The City in Glass

Hugo Award winner Vo (Siren Queen) delivers an astonishing standalone novel of grief, retribution, and love that evokes the best of Italo Calvino and Ursula K. Le Guin. Vitrine, a capricious and powerful demon, has nurtured the city of Azril into a vibrant metropolis bursting with joy, chaos, and hedonism. Her world shatters when angels descend, reducing her beloved city to ruins. Grieving, Vitrine captures one of the angels responsible for the devastation and binds him to her with a curse. As Vitrine mourns and attempts to rebuild, her feelings toward the angel, who remains nameless and enigmatic despite now being her constant companion, evolve from vengeful hatred into something profound and complex. Their relationship, marked by both conflict and connection, unearths forgotten histories and ignites a transformative journey that reshapes them and their world. Vo’s nonlinear narrative anchors itself in the powerful emotions and memories that bind Vitrine to both her city and the angel. In poetic and evocative prose, Vo draws readers into the richly textured world of Azril while gracefully exploring themes of love, loss, and redemption. This beautifully crafted tale of resilience and transformation may be Vo’s best yet. (Oct.)