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adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book wasn't without it's flaws, but overall it was a very enjoyable read and I couldn't put it down.
The novel picks up right where House of Breath and Sky left off. There were so many twists and turns and So. Much. Happens. I had forgotten how much Maas packs into her stories. This was definitely a crazy roller coaster ride. I loved seeing the crossover between worlds, but I have to admit I was hoping it would be a little more than it was. (And there was a definite lack of Rhys and Cassian, which was disappointing.) But it was still fun getting to spend some extra time with Nesta and Azriel. I was a little disappointed with the treatment of some of the regular characters - Tharion was just impulsive and annoying, and Ithan and Hypaxia seemed criminally underused most of the time. The lost Fendyr heir storyline was also disappointing, but things with the wolves mostly turned out how I was expecting.
Overall, I think this was a decent conclusion to the current storyline. There are enough loose threads that I know we haven't seen the last of Crescent City, and I still look forward to seeing what happens next.
The novel picks up right where House of Breath and Sky left off. There were so many twists and turns and So. Much. Happens. I had forgotten how much Maas packs into her stories. This was definitely a crazy roller coaster ride. I loved seeing the crossover between worlds, but I have to admit I was hoping it would be a little more than it was. (And there was a definite lack of Rhys and Cassian, which was disappointing.) But it was still fun getting to spend some extra time with Nesta and Azriel. I was a little disappointed with the treatment of some of the regular characters - Tharion was just impulsive and annoying, and Ithan and Hypaxia seemed criminally underused most of the time. The lost Fendyr heir storyline was also disappointing, but things with the wolves mostly turned out how I was expecting.
Overall, I think this was a decent conclusion to the current storyline. There are enough loose threads that I know we haven't seen the last of Crescent City, and I still look forward to seeing what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Addiction
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first half of the book was five stars for me, but the second half was three, so it averages out to a four. This was my favorite of the three and probably one of my favorite of this author. I liked a lot of it.
PROS
I liked a lot of the final pairings. I'm not sure how a few will work out, but I look forward to finding out. I also liked the way the final battle is shown from so many points of view and how everyone had a role. I appreciate the way the universes combine and the smut to plot ratio felt right. No love scenes came out of left field and they seemed to take into account the exhaustion and pain characters felt.
CONS
While everyone had a role, it felt like by the end most of the roles could be distilled to delivery person and distraction. I mean yes, they saved each other, but honestly it felt like Bryce could have done this on her own with her battery dude and then none of them would have been in danger. To use a Harry Potter reference (I know, canceled, but like it or not everyone reading this will get the reference) it's as if Bryce was Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Neville all at once. She's even Ron as comic relief, except his one-liners were mostly funny and she gets a little annoying. All in all, it feels like lazy writing to have one person able to do everything better than everyone else.
She's also terrible and manipulative with a lot of people. Her character arc is in many ways the least traumatic- she grows up with loving parents, her biological father is much more horrible to her sibling, and in a lot of ways she escapes the most horrific moments and leaving people she loves to endure those moments doesn't seem to give her much pause. This might be why she shows no sympathy to those who need time to deal with it. Being called a misogynistic slur isn't akin to being physically tortured day in and day out for years.
So 4 stars, and I very much enjoyed reading it.
PROS
I liked a lot of the final pairings. I'm not sure how a few will work out, but I look forward to finding out. I also liked the way the final battle is shown from so many points of view and how everyone had a role. I appreciate the way the universes combine and the smut to plot ratio felt right. No love scenes came out of left field and they seemed to take into account the exhaustion and pain characters felt.
CONS
While everyone had a role, it felt like by the end most of the roles could be distilled to delivery person and distraction. I mean yes, they saved each other, but honestly it felt like Bryce could have done this on her own with her battery dude and then none of them would have been in danger. To use a Harry Potter reference (I know, canceled, but like it or not everyone reading this will get the reference) it's as if Bryce was Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Neville all at once. She's even Ron as comic relief, except his one-liners were mostly funny and she gets a little annoying. All in all, it feels like lazy writing to have one person able to do everything better than everyone else.
She's also terrible and manipulative with a lot of people. Her character arc is in many ways the least traumatic- she grows up with loving parents, her biological father is much more horrible to her sibling, and in a lot of ways she escapes the most horrific moments and leaving people she loves to endure those moments doesn't seem to give her much pause. This might be why she shows no sympathy to those who need time to deal with it. Being called a misogynistic slur isn't akin to being physically tortured day in and day out for years.
So 4 stars, and I very much enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, War
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
No
Omg!!! Soooo many thoughts!!! This book blew my mind!!! It was soooo good!!! I love every single one of the characters!!! I can’t wait to hopefully dive more into certain characters in future books & see how everything is after the war!
I love all the parallels & Easter eggs to Sarah’s other worlds, & ofcourse Nesta, Azriel, & everyone from Acotar who had small parts in the story line!
The twists & turns this book took! This series takes! It’s unbelievable, there is so much I didn’t see coming, & I love books that shock me!!
I’m just so sad that it’s over, & for the moment I don’t have anymore new Sarah J Maas books to read!!
Cauldron blessed us all with Sarah & her amazing writing! I can’t wait for more of her books! If she writes it, I will read it. No questions asked.
“Wanna hear a joke?.. Two Angels and a Fae Prince walk into a dungeon..” 🤣🤣🤣
I love all the parallels & Easter eggs to Sarah’s other worlds, & ofcourse Nesta, Azriel, & everyone from Acotar who had small parts in the story line!
The twists & turns this book took! This series takes! It’s unbelievable, there is so much I didn’t see coming, & I love books that shock me!!
I’m just so sad that it’s over, & for the moment I don’t have anymore new Sarah J Maas books to read!!
Cauldron blessed us all with Sarah & her amazing writing! I can’t wait for more of her books! If she writes it, I will read it. No questions asked.
“Wanna hear a joke?.. Two Angels and a Fae Prince walk into a dungeon..” 🤣🤣🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, Colonisation
adventurous
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:
No
It is a good book but had missed potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, War
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Addiction, Slavery
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Action. Adventure. Romance. Mystery. Lore. Sacrifice. Character Growth. Secrets. Meaningful Choices. This book had it all.
This book read like the end of a trilogy, despite the fact that there are four houses (and supposedly a fourth book coming). Most of the main characters had their story arcs conclude, and there are only a few loose ends.Along with the obvious: How will Midgard be ruled now? Will technology survive? But these seem like simple worldbuilding questions, not future books or series of content.
Bryce and Hunt became less vital and important to me; the background characters became much more important. I love that the story focused on so many different paths and choices, all culminating in the final conflict of the book.
All that to say, it was good. I liked it. But I wanted more, and I'm not sure when or if that will happen.
This book read like the end of a trilogy, despite the fact that there are four houses (and supposedly a fourth book coming). Most of the main characters had their story arcs conclude, and there are only a few loose ends.
Bryce and Hunt became less vital and important to me; the background characters became much more important. I love that the story focused on so many different paths and choices, all culminating in the final conflict of the book.
All that to say, it was good. I liked it. But I wanted more, and I'm not sure when or if that will happen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you made it to book 3 of the series and had a good time, I have a hard time feeling like you won't enjoy this one!
Less sex than prior books, which I appreciated as the story remained more plot and character focused.
It was fun reeling through the different characters and their progression through the story.
I found myself giggling, cheering, tearing up, and even hugging the physical book toward the end of the story.
Elizabeth Evans delivered another delightful performance of SJMs work. I cannot wait to see what spin off stories of side characters arise next from Midgard.
Less sex than prior books, which I appreciated as the story remained more plot and character focused.
It was fun reeling through the different characters and their progression through the story.
I found myself giggling, cheering, tearing up, and even hugging the physical book toward the end of the story.
Elizabeth Evans delivered another delightful performance of SJMs work. I cannot wait to see what spin off stories of side characters arise next from Midgard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Excrement
dark
funny
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:
Complicated
Everything about this was what I wanted!!! I was hoping for more Bryce x Hunt dynamics but with so many side characters there was no time to cover that. I'm hoping that some day in the future, Sarah J. Maas will write some awesome novellas or future books detailing some of the side characters more.
Such a fast read, yet it felt like so long at the same time.
As for the ACOTAR crossover, I feel satisfied with how it was handled. There wasn't enough involvement there to make the series too intertwined. I almost feel like Crescent City is just the backstory for all of the lore in ACOTAR. I think it gives ACOTAR more depth, but readers who don't care to read all of CC can still read ACOTAR and be satisfied. Lots of Nesta, which was awesome because she's my favorite. I am excited to see where the ACOTAR series goes after reading this book.
Such a fast read, yet it felt like so long at the same time.
As for the ACOTAR crossover, I feel satisfied with how it was handled. There wasn't enough involvement there to make the series too intertwined. I almost feel like Crescent City is just the backstory for all of the lore in ACOTAR. I think it gives ACOTAR more depth, but readers who don't care to read all of CC can still read ACOTAR and be satisfied. Lots of Nesta, which was awesome because she's my favorite. I am excited to see where the ACOTAR series goes after reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slightly underwhelming but still a good read. This book somehow simultaneously moves too fast and too slow and was a bit of a slog to get through. It also lacked so much of the emotional depth of characters and relationships we’ve come to know and love from SJM. It’s also inconsistent with previous books imo - previously unkillable, god-like characters get taken down like some run of the mill villain and so many things just seem to happen way to conveniently to be fully believable. Overall felt rushed. A fine read, but not what I expected for CC3.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is probably my favorite out of all the crescent city books. the first two took a while for me to get into, but i was sucked into this one from the very beginning.
the character arcs were great, i was tense the whole time and this book just never let up. i surprisingly wasn’t bored at any point during this 800+ page book.
the character arcs were great, i was tense the whole time and this book just never let up. i surprisingly wasn’t bored at any point during this 800+ page book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse