- First published
- 2020
- Audience
- Adult
- Series position
- 1 of 2
- Series status
- Complete series
- Commitment
- Short series
- Profile basis
- Individual book
- Series
- The Great Cities
Taste profile
At a glance
- Tone
- Political
- Pace
- Fast
- Magic
- High
- Prose
- Moderate
- Romance
- None
New York's boroughs become human avatars and must unite against an enemy attacking the city itself.
New York has reached the point where it can become alive, but the birth is disrupted. Human avatars for the boroughs must find one another while an invading force uses prejudice and isolation as weapons.
The novel is a deliberate urban-fantasy counterweight to the archive’s secondary worlds. Its worldbuilding score reflects layered use of a real city, not a lack of imaginative ambition.
Best if you want
- Urban fantasy where identity, culture, and geography become magic.
- A fast ensemble story with overt politics and cosmic scale.
Think twice if you need
- Subtle allegory or neutral treatment of contemporary conflict.
- A medieval setting, lone hero, or restrained magic.
Fantasy Fit Matrix
The City We Became
Individual book / political tone / fast pace
Taste intensity
Political intrigue
4/ 5
Darkness
4/ 5
Character focus
4/ 5
Plot complexity
4/ 5
Worldbuilding depth
3/ 5
Taste categories
- Prose difficulty
- ModerateAccessible / Moderate / Literary
- Romance role
- NoneNone / Subplot / Major thread / Central
- Magic presence
- HighLow / Medium / High
- Magic-system type
- SoftNone / Soft / Hard / Hybrid
Reading commitment
- Series status
- Complete series
- Series commitment
- Short series
- 2 published books
Outside the score
Reader context
Audience and content guidance help prevent unsuitable matches. They do not change what a Matrix value means.
- Intended audience
- Adult
- Profile basis
- Individual book
- The Matrix values describe this volume, not an average for the whole series.
- Series context
- The Great Cities
- Volume 1 of 2 published books.
Reader advisories
- Violence
- Strong language
- Horror elements
This is practical guidance, not an exhaustive content-warning list.
Data quality
Editorial record
Matrix v1.0 / calibrated / high confidence / reviewed 2026-07-23
If you liked The City We Became, start here.
The closest matches in the current library, calculated with Matrix v1.0. Scores reflect taste similarity and audience suitability. Books from this series are excluded, and each recommended series appears only once.
82.2%
Calculated fit
Standalone
The Once and Future Witches
by Alix E. Harrow
- Best if you want
- Historical resistance fantasy centered on sisters and collective power.
- Think twice if you need
- Subtle political themes or a light treatment of oppression.
- Closest match
- The strongest alignment is in tone and political intrigue.
- Biggest difference
- The clearest shift is in prose difficulty and subgenre.
79.2%
Calculated fit
Complete series
Wyrd Sisters
by Terry Pratchett / Discworld
- Best if you want
- Shakespearean comedy mixed with sharp ideas about power and narrative.
- Think twice if you need
- A conventional chosen heir restoring order without complication.
- Closest match
- The strongest alignment is in character focus and political intrigue.
- Biggest difference
- The clearest shift is in tone and subgenre.
76.7%
Calculated fit
Complete series
Foundryside
by Robert Jackson Bennett / The Founders Trilogy
- Best if you want
- A complete trilogy combining heists, rebellion, found family, and rigorous magic.
- Think twice if you need
- A medieval atmosphere, low magic, or a small standalone caper.
- Closest match
- The strongest alignment is in character focus and political intrigue.
- Biggest difference
- The clearest shift is in tone and worldbuilding depth.
76.6%
Calculated fit
Complete series
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J. K. Rowling / Harry Potter
- Best if you want
- A darker payoff to a long coming-of-age arc.
- Think twice if you need
- A standalone entry point.
- Closest match
- The strongest alignment is in character focus and political intrigue.
- Biggest difference
- The clearest shift is in subgenre and worldbuilding depth.
76.5%
Calculated fit
Complete series
A Deadly Education
by Naomi Novik / The Scholomance
- Best if you want
- A complete magic-school trilogy with lethal stakes and sharp social analysis.
- Think twice if you need
- A comforting school with reliable teachers and protected students.
- Closest match
- The strongest alignment is in darkness and character focus.
- Biggest difference
- The clearest shift is in tone and subgenre.