City of Stairs vs The King of Diamonds: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Investigation, Crime, Murder, Fiction
City of Stairs
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The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions — until its divine protectors were killed. Now, Bulikov’s history has been censored and erased, its…
The King of Diamonds
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David Swain has spent two years of his life sentence for murdering the lover of his ex-girlfriend, Katya Osman. On the night he escapes from prison, Katya is found murdered in her uncle's home. Inspector Trave heads the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The King of Diamonds is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 8 for City of Stairs.
- City of Stairs has the widest readership — 409 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| City of Stairs | The King of Diamonds | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.2 (96) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (409) | — |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (257) | — |
Reception
| City of Stairs | The King of Diamonds | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 409 | 96 |
| Editions | 1 | 5 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 1864 | — |
| Pages | 452 | 336 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: City of Stairs or The King of Diamonds?
City of Stairs has the higher combined reader rating across sources (City of Stairs 4.3/5, The King of Diamonds 4.1/5).
Which is shorter to read: City of Stairs or The King of Diamonds?
The King of Diamonds is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The King of Diamonds (336 pages, ≈ 6 h 13 m); City of Stairs (452 pages, ≈ 8 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: City of Stairs or The King of Diamonds?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — City of Stairs: Moderate; The King of Diamonds: Moderate.