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Red City by Marie Lu

Book

Red City

Marie Lu

Tor/Forge · Hardcover · October 14, 2025

Reading lane: Dark YA Fantasy

DELUXE EDITION — a stunning hardcover edition featuring dark crimson sprayed edges The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu.

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Dark Charm

A moody, collectible fantasy-romance setup with contemporary edges and a darker pulse.

Come here for

  • fandom-adjacent pull
  • keepsake shelf appeal

Expect

  • magic-forward atmosphere
  • a sustained, immersive read

Book Details

Authors
Marie Lu
Publisher
Tor/Forge
Published
October 14, 2025
Format
Hardcover
Theme
Dark YA Fantasy · YA Fantasy Romance
Reading lane
Dark YA Fantasy

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • Contemporary Fantasy

  • Urban Fantasy

About This Book

DELUXE EDITION — a stunning hardcover edition featuring dark crimson sprayed edges 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 wield...

Read full description

DELUXE EDITION — a stunning hardcover edition featuring dark crimson sprayed edges 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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