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beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the Throne of Glass series and ACOTAR and wanted more. The size of this book scared me mainly because it was a new series, and Sarah usually likes you to get settled before throwing at 700-900 pages book like in ACOTAR and Throne of Glass and this was the first book in the series and over 700 pages. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This book is based on Bryce Quinlan, and she loves her life. Every night is a party, and Bryce is going to savour all the pleasures Lunathion – also known as Crescent City – has to offer. But when a brutal murder shakes the very foundations of the city, Bryce’s world comes crashing down. Two years later, Bryce still haunts the city’s most notorious nightclubs – but seeking only oblivion now. Then the murderer attacks again. And when an infamous Fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, is assigned to watch her every footstep, Bryce knows she can’t forget any longer. As Bryce and Hunt fight to unravel the mystery and their own dark pasts, the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents and down to the deepest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir.
I love Bryce – she has now joined the group of kick-ass women who could hit me, and I would say thank you. I think she is so amazing and strong, and I just wanted to hug her throughout the whole book. I enjoyed reading the book from multiple POV, I feel like it makes the book so much better. I loved seeing Bryce comes from a broken person who was ready to give up on life to a strong powerful woman who is not afraid to kick ass. My favourite chapter was when Bryce figured out who the murderer was and how to get the answer out of him. The book left you with enough drama that it didn’t feel rushed but also left you wanting you more.
This book seemed to have more adult themes than her previous book and yet some of these people were acting like children – Amelie, I'm looking at you. I hate the fact that they also killed one of the major side chapters like don’t do that, I wanted them to be together. Kill someone who would have a bit of impact but not those characters. I was shook. I also felt like Bryce’s dad got off the hooked way too much. I am hoping that Bryce is going to kick his ass in the next book.
I am wondering what the hell is going to happen now and how the hell she has wrote two more books that are over 700 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, and War
nmjezebel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is my favorite book so far by Sarah J Maas and I’ve read her 3 most famous series. It is difficult and brutal and honest and surprising. She makes you feel scornful of the main characters but then deeply redeems them as complicated people. I don’t think the second book lives up to this one, which is a shock to the system having just finished Throne of Glass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Vomit, and War
lizgom's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So prior to CC, I've only read ACOTAR by SJM and honestly the difference in the start of these two series is crazy. You're basically just thrown into this book with little to no explanation & the world building comes in strong. Once I got a foothold on the work¡ld and the characters, this was hard to put down. To me, Bryce wasn't very likable probably until the end of the book. reading 60-70% of the book just to like her felt like a chore. I really liked the character development towards the end of the book. The relationship building between Hunt and Bryce was something I liked a lot. I love how they didn't act on their feelings right away, I think that just made their "relationship" raw & real. I did love the friendship Bryce and Danika had. I loved how Bryce continued to grieve through the book. Made her far more a relatable character than most main characters I've read about, especially in fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, and War
_marycappiello3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mooreeg2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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 absolutely loved Crescent City book 1. I've previously read the entire throne of Glass series and four of the five books in ACOTAR and I have to say, this might be my favorite book this far.
Sarah J. Maas did a wonderful job with the world building in this book and I adore the personalities that she gave these characters. I was laughing out loud at several different points throughout the book. Her typical Maas style, her book takes all over the place as far as emotions go but the adventure is definitely worth it. I can't wait to start the next book.
Sarah J. Maas did a wonderful job with the world building in this book and I adore the personalities that she gave these characters. I was laughing out loud at several different points throughout the book. Her typical Maas style, her book takes all over the place as far as emotions go but the adventure is definitely worth it. I can't wait to start the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Vomit
jacks_beloved's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and Animal cruelty
pumpkaboola's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
highladybug's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Hardcover. All-in-all I enjoyed this so much! The fantasy meets murder-mystery was so fun. The world-building of Crescent City specifically was so cool- like ancient Rome meets Tokyo.
I've read the ACOTAR and TOG series too, and I really like how relatable Bryce is as a main character! The heroines of ACOTAR and TOG are so very fantastic but Bryce is just like us; she has a cat-dog, fights with her best friends, screens her parents' calls, and wears impractical shoes just for the vibes. I liked her, I liked the romantasy tropes, I appreciated the respectful yet heart-wrenching perspectives on grief, and I loved the villians. I cried twice and I'm not even a book crier!
I've read the ACOTAR and TOG series too, and I really like how relatable Bryce is as a main character! The heroines of ACOTAR and TOG are so very fantastic but Bryce is just like us; she has a cat-dog, fights with her best friends, screens her parents' calls, and wears impractical shoes just for the vibes. I liked her, I liked the romantasy tropes, I appreciated the respectful yet heart-wrenching perspectives on grief, and I loved the villians. I cried twice and I'm not even a book crier!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, and War
kingkorok's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I really enjoyed the immersive experience of the full cast audio production! It definitely added some extra flair to the writing. I've read some of Maas' work before (ACOTAR series) and while I was definitely kepy engaged and entertained, I didn't adore the quality of the writing. The intrigue of the mystery kept me locked in, and I loved the slow burn romance. I will probably not race to read the next ones, but I will totally listen to the sequels as GraphicAudio releases their audiobook versions
lol just read other reviews & have to come back and add: I also really struggled with the first bit of the book being a drag, but it picked up after a bit. It's okay to kinda zone out for the worldbuilding in my opinion - I never really processed a lot of the political factions & I didn't have any trouble following the main plot
lol just read other reviews & have to come back and add: I also really struggled with the first bit of the book being a drag, but it picked up after a bit. It's okay to kinda zone out for the worldbuilding in my opinion - I never really processed a lot of the political factions & I didn't have any trouble following the main plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty
There is a lot of gore in this book, but not any non-consensual sexual stuff as far as I rememberkhymihr's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and War