Just City

By: Olga Tymofiyeva

Narrated by: Douglas Dorda

Just City is the story of 21-year-old Nathan, who dreams about creating a cool start-up with his friend Jack. To get money for the start-up, Nathan starts playing a virtual reality game as part of a scientific experiment. The game forces Nathan to discover what it is like to be in the skin of somebody else, for whom the cards have been dealt differently. The depressing experiences of playing the game make Nathan question his belief in meritocracy and pick a fight with Jack. What is just, and what do we really deserve? This is only the beginning of Nathan’s search for a new life credo that will have both love and reason at its core.

©2022 Olga Tymofiyeva (P)2023 Olga Tymofiyeva

YA Story

This was my first Olga Tymofiyeva's book. What if... This is an interesting YA Story (almost Dystopian/LITRPG). The storyline is fast-paced, ethically intriguing, and entertaining. Douglas Dorda did an excellent job bringing these characters and this story to life. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Stellar YA Dystopian Narration!!!

Dorda is a fresh voice in the YA genre and delivers a satisfying and connected performance. He brings out Nathan's youthful POV and all the characters with vivid punch. I would love to hear him in more fantasy and LitRPG work. Excellent quality overall, but hearing this story in audio is the way to go!!

Insightful, original and relevant.

A novel that sits at the cross section of many profound themes: free will, merit, technology, entrepreneurship, spirituality…

It never falls prey to east answers and it takes bold stances on each of them. Many of the characters are people we’ve all met, or possibly have been ourselves, making it relatable and thought provoking.

Ultimately, it feels like a book from which three more could spawn, to explore its many themes more deeply, and yet a perspe t starting point to see how they intersect.

Non-Traditionally Captivating

Olga did a great job with this story. I'll be transparent, I almost gave up on the story just because I felt, well, like all of the development of characters was being wasted. Talk about a swing in course! one chapter changed everything and showed the talent this author has. I highly recommend this and recommend even more strongly to share with those that are close to you that enjoy a good read.

I Enjoyed It

I really enjoyed this book. It's not what I usually read, but I like the concept of living out different lives/genders/races/ages/circumstances, and learning new perspectives while doing so and growing as a person. I love the concept of this book- using virtual reality and a game created for this specific purpose. Nathan was so confident he would excel and comes to realize he still has things to learn and question. And what he saw as an easy opportunity to make money for a start-up will affect the course of his own life. I listened to this audiobook narrated by Douglas Dorda. I liked the sound of his voice overall, and like the different tones he used for different character voices. This is my first book by this author and my first time listening to this narrator.

Overall: 4 stars
Performance: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars