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haleyhbrill's review against another edition
4.0
I am so so unwell. So unwell. I may never emotionally recover. I will now also be scheduling fist fights with everyone who thinks ACOTAR is SJMs best work because y’all are WRONG. I cried the last 10% of this book. The stuff on grief, healing, love, and dealing with the world and living….. ugh. Bryce Quinlan is absolutely someone I want to be best friends with. Maybe my fave read of the year.
tabeahaefliger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? N/A
4.0
I really enjoyed this but there have been a few points I didn't like:
- The "connection" between Bryce and Hunt didn't seem real to me, it was a "telling instead of showing" problem
- I don't know if Urban Fantasy is for me, I like the traditional ones more, since it confused me a lot to read about the parties, the short dresses, the phones, the manicures and so on
- I didn't hate or dislike Bryce but I also didn't love her, she was just okay. Bit boring and plain.
Still looking forward to AHOSAB since I do love Miss SJM's writing and I'm really excited to see why that's a 5-star for everyone!
- The "connection" between Bryce and Hunt didn't seem real to me, it was a "telling instead of showing" problem
- I don't know if Urban Fantasy is for me, I like the traditional ones more, since it confused me a lot to read about the parties, the short dresses, the phones, the manicures and so on
- I didn't hate or dislike Bryce but I also didn't love her, she was just okay. Bit boring and plain.
Still looking forward to AHOSAB since I do love Miss SJM's writing and I'm really excited to see why that's a 5-star for everyone!
bchadwick's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
danaikokkini's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Original Read 4 ★
This was a reread for me and honestly it didn't hold up as I imagine.
I found that I started disliking Hunt and Bryce's relationship in this book. For the most part I felt like it didn't work or was forced, which was a surprised to me as I liked it when I originally read this book.
With the exception of the relationship and Hunt annoying me for parts of the book, I really liked the story that was written. Whilst this is meant to be a romance book as well i found that I much preferred the moments without. The mystery didn't hit as hard this time around as I knew what was happening but it still held up and was what kept me going. The side characters are also strong in this series and I'm happy that we get more POVs in Sky and Breath.
I do find it interesting how much an opinion can change between rereads. I remember very much enjoying this book but it was just a different experience the next time around.
This was a reread for me and honestly it didn't hold up as I imagine.
I found that I started disliking Hunt and Bryce's relationship in this book. For the most part I felt like it didn't work or was forced, which was a surprised to me as I liked it when I originally read this book.
With the exception of the relationship and Hunt annoying me for parts of the book, I really liked the story that was written. Whilst this is meant to be a romance book as well i found that I much preferred the moments without. The mystery didn't hit as hard this time around as I knew what was happening but it still held up and was what kept me going. The side characters are also strong in this series and I'm happy that we get more POVs in Sky and Breath.
I do find it interesting how much an opinion can change between rereads. I remember very much enjoying this book but it was just a different experience the next time around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
eleana_m's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
sim_4520's review against another edition
4.0
“Through love, all is possible.”
Yes, it’s very slow for the first half but, when slow is interesting, it ends up paying off even better than fast-paced as all those tied-up threads snap in the longest, most exquisite climax to have graced my bookshelves.
The book is divided into 4 parts. The first part "The Hollow" showcases Bryce's normal life before everything changes. the second part "The Trench" showcases 2 years after the tragic event, when Bryce is trying to get through her life living with her sorrows. That is when Hunt enters into her life and the book starts to get interesting from the third part "The Canyon". My favorite part remains the last part "The Ravine" as secrets get revealed in this part along with lots of actions and other emotions.
Bryce Quinlan, a powerless and completely ordinary half-breed shunned from both sides of society and content to lose herself in her high-on-drugs-and-sex-and-youth lifestyle as a sorceress’s assistant, wants nothing to do with their antics.
Fast forward two years, the city rebels have shut the Hel up but people are, again, dying in precisely the same gruesome way—chopped into pieces. Could it be that the rebels were not responsible for the deaths two years ago? Then, could someone please explain to me, what the shit is going on?
Thankfully, that’s exactly what Bryce, with the help of Hunt Athalar—a once-upon-a-time rebel angel enslaved to the very regime he hoped to overthrow 200 years ago—is assigned to find out.
Characters
Bryce - one of the most unlikely MCs, starting from a place of abandon and looking to find her worth, having a real chip on her shoulder when it comes to males and getting riled up rather quickly about feministic matters, being denied a dancing career because of her body type, this curvy party girl brings a more ignored type of characters into the spotlight. With her, SJM comfortably shoulders themes like casual sex and drugs, handling them with such rare ease. What surprises me most is that, despite her being a self-sacrificing idiot, I grew to adore her. She’s not the stereotypical bore of a brave hero, she’s smart, real, tangible, messed up, and full of flaws. I realize this is Sarah’s preference in leading characters, as is dealing with loss and trauma. But I’m not complaining because her exploration of these subjects grows with each series, adding something different, and something similar—all complementing each other.
