I read the original Trylle trilogy back in 2012 (I even reviewed it! Please ignore how amateur it was). I absolutely loved it – Hocking created a magical world embedded within, yet hidden from, our own. The characters were feisty and the narrative addictive.

The magic of her world is on full display in The Lost City. Ulla, a half-breed troll of unknown origins, begins the book in Northern Canada (Nunavut, if you’re curious). Already, we’re sucked into the story through Hocking’s lyrical, yet straight-forward narrative that quickly throws us into the world of trolls and myths. As I knew a lot of the history from my memory of the Trylle series, it wasn’t too hard for me to digest the different branches of trolls, with there even being a callback to the Trylle series in one of the first few chapters. However, there are a lot of info-dumps. There’s lots to absorb when it comes to the history of the trolls, and I think a big part of this method of world-building is driven by the fact that Ulla, our MC, is diving into troll history and studying her own origins. As a result, this information is necessary in order to understand their world as much as it is to understand the character. As such, I appreciated the short-chapter format the story is told in, as it definitely helped make the story more manageable and easy to process.

Ulla’s journey to self-discovery made this book very relevant to current events. In a time of protests against sexism, racism, among other major societal issues, The Lost City takes on some of these issues and makes them both fantastical and topical.

“It was more than a tad, honestly, and it was the kind of thing I’d heard used a hundred times to dismiss me. Because I was Omte, and everyone knows they’re the dumbest of the tribes. Because I’m a half-breed, and everyone knows that mixed blood makes them weak and stupid. Because I’m from Iskyla, and everyone knows that only the unsophisticated and naïve live there.
Because I’m female.
Because I’m asymmetrical and overweight.
Because I’m blond.
Because I’m an orphan.
Because.
Because.
Because.”

I felt that quote in my bones, and I was very surprised and pleased to see these topics being addressed. Throughout the book, we continuously get to see Ulla crash through the stereotypes attributed to her and I absolutely loved that.

Beyond Ulla, the development of the secondary characters was fantastic and how each one had a chance to grow with the story and its events. Similar to the original Trylle trilogy, there were moments where I wanted just a little more depth with the characters and with the story, but this is only the first book so I guess there are plenty of chances to get everything I want in the upcoming sequels!

All in all, it was fantastic jumping back into this world and I had so much fun with this new cast of characters. I’m curious to see where this series leads!

Plot: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
GoodReads: 3.8/5

eARC obtained via St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from advanced proof and may not match the final book.

- Review byBetween Printed Pages