I enjoyed this a great deal. Set in a highly mannered alterni-Portugal of the very early twentieth century, it has all sorts of wonderful elements: mermaids (well, sirens and selkies and even a rusalka who I liked the most) and dastardly plots that need foiling (like being trapped in the library with an unmarried gentleman!) and an absolutely smashing romance between the two leads, wherein they form a solid bond of mutual respect that's just dripping with UST, but impeded by constraints that are genuinely part of who they are.

There were times when there seemed to be rather too much inconsequential detail cluttering up the page, but in general, I enjoyed the ride a lot, and I'm looking forward to more. ( )

A really cool selkie-verse! Different with interesting characters. ( )

This was a fainting book I could put down.
Set in an alternate version of 1902 Portugal, it contains steampunk aspects, mystery, adventure, mermaids, selkies and a variety of different creatures.

I can't wait to dive into the second book!! And I want see more of Oriana & Duilo!! ( )

I won a copy of this book in a GR giveaway.

3.5. This is one of those circumstances in which I really wish GR actually allowed half stars. I have to decide if I'm gonna round up or down. The book is better than others I've given 3 stars to, but I didn't like it 4 stars worth...

Anyhow, I'm pretty 'meh' about The Golden City. I liked the writing. The editing was fine. Finding it set in Portugal was a change from the regular US/UK based fiction one normally finds (though I've seen others comment it wasn't accurate, I don't know one way or another) and Selkie, Otterfolk and Seria were outside the norm magical creatures.

I even liked Oriana and Duilio. But I found them dull. Really, they seemed to exist in parallel plots that they then occasionally talked about. And they were so bound by social convention that there seemed to be no passion in them at all. And Oriana has to be the worst spy in history.

The mystery seemed shaky. Almost 50 people disappear and no one notices? I mean sure, employers might be oblivious, but did none of these people have families or friends that might report them missing? The great magic that was supposed to happen seemed questionable at best, though even the book admits that. And it all seemed to fall apart for no real reason at all. Oriana was still walking around as if no one was after her, and it didn't seem anyone was despite claims to the contrary. Sure, Duilio dodged assassination attempts, but it's Oriana that's supposed to be in danger, but I never once felt that.

And I was distinctly dissatisfied with the ending. It's not a solid HEA, which I don't always have to have, but it felt like something had been left incomplete. In fact, what it felt very much like was an obvious tie-in for a sequel, which irks me.

All in all, I would call this OK, not great but not wholly bad either. I'd read a sequel if I came across it for free or could borrow it. But I doubt I'd spend money on it. ( )

The Golden City is a fantastic fantasy set in a alternative early 1900s Porto, Portugal, where people can have magical powers and selkies and sirens (known as sereia) live in hiding. Because for the last 20 years, non-humans have been banned from the Golden City on pain of death because the Prince believes that they are going to kill him. That doesn't mean that they aren't there though. Oriana is an agent for the Sereian government posing as the paid companion to a young socialite. But then, just as her charge is about to elope, they are kidnapped and left for dead in part of mysterious underwater art project known as the city under the sea that replicates one of the best neighborhoods of the city under the waives. Having gills, Oriana is able to escape, but Isabel, her only friend in this hostile environment drowns unleashing a kind of magic Oriana has never seen before. She had come to the Golden City to somehow avenge her sister's murder, so Isabel's death becomes just one thing Oriana has to fix in order to find peace. But now she is friendless, homeless, and rapidly becoming penniless, and justice is seeming ever more unlikely.

Enter Duilio, a young Portuguese man of leisure, who spends his time helping with police investigations while trying to figure out what happened to his mother's most prized possession. A seer, he knows Oriana is important and that something is wrong with the city under the sea. Together, the two team up to solve the mystery, but someone with a lot of power does not want their quest to succeed, and Oriana's superiors are putting pressure on her to return to the Islands. But these two are not going to quit until they get to the bottom of things.

I love this book. I love, love, love, love this book. Oriana is the best kind of strong heroine, flawed but determined. Nothing in her life has gone right since her mother died when she was twelve and her father was exiled for sedition four years later. But no matter how desperate her circumstances or hopeless she felt, she never let it get her down. And Duilio is her perfect foil, patient and understanding where she is impatience and temper. Together they make a great team. Every time I read it I discover something new to like. Wonderful characterizations and excellent world building, make you feel like there really is a place in Portugal where magical creatures clandestinely walk the streets and magic has the potential to change the world. Highly recommended to anyone who likes historical fantasy, strong female leads, or mysteries with a touch of magic. ( )