Hunt - the Haunted Boy bore such utter loss and loneliness that I couldn’t not like him. I appreciate that he respected her despite being an occasional idiot yet loyal puppy, but he lacked a certain solidity to his character that all of Maas’s other male characters still had. Such a shame.
the powerful, strong, stony, emotionally wrecked, gorgeous, lethal Fallen Angel and honestly the character with the most amazingly written emotional backstory. I LOVE Hunt and his sensitivity and shocking human-ness, and he never ceased to make me feel emotions. He made me feel emotions. The bonus: he knows how to make coffee and will cook breakfast.
Danika - reckless, wild, loyal unto death, awe-inspiring alpha with a life forced upon her and the usual choice for lead; Ruhn, my precious defiant crown prince, and Chosen One of the Fae, but a brother above all else; contained and messed up Fury; unwavering June; unforgettable and priceless Lele; Flynn and his reflection of the responsibility-fleeing youth; charming Tharion; humble Isaiah; and mysterious and dark Aidas I need more of...all own a piece of my heart now. The powerful, loyal, equally-badass, lethal, terrifying, never-to-be-underestimated, equally-party-girl, incredibly-fucking-strong Alpha wolf shifter who I fell in love with as soon as she opened her mouth. She does not get enough spotlight or recognition and I will NEVER stop talking about her character and how she deserves so much fucking love and appreciation.
Ruhn Danaan – the rebellious, powerful, arrogant domineering Fae prick with a heart of gold and a hidden soft side. I liked his character, but I didn’t love him the way all of the hype said I would. I heard so much obsession over Ruhn before I read the book that I honestly felt let down a bit. Still. He’s a Fae male protagonist written by SJM; how can you not love him? (no, Tamlin does not count as a protagonist)
Lehabah – the pretty, little, gossipy, mischievous, caring, talkative, brave, emotional fire sprite who despite being annoying at times, I still love. She is so amazing and supportive in her little way and I wish I had a companion like her. She deserves EVERYTHING.
------------------------------
Danika and Bryce’s bond is probably one of the most beautiful things SJM has written. The sisterly support, the unwavering loyalty, the faith...it just leaps out of the page and grabs you by the throat until you are choking and crying begging for it to stop. I have no words as I’m still choking on those ruthless sobs. Then coming to Lehabah and Bryce's friendship, it's beautiful.
What I love most about this facet of the story is its focus on everything NOT toxic masculinity, and while I disagree that her previous works dwelled in this area (as the focal point of all her endgame romances has been friendship, equality, and mutual understanding and respect) we have had characters who’ve been tolerant of the much more animalistic instincts of the Fae as well as ones who battled those instincts and all but declared that it’s important to respect your partner’s wishes rather than act possessively; here, she takes the last step to declare it and shows that she can write different dynamics with adding Bryce, who isn’t tolerant of it.
Having to deal with two older brothers who I can’t call overbearing or annoying as, honestly, I’m the unbearable one they have to bear with, I always crave these relationships in books (and hate how uncommon they are in works of fantasy). Well, my prayers have been answered! Can I have more of this preciously and precisely captured dynamic, please?
In Crescent City, Maas is inspired by multiple mythologies and uses the occasional familiar name to make all the foreign and new information less overwhelming while providing a new outlook on their definitions with clever new interpretations. Such as Midgard, originally the land of the mortals between Asgard (land of the gods) and Helheim (land of the dead) in Norse mythology, here used as the name of the planet mortals made their lives upon before the godlike magical beings left their worlds and pushed in from the Northern Rift, also hosting the Quiet Realms was the dead dwell.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book are
"My friends are with me and I am not afraid"
"And soul to soul with the friend whom she had not forgotten, the friend who had not forgotten her, even in death"
"That's the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious"
Yes, it’s very slow for the first half but, when slow is interesting, it ends up paying off even better than fast-paced as all those tied-up threads snap in the longest, most exquisite climax to have graced my bookshelves.
The book is divided into 4 parts. The first part "The Hollow" showcases Bryce's normal life before everything changes. the second part "The Trench" showcases 2 years after the tragic event, when Bryce is trying to get through her life living with her sorrows. That is when Hunt enters into her life and the book starts to get interesting from the third part "The Canyon". My favorite part remains the last part "The Ravine" as secrets get revealed in this part along with lots of actions and other emotions.
Bryce Quinlan, a powerless and completely ordinary half-breed shunned from both sides of society and content to lose herself in her high-on-drugs-and-sex-and-youth lifestyle as a sorceress’s assistant, wants nothing to do with their antics.
Fast forward two years, the city rebels have shut the Hel up but people are, again, dying in precisely the same gruesome way—chopped into pieces. Could it be that the rebels were not responsible for the deaths two years ago? Then, could someone please explain to me, what the shit is going on?
