Step into Mannahatta, a vibrant parallel world where legends whisper truth and spirits guide the brave. Sakima Tamanend, a fiery soul yearning for warriorhood, stumbles upon a chilling secret: her brother-in-law has unleashed a mythical terror upon the Land Below, the concrete jungle we call New York City.
Driven by unwavering love and fierce spirit, Sakima plunges through the portal, leaving behind all she knows. In this strange new world, she'll confront towering monsters, forge unlikely alliances, and discover the truth about her own hidden powers.
Brace yourself for intense action as you jump into fights with legendary beasts and real-world dangers. Watch Sakima grow with a group of friends who have special talents and secrets. Discover a world from the future filled with mixed cultures and old magic. Go on a quest to find out who you are, feeling the pain of defeat, the joy of friends, and the victory of overcoming challenges.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Though the book is dense and starts slow, More blends adrenaline-packed action scenes with intricate worldbuilding and character work for a coming-of-age narrative that will appeal to a broad swath of readers.
Prose: Through vivid descriptions of technology and Indigenous language and dialect, More’s prose deftly paints the intriguing and original Mannahatta. Flashbacks to Sakima’s past, however, feel randomly placed, failing to blend with the other seamless elements of the plot.
Originality: By framing Natives as the more technologically advanced people, More’s Mannahatta eschews stereotypes while still embracing Native beliefs and practices. Less interesting is the Lenape Tribe’s sexism, which sets up Sakima with a trite journey to defy said tribe's misogyny, a theme echoed in many YA action-adventure novels.
Character/Execution: Headstrong and independent Sakima challenges her tribe’s sexist views of women and proves herself a warrior. Other characters, especially Sakima’s friends in modern-day New York City, feel more like props in Sakima’s overall journey.
Date Submitted: August 18, 2024
City at My Feet is conceptually riveting, built on an intensely creative world that still harbors remnants of contemporary life. New York as we know it, termed the “Land Below” here, is considered “primitive” and houses those humans beset by greed, corruption, and an overdependence on fossil fuels—leading them to a conflictual relationship with “Kahèsëna Hàki”—Mother Earth. The Lenape people, on the other hand, maintain a synergy with the land, bolstered by their impressive technology that includes bioengineered weapons and animals, referred to as “mech-predators” in the forest near Sakima’s home.
Sakima’s commitment to achieving warrior status drives her character and her quest, leading her to the Land Below and a host of run-ins with colorful characters. She undergoes her own share of trials on her path, many of which are instituted by Machto and his endless desire to conquer her spirit—and he comes dangerously close to winning that battle. It’s clear that More has a deep respect for the Lenape and Indigenous peoples of America, though underdeveloped characters and stiff prose get in the way of the story’s appeal. Still, this is an intriguing take on a hero’s journey, and Sakima’s motto—“why live, if you can’t be who you were meant to be”—rings true.
Takeaway: Futuristic Indigenous warrior seeks to prove herself in this multiverse adventure.
Comparable Titles: Christoffer V. Junros’s Origin Andromeda, Jessica Lee Sheppard’s Descending Into Darkness.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
The Review
I absolutely loved this book. The author did such an incredible job of world-building in this narrative, immediately introducing readers to a world in which Europeans never landed on the North American continent, and the Native American people were allowed the thrive and grow. The narrative then expands to multiple worlds, and the creature development the author draws upon was unique and something not seen often in modern-day YA fantasy and sci-fi series.
Yet to me, it was the character development and cultural inclusivity that really stood out to me. Seeing the emphasis the author put on having a strong, powerful yet relatable, and vulnerable female protagonist was great to see come to fruition, as she embodied the need to embrace our true selves and fight for the future we want for ourselves. The attention to detail the author paid to Native American lore and culture was also amazing, as the culture played a major role in the development of Sakima as a protagonist and the role that family played was also greatly explored through that cultural lens.
The Verdict
Thrilling, captivating, and entertaining, author Thomas Moore’s “City at My Feet” is a must-read YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy novel and a great start to the Mannahatta series. The amazing development of this protagonist, the epic world-shattering action that keeps the reader’s blood pumping, and the thoughtful imagery that brings these worlds to life in the reader’s mind made for a brilliant reading experience. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
In More’s debut YA novel—set in an alternate universe—a young woman desires to become the first female warrior of her tribe.
Sakima Tamanend is a 17-year-old living on Mannahatta, the island of the Lenape people (similarities to peoples and places in our world are absolutely intentional). She’s determined to prove herself as the first female warrior in her people’s history but doesn’t quite know how. Sakima spies her brother-in-law, Machto, entering a strange building on the outskirts of her village. Inside, she discovers that Machto has kidnapped her younger sister, Tangetta, and fled through a portal into the “Land Below.” Sakima dives in after them only to find herself in a strange land called “New York City,” a place lacking the technological advances she’s accustomed to. As Sakima hunts down Machto in an attempt to rescue her sister, she realizes that her brother-in-law has unleashed a horrific mythological creature on the world; she will need to draw upon the Lenape spirits if she has any hope of defeating it. Along the way, she meets Mike “Blue” Biehn, MJ Tiptree, and Charles “Chuck” Benbova, a group of New York teenagers who decide to help their unusual new friend. More cleverly combines futuristic technology with Native American imagery in descriptions of Mannahatta: “[She smelled] artificial excrement from the digestive tracks of sisilieyòk, mechBison [sic]. In the past, this included metal shavings from operational gears and levers…migrating to the digestive tracks of the beasts.” The novel contains some harsh language (“damn ugly bitch!”), and the dialogue can feel jarringly modern in some contexts (“Mom, seriously! It’s nothing like that”), but these quibbles pale in comparison to the dazzling details that More gives to his universe.
Fans of intricately crafted fantasy universes will find plenty to explore in this action-packed saga.
What makes this book stand out from many others I have is the worldbuilding on both sides of the portal. Sakima is a strong young woman who has to deal with a lot. She is coming into herself as a warrior while dealing with lost and the pressure of her own fear, but still taking action. I wish growing up as a young Native American we had books like this to read. It made me feel a lot of different emotions with each turn of the pages. I am glad that I agree to read this book. It did not disappoint me on any level.
My Rating of the Book: 5 Stars
