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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
Crescent City - Wenn die Schatten sich erheben by Sarah J. Maas
39 reviews
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I maintain that this series is often unnecessarily convoluted but this third book seemed somewhat less so than the first two. I do wonder how the story might have been streamlined had the author not done the crossover with another series.
That said, it was a satisfying installment in the series - I laughed out loud, I cried, I … well, it was less spicey than the last one. Maybe 🌶️🌶️?
I thought the second book had some pacing issues but this one worked really well. The multi POV chapters flowed really seamlessly.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 🌶️🌶️
That said, it was a satisfying installment in the series - I laughed out loud, I cried, I … well, it was less spicey than the last one. Maybe 🌶️🌶️?
I thought the second book had some pacing issues but this one worked really well. The multi POV chapters flowed really seamlessly.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
zanazy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
CC3 picks up right where book 2 ended. Bryce finds herself within the Prythian, in the Night Court with Rhysand, Nesta, Amren, and Azriel. Although we see ACOTAR characters in the first few scenes, the overall world overlap is only 5% of this story. For most of this story, Bryce is in Lunathion/Crescent City. The small parts of the story where Prythian is the setting, Nesta and Azriel are the main two characters Bryce interacts with. Feyre does not make any big appearances, and eve Cassian is hardly present. Rhysand is present in that they say his name a lot, but he’s also barely in the story. This is truly a Crescent City story more than anything else.
The book is told through many perspectives and the scene breaks are very abrupt. There were quite a few times where the POV changed mid page that made me do a double take to make sure I was following along. A LOT happens to everyone and we see it all. We see into the dungeon Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxian are in, as well as get Ithan’s POV from his journey, Tharion also has his own bits throughout the story. The main POV is of course Bryce, but Lydia is another featured POV that adds a lot, and she has one of the better character developments in this book.
This book ends Bryce and Hunt’s storyline, giving them their own happily ever after. My assumption is that future CC books will follow Lydia and Ruhn, who were by far my favorite couple in this book. Ithan is also someone I would love to continue to follow along, so I hope he and Tharion also appear in future books.
As far as the impact to ACOTAR characters, I think thatNesta will continue to be the POV we read, as Bryce sets her up to follow whatever the eight-pointed star has in store for her.
CC in general has not been my favorite story, and this book did nothing to change that. I think this story made me hate Bryce as a character, and there were plenty of times I wanted to chuck my book at the wall. Bryce’s actions throughout the book show she is selfish, conceited, and only concerned about what she wants, regardless of the cost or impact to others. I will admit I was not a big fan of hers, but I ended the book disliking her even more. All the other characters talk about how selfless she is, how special, kind, good, insert other nice things throughout the scenes and story, which makes things worse. There should be no need for other characters to rave about her, the fact they do, tells you enough that her actions do not reflect what other characters think she is like. Lydia, Ruhn, Tharion, and Ithan save this story from being completely unreadable.
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of all the Maas universe books, and I am truly hoping this was the end of Bryce’s story, because I do not care to read more about her.
The book is told through many perspectives and the scene breaks are very abrupt. There were quite a few times where the POV changed mid page that made me do a double take to make sure I was following along. A LOT happens to everyone and we see it all. We see into the dungeon Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxian are in, as well as get Ithan’s POV from his journey, Tharion also has his own bits throughout the story. The main POV is of course Bryce, but Lydia is another featured POV that adds a lot, and she has one of the better character developments in this book.
This book ends Bryce and Hunt’s storyline, giving them
As far as the impact to ACOTAR characters, I think that
CC in general has not been my favorite story, and this book did nothing to change that. I think this story made me hate Bryce as a character, and there were plenty of times I wanted to chuck my book at the wall. Bryce’s actions throughout the book show she is selfish, conceited, and only concerned about what she wants, regardless of the cost or impact to others. I will admit I was not a big fan of hers, but I ended the book disliking her even more. All the other characters talk about how selfless she is, how special, kind, good, insert other nice things throughout the scenes and story, which makes things worse. There should be no need for other characters to rave about her, the fact they do, tells you enough that her actions do not reflect what other characters think she is like. Lydia, Ruhn, Tharion, and Ithan save this story from being completely unreadable.