Thankfully, that’s exactly what Bryce, with the help of Hunt Athalar—a once-upon-a-time rebel angel enslaved to the very regime he hoped to overthrow 200 years ago—is assigned to find out.
Characters
Bryce - one of the most unlikely MCs, starting from a place of abandon and looking to find her worth, having a real chip on her shoulder when it comes to males and getting riled up rather quickly about feministic matters, being denied a dancing career because of her body type, this curvy party girl brings a more ignored type of characters into the spotlight. With her, SJM comfortably shoulders themes like casual sex and drugs, handling them with such rare ease. What surprises me most is that, despite her being a self-sacrificing idiot, I grew to adore her. She’s not the stereotypical bore of a brave hero, she’s smart, real, tangible, messed up, and full of flaws. I realize this is Sarah’s preference in leading characters, as is dealing with loss and trauma. But I’m not complaining because her exploration of these subjects grows with each series, adding something different, and something similar—all complementing each other.
Hunt - the Haunted Boy bore such utter loss and loneliness that I couldn’t not like him. I appreciate that he respected her despite being an occasional idiot yet loyal puppy, but he lacked a certain solidity to his character that all of Maas’s other male characters still had. Such a shame.
the powerful, strong, stony, emotionally wrecked, gorgeous, lethal Fallen Angel and honestly the character with the most amazingly written emotional backstory. I LOVE Hunt and his sensitivity and shocking human-ness, and he never ceased to make me feel emotions. He made me feel emotions. The bonus: he knows how to make coffee and will cook breakfast.
Danika - reckless, wild, loyal unto death, awe-inspiring alpha with a life forced upon her and the usual choice for lead; Ruhn, my precious defiant crown prince, and Chosen One of the Fae, but a brother above all else; contained and messed up Fury; unwavering June; unforgettable and priceless Lele; Flynn and his reflection of the responsibility-fleeing youth; charming Tharion; humble Isaiah; and mysterious and dark Aidas I need more of...all own a piece of my heart now. The powerful, loyal, equally-badass, lethal, terrifying, never-to-be-underestimated, equally-party-girl, incredibly-fucking-strong Alpha wolf shifter who I fell in love with as soon as she opened her mouth. She does not get enough spotlight or recognition and I will NEVER stop talking about her character and how she deserves so much fucking love and appreciation.
Ruhn Danaan – the rebellious, powerful, arrogant domineering Fae prick with a heart of gold and a hidden soft side. I liked his character, but I didn’t love him the way all of the hype said I would. I heard so much obsession over Ruhn before I read the book that I honestly felt let down a bit. Still. He’s a Fae male protagonist written by SJM; how can you not love him? (no, Tamlin does not count as a protagonist)
Lehabah – the pretty, little, gossipy, mischievous, caring, talkative, brave, emotional fire sprite who despite being annoying at times, I still love. She is so amazing and supportive in her little way and I wish I had a companion like her. She deserves EVERYTHING.
------------------------------
Danika and Bryce’s bond is probably one of the most beautiful things SJM has written. The sisterly support, the unwavering loyalty, the faith...it just leaps out of the page and grabs you by the throat until you are choking and crying begging for it to stop. I have no words as I’m still choking on those ruthless sobs. Then coming to Lehabah and Bryce's friendship, it's beautiful.
What I love most about this facet of the story is its focus on everything NOT toxic masculinity, and while I disagree that her previous works dwelled in this area (as the focal point of all her endgame romances has been friendship, equality, and mutual understanding and respect) we have had characters who’ve been tolerant of the much more animalistic instincts of the Fae as well as ones who battled those instincts and all but declared that it’s important to respect your partner’s wishes rather than act possessively; here, she takes the last step to declare it and shows that she can write different dynamics with adding Bryce, who isn’t tolerant of it.
Having to deal with two older brothers who I can’t call overbearing or annoying as, honestly, I’m the unbearable one they have to bear with, I always crave these relationships in books (and hate how uncommon they are in works of fantasy). Well, my prayers have been answered! Can I have more of this preciously and precisely captured dynamic, please?
In Crescent City, Maas is inspired by multiple mythologies and uses the occasional familiar name to make all the foreign and new information less overwhelming while providing a new outlook on their definitions with clever new interpretations. Such as Midgard, originally the land of the mortals between Asgard (land of the gods) and Helheim (land of the dead) in Norse mythology, here used as the name of the planet mortals made their lives upon before the godlike magical beings left their worlds and pushed in from the Northern Rift, also hosting the Quiet Realms was the dead dwell.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book are
"My friends are with me and I am not afraid"
"And soul to soul with the friend whom she had not forgotten, the friend who had not forgotten her, even in death"
"That's the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious"
faithmccollum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
jingyuanlovesme's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarahgibbons17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0