own right.

Because this is book 2, I'm going to hide some of my review in spoilers for people who haven't read the first book. I never know how to review books in a series so as not to spoil things for people who never read the first book...

Going into this book, I was incredibly afraid it wouldn't live up to what I remember feeling after reading the first book. The first book was delightfully warm, had an interesting cast of characters, and a sufficiently intriguing plot that felt self-contained as it wrapped itself up. When I read there was going to be a sequel (several years after the first had come out), I was skeptical and dragged my feet at giving it a chance. I'm so glad I did.

Chava and Ahmad, unlikely lovers brought together under a unifying stressful situation in the first book, now have had time to stretch, settle, and figure out what they're going to do with their (mythological) selves in this world they find themselves in. Unfortunately, as they grow in self and in skills, they discover that some of their fundamental differences may be too difficult to navigate.

For the good, the author does an excellent job at onboarding the reader after such a long time, which I appreciated. Points where “as you recall” dialogue takes place are nicely hidden, and some reintroduction to some minor characters from the first book happens to jog readers' memories. I thought the introspection about what relationships mean to mythological creatures was interesting, and, as always, the writing was incredibly engaging.

My quibble with this particular book is that, honestly, not a lot happens. It's very slice-of-life for a large chunk of the book, which while I appreciate, I know it can be offputting for many other people. A threat is introduced slowly throughout the book, but ultimately the focus was on the “what's next” for the main characters.

If you loved the first book, there's more to love here, I guess is what I'm trying to say. It's a bit slow for some readers, but if slow is your jam when done well, give this a try.

Deeply disappointing. It could simply be that I'm not in the right headspace for this, however it was interminably slow. I'm at around the 40% mark of the audiobook and can't get up the energy to listen any further. This is more a kitchen sink drama, dealing with the relationship and life struggles of two people living in New York at the start of the 20th century, rather than a fantasy novel. There are hints of a more interesting story (mainly the arcs of some peripheral characters), however the Golem and Jinni themselves are just frustratingly “normal”.

DNF.

DNF @20%. This might be a temporary DNF or maybe it's a forever DNF. I loved the first book and absolutely ate it up but this second book is just not holding my interest. The whole things so far has felt like a long epilogue with bits of the new plot thrown in but I haven't found myself getting reinvested in any of the characters. I didn't care about Sophia at all in the first book so her having her own storyline in this book is also contributing to my apathy towards the novel.

I didn't like it as much as I liked #1, this one was less adventure and more relations, romance etc.
It develops the characters more, though, and I can imagine a lot of people like this one more.
It has a happy ending, even though there is quite a lot of sadness and loss.
I would read the next book, if there ever is one.

It took me quite awhile to get through this one. Watching the characters grow and try and find their way as mythical beings in 1910's New York makes for a fascinating read. I do miss more of the focus on Arabic culture that was more prominent in the first book, but the elements that are here are just as well done. 

Wecker is a very good writer and there are so many elements I enjoy so it's a shame that I can't say I enjoyed the book. In the first book I thought it got dragged down in the minutia of the historical details but, overall it was still an enjoyable experience because while those details slowed the pace they were interesting. In this one the pacing is even slower, but it's from the day to day lives of our characters which can be quite dull. 

I'm not one to shy away from large books or harp on length, but I would have enjoyed this significantly more if it was 100 to 200 pages shorter with some of the day to day living cut. This would have increased my enjoyment immensely as I thought the last 100 pages, give or take, were fantastic. It's a 2/5 for me, but I'd definitely recommend the first book as it would work fine as a stand alone.