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zgreyz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
the first 10-20 pages is so packed with character intros and world building that it was very overwhelming but once i got through that it did get interesting. i like the overall story. i like the main characters sometimes but i have my issues with them too.
a couple of the big twists were predictable to me, predicted about 100 pages prior to but they were still good.
i’m not personally into the “love conquers all” and “everything happens for a reason” mentalities that come up quite a few times either. Regardless of my personal issues with it though, it was still a pretty entertaining book.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Incest, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
What we see at the beginning is Bryce, someone who parties too hard. She is not a likeable character here. She's dating someone just because he's rich and attractive, she sleeps with someone else after agreeing to go out with the person who's pined after her for years, and she'll take any type of drug put in front of her - even spending what little is left of her money to get some. She's irreverent and dislikeable.
Then, the plot unfolds. And we begin to see a new Bryce, one trying to rebuild a new life whilst unable to move on from the past. SJM does an amazing job of humanising Bryce, showing her difficulty and grief and trauma about moving on from the person who was her entire life.
And amongst all this development, we have a well-written mystery that she has to dig deeper and deeper into. Although I had guessed at some part, others left me shocked. I enjoyed the new people we met, the world-building and courts we were shown along the way, and the discrepancies in treatment for those of different races.
I did not find myself drawn into the love story of Bryce and Hunt; no matter how many times SJM writes that they're the same, she can't convince me the man held a slave for 200 years and the girl who has suffered two years of grief understand each other's pain in that way. Sympathise? Yes. But they are in no way the same. And since a lot of their relationship developed on this shared trauma, it was hard to believe I was watching these two properly fall in love, and not just trauma bond - particularly since their relationship was over the course of *a month*.
I also wasn't impressed by the last 100 pages. The views of people at the summit was exhausting to read; Bryce in these pages seemed like a different character compared to Bryce earlier on, all the feeds at the summit seemed ridiculous (
This was still a good read, though I'm not sure I'll continue the series.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
mighty_lizard_queen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
If this didn’t connect back to ACOTAR then I would have DNF’d half way through out of boredom and frustration, but, alas.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Death of parent
ladydeathnesta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love them equally.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kam_be's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Car accident, and Death of parent
katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and War
louisa_pennyfeather2021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
mrose44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
ahirsch00's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
michellemaas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Installment in the Crescent City series. This Adult Urban Fantasy novel features the "forced proximity", "forbidden love", "slow burn", and "hurt/comfort" tropes while dealing with themes of loss, elitism, and slavery.
It was amazing! Great variety of mythological creatures, relatable and lovable characters, and the story kept me intrigued up until the very end.
“That's the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious.”
Bryce is breathing but she is not alive. Things have never been the same since the sudden death of her best friend and when another person turns up murdered the same way, Bryce is the only lead the police have. As a result, she is forced to partner up with the infamous Hunt Athlar in the hopes of finally solving the mystery surrounding her friend's death and bringing her killer to justice.
"With the strength of the most powerful force in the world. The most powerful force in any realm. What brings loyalty beyond death, undimming despite the years. What remains unwavering in the face of hopelessness . . . Through love, all is possible."
Phew, I have a LOT to say so buckle up for a hefty review. This book has exceeded every possible expectation I had of it. Its page count and the fact that it was Urban Fantasy instead of my usual High Fantasy made me weary at the beginning but it was AMAZING. The characters were well developed, the story had me at the edge of my seat, and despite being over 900 pages strong there wasn't a single paragraph I thought was unnecessary.
First and foremost, there was some really good -and surprising- social commentary in this. Mainly the discussion about racism, classism, and politics, but also the discussions about how different people deal with grief and experiencing loss. Bryce working through her loss was a huge theme in this book and I thought it was really well done. It showed how different people dealt with it- Juniper threw herself into her dance. Fury disconnected from her friends. Bryce put on a carefree front because it was easier for her to have people assume the worst than to let them see how broken the loss of her friend left her. Her life was completely ruined by the loss of Danika and since it's not "normal" for her to have been this strongly affected considering they were not blood-related or romantically involved Bryce was always made to feel that she had to hide how not okay she was. As if, if others don't understand why you need to grieve, you're not entitled to it.
“The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city.”
Secondly was the good relationship development. Bryce and Hunt felt like such an authentic slow burn. They became friends, they showcased some of their best qualities and they proved their loyalty to one another all before the attraction and eventual love developed.