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of all the Maas universe books, and I am truly hoping this was the end of Bryce’s story, because I do not care to read more about her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Murder, and War
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
hanlkg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*spoilers*
Whew. That book was relentless from start to finish. Haven’t had so much fun reading in a minute. That said, it’s not a five to me:
Things I liked:
1. Ruhn and Lidia - this pair might be SJMs best yet. Every time I turned the page I was looking for their names.
2. Lidia- deserves her own note becuase her story is just that good and the final nod to Brannon is stunning.
3. The way the 3 worlds we know were tied together. I still have plenty of questions but I’m left feeling really satisfied which surprises me. I think endings of this magnitude can read as lackluster after so much build up and leave the audience disappointed. It was a blast to read all the pieces click into place. The crossover was well done too. although I was disappointed to not see more of nesta, Azriel, and the rest, With more ACOTAR books coming, I’m glad the story focused primarily on Midgard.
Things I didn’t like:
1. Like I said, this book is FAST. Like staring into the sun. The first part could have been extended into a standalone and been sufficient. Because of that, I don’t think time was given to the character development and relationship building that Maas is adored for, and certain plot points are so abrupt that they feel glossed over (see the deaths of the autumn king and morven). Nothing wrong with a few more pages if we really get to feel the intensity of certain moments in a deeper way.
2. Bryce is at her worst as a cringey millennial in this installment. She’s so quippy and immature at times that I just couldn’t fully get behind her as a leader.
3. The POV switching. Good lord. I think that contributes to the feeling of whiplash throughout reading. Switching to multiple POVs within a single chapter of characters on different continents was just too much and detracted from the story.
All in all I’m rating this one fairly high because I do think it accomplished its most important goal of fleshing out a history and magic system that make sense to tie 3 separate worlds together. That is no small feat. Despite my grievances, I had a blast reading and would still recommend this series and author widely.
Whew. That book was relentless from start to finish. Haven’t had so much fun reading in a minute. That said, it’s not a five to me:
Things I liked:
1. Ruhn and Lidia - this pair might be SJMs best yet. Every time I turned the page I was looking for their names.
2. Lidia- deserves her own note becuase her story is just that good and the final nod to Brannon is stunning.
3. The way the 3 worlds we know were tied together. I still have plenty of questions but I’m left feeling really satisfied which surprises me. I think endings of this magnitude can read as lackluster after so much build up and leave the audience disappointed. It was a blast to read all the pieces click into place. The crossover was well done too. although I was disappointed to not see more of nesta, Azriel, and the rest, With more ACOTAR books coming, I’m glad the story focused primarily on Midgard.
Things I didn’t like:
1. Like I said, this book is FAST. Like staring into the sun. The first part could have been extended into a standalone and been sufficient. Because of that, I don’t think time was given to the character development and relationship building that Maas is adored for, and certain plot points are so abrupt that they feel glossed over (see the deaths of the autumn king and morven). Nothing wrong with a few more pages if we really get to feel the intensity of certain moments in a deeper way.
2. Bryce is at her worst as a cringey millennial in this installment. She’s so quippy and immature at times that I just couldn’t fully get behind her as a leader.
3. The POV switching. Good lord. I think that contributes to the feeling of whiplash throughout reading. Switching to multiple POVs within a single chapter of characters on different continents was just too much and detracted from the story.
All in all I’m rating this one fairly high because I do think it accomplished its most important goal of fleshing out a history and magic system that make sense to tie 3 separate worlds together. That is no small feat. Despite my grievances, I had a blast reading and would still recommend this series and author widely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
sarahtaymo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
traceyanderson'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? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
iftheshoef1tz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Although this book was narratively sounder and much more like SJM at her best, it was still not my favorite read. Bryce was insufferable the whole book, which surprised me because I used to be a Bryce apologist. It suddenly seemed to obvious to me that she had done nothing with the character development she had gone through by the end of HOEAB. She is the same at the end of HOFAS as she was at the beginning of HOSAB, and it really rankled. Hunt’s very recent trauma in the dungeon was treated like a pesky, over emotional response that was getting in the way of Bryce super special secret plan, and her apology was bullshit. She only apologized when she needed him to comfort her. I was glad that Sigrid was killed off instead of shoe-horned into being Ithan’s mate. Perry isn’t a great substitute IMO, but at least that was left open-ended. I also didn’t care for DayNight, especially because Ruhn seemed to recover so quickly from his shock and horror at Lidia being the Hind. Of all the romances to not leave open-ended, this one is the most baffling to me. Lidia is forgiven so quickly (and by her kids’ gay mer dads, who have only ever known her as a merciless killer/torturer and suddenly they’re like best bros by the end and both her kids love her and call her mom - UGH)
Ithan and Tharion had such incredible chemistry, starting from HOSAB. That continued through HOFAS, and yet they are both pushed into heterosexual pairings, at least one of which feels utterly contrived because of how little she was ever mentioned.I think Perry was referenced like…twice in HOSAB? At least with Tharion and Sathia, she has a former lover who she clearly still loves. It’s possible their marriage of convenience could turn them into something More, but I sincerely hope not.
