Red City by Marie Lu

The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city—and the paths of their lives—will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.

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Praise for this book

"Red City is a thrilling descent into a seedy underworld of alchemists and arcane-wielding criminal syndicates with ties to the upper echelons of power. Marie Lu has crafted not only a mesmerizing world, but memorable and convincing characters caught up in the machinations of competing crime bosses and assassins vying for control in Angel City. The only thing I wanted when I reached the end of this engrossing book—was more!"—P. Djèlí Clark, author of A Master of Djinn



Praise for Marie Lu:

"Marie Lu always delivers."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

"Every book she writes is a knockout. Marie Lu is magic."—New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi

"There is no question of Lu's extraordinary literary talent."—Reactor

"What can't Lu do? Her boatloads of fans can't wait to find out."—Booklist

"The kind of all-consuming fantasy novel that pulls you head-first into a brand new world that begins to feel so familiar you can't wait to get your hands on the next one."—New York magazine on Warcross

"Legend doesn't merely survive the hype, it deserves it."—The New York Times

About the Author

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 15 novels, including Legend, The Young Elites, Warcross, Skyhunter, and Stars and Smoke. She graduated from the University of Southern California and initially jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

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Title: Red City
Author(s): Marie Lu
Volume: 1
ISBN: 9781250885685
Copyright 2025
Release Date: October 14, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats

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