Review: City Knife

The Chimera are on the move. They’re going to push beyond the city limits and attack the world’s remaining survivors. Bayat feels the weight of that threat on his shoulders for the part his own mother played in their creation. Pandora thinks there’s a way the Chimera can be cured. They’re running towards different versions of the future, but still they run together to the city with hope in their hearts — even if that hope is fading fast.

In another place, Emmeline battles the sickness that is slowly turning her into a Chimera, and Fatima gets ready to battle the creatures Emmeline is destined to become. Can Emmaline fight the sickness? Does she even want to? Fatima has believed the Chimera to be the enemy this whole time. But with Emmaline standing beside her, have things changed?

Separately, these brave adventurers have unwoven many of the secrets that built the world they live in, but the ultimate truth is still unknown. Are the Chimera truly monsters, incapable of anything other than killing? Or are they more?

City Knife is the third and final instalment in The Burning Days YA series by Rachel Hennessy. It’s a soul-twisting read that challenges your views on right and wrong, introducing more perspectives than ever before. Chapters mostly alternate between Pandora and Bayat, but there are chapters from Fatima, Emmaline and Matthew’s perspectives as well. This gives readers deep insight into each of the characters and what they believe, and it’s handled masterfully by Hennessy, whose storytelling skills hold your hand as you move through the novel.

In this novel, the journal of Bayat’s father, Rath, is also dispersed across the pages, revealing more history of the story world and the truth about where the Chimera came from. This step into the past provides readers an incredible experience. It gives you the opportunity to see the whole situation — to understand every decision and action that led to the present and make your own conclusion about what the future could be.

As with the first two books, River Stone and Mountain Arrow, the diverse characters allow you to experience a variety of views and beliefs. You’ll agree with some but likely not all. But you’ll always be challenged by the different ways the characters see the world and their actions. Sometimes we really do believe we're doing the right thing for the greater good. Even if no one else sees it that way.

This series is a powerful and engaging exploration of ethics, identity and resilience. It’s a fast-paced and exciting read that will challenge your own views on these topics.

Title: City Knife
Author: Rachel Hennessy
Publisher: Midnight Sun, $19.99
Publication Date: September 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925227970
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult Fiction