Overall, I had an okay time, especially any time Nesta was on the page. It fell flat in a lot of ways and suffered from bloat like HOSAB. Not to mention they spent time in caves TWICE. Why?? Girl, why??????
Tropes:
Crossover
Ruhn’shand should join the Addams family
Local woman withholds all details
Failing upwards (x2)
Ithan and Tharion had such incredible chemistry, starting from HOSAB. That continued through HOFAS, and yet they are both pushed into heterosexual pairings, at least one of which feels utterly contrived because of how little she was ever mentioned.
Overall, I had an okay time, especially any time Nesta was on the page. It fell flat in a lot of ways and suffered from bloat like HOSAB. Not to mention they spent time in caves TWICE. Why?? Girl, why??????
Tropes:
Crossover
Ruhn’s
Local woman withholds all details
Failing upwards (x2)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
dani_reis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
HEAVY SPOILERS IN REVIEW
I wholeheartedly disagree with Bloomsbury giving out ARCs. The amount of people spoiling the story pre-release is unacceptable.
The ending was too focused on being a HEA and tried making a neat little packaged ending. Instead of cliffhanger POVs, I just felt like they were useless. Tharian headed back to Ariadne, and his wife going after another love. Then Ithan not telling literally anyone "don't drink the water after" because wtf are they supposed to drink? Sigrid just being a loose end. I think it's Perry, Amelie's sister, who isn't explained at all, and I'm not sure I care.
The crossover. Was it even necessary?? They spent the whole time in the caves. She leaves them wanting to kill her or slice off her back, and she's like "hey, you're all cool, take my fragile, human parents who I'd split worlds to save." But she never stepped out of the caves to experience fae culture to change her mind about fae.
Hel. Hel was not even needed because she could have just had a conversation with Aidas. They didn't even explore Hel, and sounds like they never will go back.
Hunt was pretty toxic in this book. I am anticipating that Hunt and Bryce have issues in future books (please be only one more).
As a whole, I really enjoyed it. It had lots of action. But let's just admit: Lydia carried this book, until the "I have secret children plot."
Bonus chapter from Walmart: liked it. Gave us insight to why she maybe gave up her parents to them.
Bonus from B&N: meh. I wanted to skim it. Near the end it was cute, but kind of mad I own the copy.
Bonus from indie: loved it. Thank fucking god. Approve of this one.
Still need to read the other bonus chapters.
I wholeheartedly disagree with Bloomsbury giving out ARCs. The amount of people spoiling the story pre-release is unacceptable.
The ending was too focused on being a HEA and tried making a neat little packaged ending. Instead of cliffhanger POVs, I just felt like they were useless. Tharian headed back to Ariadne, and his wife going after another love. Then Ithan not telling literally anyone "don't drink the water after" because wtf are they supposed to drink? Sigrid just being a loose end. I think it's Perry, Amelie's sister, who isn't explained at all, and I'm not sure I care.
The crossover. Was it even necessary?? They spent the whole time in the caves. She leaves them wanting to kill her or slice off her back, and she's like "hey, you're all cool, take my fragile, human parents who I'd split worlds to save." But she never stepped out of the caves to experience fae culture to change her mind about fae.
Hel. Hel was not even needed because she could have just had a conversation with Aidas. They didn't even explore Hel, and sounds like they never will go back.
Hunt was pretty toxic in this book. I am anticipating that Hunt and Bryce have issues in future books (please be only one more).
As a whole, I really enjoyed it. It had lots of action. But let's just admit: Lydia carried this book, until the "I have secret children plot."
Bonus chapter from Walmart: liked it. Gave us insight to why she maybe gave up her parents to them.
Bonus from B&N: meh. I wanted to skim it. Near the end it was cute, but kind of mad I own the copy.
Bonus from indie: loved it. Thank fucking god. Approve of this one.
Still need to read the other bonus chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
bi_n_large's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
goodchivesonly's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Je mehr ich über dieses Buch nachdenke, nachdem ich es gelesen habe, desto schlechter wird es.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and War
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