Hardcover, 799 pagesRelease Date: March 3, 2020Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Read from: March 9-22, 2020Crescent City, #1Source: OwnTW: Violence, DeathFor fans of: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Adult
Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.
BETWEEN THE COVERS!
*This book is part of the new adult contemporary romance genre! It is more mature than YA. I have featured it in Between the Covers as a way to feature the few Adult and New Adult titles I am beginning to read!"
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I heard that Sarah J. Maas had another book coming out, I was so excited about getting a new fae story. And then I heard it was adult, so I was super intrigued by it. (Although that price definitely made me happy I only buy YA books) I couldn't wait to get it in my hands.
"Gods spare them all."pg. 30
After finally getting through this, I realized I have the same complaints I always do after I finish a book by Maas. There was absolutely no world-building. There was this beautiful map at the beginning, but every time she went to a different place, it was always the same descriptions. And there was nothing that set each place away from the others. I really wanted to know more about each place. I don't really understand why she never wants to let us know more about the world her characters are in.
"Just so you know- I don't do possessive and aggressive."pg. 100
And mannnn, this definitely could have been about 300 pages shorter. Being honest, it was kind of boring. That's why it took me so long to read. There were days when I didn't read any of it at all. And I'm already not a huge fan of books about the fae, so I just KNEW I was going to DNF it. But I kept reading because I know how Maas is.
"No one gets a medal for suffering the most, you know..."pg. 239
And just like I knew, it really picked up at the end. There were some really cheesy moments in the last 200 pages, but after not much happening in the rest of the story, I welcomed it. And being honest, this was what made me boost the rating back up. It took me awhile to decide what I wanted to rate this, because I kept going back and forth. It was hours later when I decided what I wanted to give it.
"Through love, all is possible."pg. 408
The last thing I wanted to talk about was the romance. It was so interesting that there was hardly any smexy in this one. I was a bit confused because she had more smexy in her YA book. (Looking at you ACOMAF!) I just knew there would be a scene that made me close the book and blush in her adult book, but it wasn't like that. If you're looking for something that's MOSTLY clean, this one was ok.
"Loyal unto death and beyond."pg. 430
Lastly, I thought this was a bit predictable. I knew 2 of the biggest plot points that came up and I was very close to figuring out another plot point towards the end. It was ok, but not as great as I expected it to be. I was thinking this would be more ACOMAF, but it was more KoA.... Just long for no reason.
"War requires sacrifice."pg. 667
Had it been someone else's name on this book, I probably would've DNFed this. But because I love Maas and really wanted to see if her new characters could be on par with Rhysand (Sidenote: NO ONE can be on par with him lol) I kept reading. And the Epilogue was interesting to see what the next book will bring, so I will be continuing the series. Hopefully the next one is more ACOMAF.
Overall, I give this