Then the reveal was so beautifully done. I like that there wasn't a clean, perfect, and logical trail they followed to get the killer. They had to consider several possibilities (most of which were born of luck) and follow some dead ends before reaching their goal. Kudos to Sarah for designing such an intricate plot that kept me guessing up until the twist. Also a big old middle finger to Sarah for making me have an absolute mental breakdown at 1 in the morning after reading the reveal and not being able to sleep or continuing on functioning as a normal human being the next day. But actually though, the power of words on a piece of paper . . . This woman is truly brilliant. Still hate her for breaking my heart beyond repair though but the good kind of hate. The positive kind of hate. I don't react to books very dramatically. I never cry or want to throw books in anger or any of that. And it's not because I don't care, I feel deeply for these characters, I'm just not wired that way. I don't really react in a particularly dramatic fashion to real-life occurrences either but this book elicited SUCH a reaction from me. I actually cried over a book for the first time after 7 years of avid reading. Say what you will about her plots or questionable romances, but if there is one thing no one can take away from Sarah it is what a talented writer she is. She has a way with words that can bring out every single emotion in you, and just really feel for the characters.
“Bryce was a ghost for a long while, Hunt. She pretended she wasn’t, but she was. . . You brought her back to life.”
And on that note, I love that all our characters were so complex and so utterly and beautifully flawed. They all felt so rich and well developed from Viktoria to the Autumn King and of course our main people. Each character had flaws and redeeming qualities, there was no one character I went: that's the morally sound, perfect, and incorruptible character. They were all plagued by some sort of shortcoming even if they were "good characters". That made them feel so REAL and relatable. I don't want characters who are so high and mighty above everyone else, then judgemental when someone can't live up to their own level of perfectness. I want to dimension. I want realistic. And I got it. Not only did that make these characters more relatable but it made them so much better to read about. A hero can be flawed and a villain can be someone with good intentions despite their bad ones. I'll admit that having read 2 ACOTAR books and the first TOG book I didn't really get all the Sarah hype. . . Like yeah the books were good and I liked them. They were entertaining reads with some hard-hitting moments and good romances but I couldn't discern why she- above a lot of other authors who write very similarly- was so popular. This book though . . . I get it now.
Furthermore, I like that this was very distinctly adult with the topics it discussed but there wasn't a huge focus on sex. In fact, our main love interests didn't even have sex with each other (though they did with other people). I feel a lot of authors think "adult (insert genre here)" and go: cool, we'll take a YA story and just add a bunch of sex and innuendos and call it a day. That was not the case at all. The matters discussed were very adult and this book felt challenging in a way I would not have expected from a fantasy novel.
"You’re my friend. Who watches trashy TV with me and puts up with my sh*t. You’re the person I don’t need to explain myself to—not when it matters. You see everything I am, and you don’t run away from it.”
Finally, I liked the inclusion of whatever the hell the opposite of toxic masculinity is. Toxic femininity? I consider myself a feminist when the end goal is equality. A lot of feminists believe in lifting up women by degrading men and that's just not the point. Regardless if you're addressing racism, sexism, or any other -ism it's important to realize that it's not about taking turns. It's not: oh well that group of people have been in power and favored for the past few centuries, so now it's our turn and after centuries we can go back . . . No. Women should be lifted up until we have equal rights . . . Not more rights. I love that that was addressed since I've never seen it talked about and also it didn't feel degrading either. Sarah handled it perfectly so that it wasn't offensive just an enlightening moment. For example, Bruce was super big on being an independent woman who didn't need help from anyone. And she was super cautious about accepting help or advice from men because her mother had been caught in a possessive and toxic relationship. However, Hunt talked about wanting the best for her well-being because he cared about her, not because it gave him a power trip to control her. Another time Bryce was on the brink of death and her friend told her not to give up because she had Hunt waiting for her on the other end, and Bryce replied "you're convincing me to live because of a guy" essentially which some might have seen as anti-woman, but her friend replied with "there's nothing wrong with caring enough about someone to want to live out your life with them- regardless of gender". There was such a thing about women being portrayed as weak in earlier years, then it tipped over to the other extreme of them not needing anyone at all but Sarah proved we can have both. Bryce is undoubtedly one of the most badass female characters ever, amplified by the fact that she had no power to rely on- only her own hard work, training, wit, and brains. That's what I think made this particular subplot not be offensive because Bryce could have stayed independent but there is no prize for it just like there's no prize for accepting love. Bryce was able to enter a relationship and rely on someone without that taking away from her skills or abilities. She doesn't need Hunt in a physical sense, but there's no shame in it if she did.
“And why is it a somehow a mark against your strength to admit that there is someone, who happens to be male, worth returning to? Someone who I know made you feel like things are far from f*cked.”
If I had to nitpick, I'd say the world was a little difficult to get used to. I'm a seasoned fantasy reader and even I was struggling with all the different creatures. I was also a little confused throughout different periods in the book (but that was very intentional on the author's part since she is going to do a bunch of big reveals in the sequels).
“Memento Mori. Remember that you will die, and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer.”
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to every human ever. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, and it was just so damn good. I cannot wait to read the sequel, even if I know that it will likely break me even more than this first installment.
* Please note that this is an Adult novel that deals with very serious and potentially triggering themes, therefore not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check trigger warnings on the author's website before reading. Your enjoyment is not worth risking your mental health for!
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Deadnaming, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent