This is the complete review as it appears at my blog dedicated to reading, writing (no 'rithmatic!), movies, & TV. Blog reviews often contain links which are not reproduced here, nor will updates or modifications to the blog review be replicated here.I rated this novel a worthy read!WARNING SOME UNHIDDEN SPOILERS ISNSIDE - PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!Not to be confused with Kirsten Miller the South African writer and artist, nor with actor Kristen Miller, nor with poet Kirsten Miller, it’s novelist Kirsten Miller's work that I'm reviewing here!Note that this is a book by a girl, for girls, about girls. It’s not that boys aren't allowed, it’s that they’re simply not needed. This novel is a magnificent exemplar of how to write a novel about strong, independent, no-nonsense young women. Miller gets it and isn't shy about showing it. I wish a host of young-adult authors would take a leaf (or fifty) from this novel and re-write some of their sorry and sad main female characters. Having said that, these girls are only twelve, and so aren't even within the YA range, and I have to wonder where parenting was! A story like this is fine for some fun fiction, but the sad thing is that there are really young girls out there who are saddled with, shall I term it 'disengaged' parents and unfortunately, those children are certainly not having the time of their lives.Kiki Strike is the subject of this novel, but it's told in first person (and not obnoxiously, so this proves it can be done if you know how to do it!) by Ananka Fishbein, who attends the Atalanta school for girls, where some get in on their money, others on scholarships. It's needless to say how Ananka is there. It's Ananka who first starts getting interested in Kiki, and the two of them eventually hook up and recruit four others to help them: Luz Lopez, DeeDee Morlock, Betty Bent, and Oona Wong. Luz Lopez is the 'electro-genius' (inventor) and she is good friends with DeeDee Morlock, but often clashes with her, quick to point out the fact that DeeDee is much more well-off and privileged than she. She's installed a fire extinguisher which saves Deedee's life many a time. Although Luz is innocent, she has a criminal record which she is often worried about. She is very poor, but more than meets the eye. Betty is expert in disguise, Dee-Dee in explosives and chemistry, and Oona in forgery.Miller inserts some text here and there throughout this novel offering some delightful (if potentially dangerous), and amusing advice for young female adventurers on how to lie, how to disguise yourself, how to properly prepare for exploration adventures, and so on. Heaven knows where she came up with this stuff, but I loved it, particularly the smart portions of it, even as I hoped that there are no twelve-year-old girls who would read this and then actually try to follow some of the more questionable advice! On the topic of text, here's one weird bit: "…but there was one thing I knew for certain. At least some of the people who had called Shadow City home had never left." This screams for a colon between 'certain' and 'At' in place of the period.But beefs aside, Miller keeps this story cooking at a warm temperature, continually revealing new and interesting character and plot twists as she goes. The five girls display their individual talents as they ramp-up their plan to discover an entrance to Shadow City, and to explore it fully. Ananka has no special talent, but she has a repository of wonderful books, collected by her parents, at her apartment and so her 'talent' is considered to be that of a librarian. Oona brings her abilities in forgery and computer hacking, DeeDee brings her chemical and explosives knowledge, and Betty her ability to create amazing disguises. Kiki's avowed intention is to own Shadow City, locking-up weak spots to prevent a criminal element from making use of it, even as they explore and map every tunnel of the underground world, seeking "treasure" that might be lurking in forgotten nooks.Given that they wait for the summer holidays as they prepare and plan, I failed to grasp why they then pursued their avocation at night. It made no sense whatsoever, and necessitated the majority of the girls lying to their parents and exposing themselves to unnecessary risks. This would have been fine had there been some explanation offered for the nocturnal nature of the activities, but Miller offers none. She just expects us to accept that this is the way it is. That was a weak spot for me, but not a killer.As the explorations begin, Ananka becomes increasingly suspicious of Kiki, but she's the only one who seems to suspect an ulterior motive for her putting together this talented team of feisty fillies. At one point, Kiki is insistent that DeeDee blow open a door against Ananka's objections. DeeDee has done this kind of thing before, but this time something goes wrong, and DeeDee is injured, a flood ensues as a pipe is ruptured, and Kiki disappears with a sack of what appear to be gold coins which the quintet had discovered that night!That's all the spoilers you’re getting! Of course, here we’re meant to think ill of Kiki, and Miller has put in some decent attempts to sour her for us, but I refused to be fooled. I don’t see the how you can title your novel 'Kiki Strike' and then make her into the villain, so that attempt at slapping a big red herring in my face was squandered!In conclusion, this novel was excellent: it was inventive, entertaining, and full of adventure. I recommend it.
