CRESCENT CITY REVIEW

**Spoilers below for Crescent City

So, I'm a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas. Specifically, I'm a huge fan of Throne of Glass. I didn't love all of A Court of Thorns and Roses books but let me know if you would like to hear more about that in another post. When I first heard about Crescent City, I did not run immediately to stores to buy it though. I actually waited until someone gifted it to me at Christmas. I don't know why, but I was a bit skeptical.

The story follows a girl named Bryce Quinlan. Most of the book takes place 2 years after the murder of her best friend Danika and her pack of wolves who used to be tasked with patrolling and protecting their home, Crescent City. The 33rd, another policing legion within Crescent City, approaches Bryce to help her find Danika and the pack's murderer after another series of seemingly interconnected murders take place. The officer assigned to Bryce is the infamously enslaved angel Hunt Athalar. Together they begin to unravel the truth of the past and unlock the dark secrets of Crescent City while coming to terms with their attraction to one another.

I have to be honest, I struggled to get through the first 200 pages. At the beginning of the book, there was a huge amount of information presented and it was a lot to process all at once. You really had to pay attention to every little detail given. However, it was totally worth it. Another aspect of the writing in this book was there was a lot of foul language in this book versus her other books. I understand how she is trying to appeal to an older audience and give a different energy to the characters and story but, at times it was just a bit much.

Now that that's out of the way, I want to tell you how much I really loved this book.

While the first 200 pages were rough, Maas never fails to impress me with her world building. Through her writing I can always create a vivid image in my mind of the place she is trying to bring me to and the scenes she is trying to paint.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics such as depression, slavery, drugs, and murder. There was always this cloud over all of the characters' heads. I could really feel and understand their pain and inner conflict through the pages.

Out of all the Sarah J. Maas books Jaw Droppers, this book has some of my favorites. I honestly was not expecting Hunt to make a go for his freedom, that really took me by surprise.

The last 300 pages of the book had me completely hooked. In comparison to the first 300 pages of the book, it was fast paced, action packed, and had me feeling every different type of emotion.

The last lines of the epilogue have to be one of the best endings of all time. If I hadn't already fallen in love with the book and wanted to read the next one, this would've hooked by itself.

A Few Things I Really Loved:

I really liked the story arc of this book. While the murder mystery is closed, throughout the plot development a lot of other unanswered questions and many other conflicts left the door open for the story to continue to unfold.

I like how she showed the reader Bryce's grief over Danika. I feel as if Bryce’s experience was authentic and real; losing a loved one is a process. It isn't something you can deal with overnight. And sometimes losing a loved one is like losing a part of yourself.

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS:

I really enjoyed Bryce as the main character. I think that she was incredibly strong and intelligent. I could see the struggles of many young girls through Bryce’s experience. Society lets mistakes that young girls make define them forever. It was heart wrenching to see Bryce, even in the lighter scenes, always have some sort of cloud hanging over her that she couldn't just break free from. I really empathize and wished I were in the book if only to give her a hug and tell her it was going to all be okay.

I really enjoyed the evolution of Bryce's relationships with both her brother Ruhn and Hunt. Both felt very realistic and natural. With Ruhn, I could see that it was really hard to accept that she had forgiven him because letting someone back into her life that had hurt her would make her vulnerable to him hurting her again. At the end of the day though, it was her brother and I do think he has the best intentions for her. For Hunt, I think letting herself not just have a hookup, but become involved in a real relationship was a difficult decision for her because it would mean letting someone else into her life and caring for them even with the possibility they might one day not be there anymore.

I was really surprised because out of all the male characters Maas has ever introduced in her series', Hunt was the only one that I liked from the beginning. I could tell from his initial appearances that he had a deeper internal struggle and was trying to come to terms with what his life had become. He was trying to make the best of a really bad situation. He comes off as a generally good guy. When he was caught on that barge with the other two angels I was a little surprised because I had thought he was resigned to his fate and I was disappointed because he had kept it from Bryce even though it was important to the investigation and her closing that chapter of her life with Danika. However, after thinking about it, I could understand that he was in a position that no one else could really understand and he was desperate and thought he had found a way out.

I know that Jesiba and Aidas had limited page time, but if given more scenes they could have easily become my favorite characters. Further, I think Isaiah was my favorite character. I don't know why, but I really liked him. I was worried for a second that he was going to end up being one of the bad guys. I was relieved to discover he was not one.

Some questions I have for Crescent City 2: House of Sky and Breathe:

What are Bryce’s father (the autumn king) true intentions?

Who is Athalar's father and how is he connected to Jesiba?

How do Jesiba and Aidas know each other?

Final thoughts: If you're a Maas fan, you should definitely read this book. If you're not a Maas fan, you should still read this book. This book is not for readers under 18.