The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

The Walled City

730. That’s how many days I’ve been trapped.

18. That’s how many days I have left to find a way out.

DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible….

JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister….

MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She’s about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window…..

In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out.

Praise

"Readers, rapt, will duck for cover until the very last page."—Kirkus Reviews

"This dark and gritty thriller doesn't pull any punches, taking readers into a world of fear, danger, and deprivation."—School Library Journal

"[A] gripping and gritty thriller...Graudin deftly juggles the multiple perspectives to create a riveting, suspenseful tale of violence, danger, and survival."—The Horn Book

"In spite of the fact that the descriptions are often of horrific things, they are lyrically crafted, painting vivid snapshot images of what might lead people to make unimaginable choices...a sharp, compelling novel."—The Bulletin

"[Graudin] artfully balances tense action scenes with lyrical language, distinct voices for each narrator, and ruminations that probe the book's deeper themes of family, regret, and second chances."—Booklist

"Graudin is gifted at employing simile and other literary devices to describe the gritty surroundings and Hak Nam's criminal inhabitants...The result is three stories deftly entwined into a fast-paced, striking tale."—Publishers Weekly

"The Walled City grabbed me by the throat from page one. From the very first chapter to the last, my heart loved and feared for these characters. Brilliantly and beautifully written--a true triumph."—Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe series

"The Walled City is dark and grim and intensely compelling. It is a book you cannot easily forget, a book you will want to read again and again."—Ellen Oh, author of Prophecy