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.comPretend you live in Manhattan, across the street from a little park. Now pretend you wake up one night and the park has sunken into the ground and left a big hole. Wait, it gets weirder! Pretend you see a mud-covered creature climb up out of the hole using a rope, and it waves at you. What would you do? If you're twelve-year-old Ananka Fishbein, you sneak out of the house and climb down the hole. Once down the hole, you might find a secret room. (I say "might" because I'm not sure which park you're imagining, but for the sake of argument let's assume you live across from the same park.) In that room you would find a trap door that leads to what appears to be a never ending hallway of closed doors. This, my friends, is the Shadow City. The Shadow City is entirely underground. No one knows how far it runs, how many rooms there are, or even where it all leads. Most people don't even know it exists, except for Ananka, and the mud-covered thing that waves like British royalty. Ananka has about a million questions about the Shadow City, the mud creature, and the new girl in school that no one has ever seen before, the one and only Kiki Strike. Who is Kiki Strike? She's not about to tell. But she has put together an amazing assortment of girls. The Irregulars are misfits, borderline delinquent, unappreciated, Girl Scout rejects, and they've never met until Kiki came along. Ananka is curious and courageous, and has access to a vast peculiar library that her parents call home. Luz Lopez is a mechanical genius, she can design pretty much anything and make it work. DeeDee Morlock is a chemistry whiz, explosives and poisons are her specialties. Betty Bunt is a master of disguise who hasn't been seen, as herself, in four years. Oona Wong is the best hacker and forger in Manhattan. Kiki Strike is, well, Kiki; no one ever seems to get around to figuring out why or what she's masterminding. Together these girls will explore, map, and ultimately control the Shadow City. I loved this book! After awhile, you get so wrapped up in the intrigue and adventures you forget, like the rest of the girls, to ask why all of this is happening. It's exciting, confusing, and completely absorbing. I didn't want to put it down, and my sister kept getting mad at herself for falling asleep while she was reading, even though she was completely exhausted. One of the most fun parts of this book, aside from the story itself, are the interesting and surprisingly useful lists at the end of each chapter. They include things like "How To Take Advantage of Being a Girl," "How to Catch a Lie," "How to be a Master of Disguise," and "How to Kick Some Butt." It also includes information about other underground cities, various New York City landmarks, and more. KIKI STRIKE is definitely geared towards girls, but far from too girly for a boy to appreciate. The story, while complete in and of itself, is still a bit open-ended. I hope that means we get to see more adventures from Ananka, Kiki, and the rest of the Irregulars. Kudos to Kristen Miller, and can I join?
Do You like book Inside The Shadow City (2006)?
So, I might be willing to give this a 2.5 because of the idea, but since I can't it's a 2. The idea behind this book is great! A secret underground city in New York explored by independent, quirky young girls? Could be really cool, but I think Miller fell short. Her characters were pretty flat, unlikeable, and stereotypical. I was disappointed by the description and depth of exploration in the Shadow City. I also think the underlying story with Kiki was not even close to developed enough. I was not invested in her or the narrator. Too vague overall. The story ended up being too much like the description of Kiki...almost transparent. Bummer!
—Heather
A pretty excellent adventure tale about a girl who stumbles upon the adventure of a lifetime. Through sheer curiosity our hero Ananka meets Kiki Strike, a character of mysterious origins and vampire-esque attire. Together with a group of misfit girls donned 'the irregulars', they explore the legendary underground network of tunnels that lie under New York City. In the first installment of this three volume series, we see The Irregulars battle it out with WASPy Ex-Patroon New York blue bloods and an evil Eastern European Princess in a struggle between auto-didactic book smarts and privilege by birth--the entire city of New York hangs in the balance.I particularly enjoyed the complicated relationship between Kiki and the rest of the Irregulars. It's impossible to tell what's coming next!Throughout this book you'll find neat little tips on how to spot liars, or how to be a master of disguise. Enjoy.
—Andrew Fairweather
I am not in the intended demographic for this book, but I don't think I would have liked it even when I was younger. First of all, it takes too long (over 100 pages) before any real adventures start happening, and when they do they are underwhelming. I am perfectly willing to hang in for the long haul if the author is using the space as needed to develop characters, world-build, or set up a complicated plot -- none of which happens here. The characters are fairly two dimensional: I didn't find them sympathetic or their genius abilities believable -- the only way in which they seemed realistic to me is that they are indeed bitchy and mean like I recall middle school girls being. Everything happened too easily: for instance, you cannot sneak into a high-security facility by dressing as a cleaning lady. And if Miller didn't care about realism, fine, but then don't waste the reader's time by going into pages of detail about it. Basically, this book would have been okay at half the length, but as it stands is too big a waste of time for very little gratification.
—Miriam
