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eastballtracy's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.25
jackiehorne's review against another edition
2.0
This urban fantasy opened strong, with its New Orleans setting and its creation of instant sympathy for its hero, Augustine, a fae despised by and abandoned by his mostly human mother. Its heroine, Haven, needs far too much rescuing throughout, and doesn't do much to move the plot forward (she's forced to stay home, playing video games while Augustine and his crew go out and slay vampires). This is the first in a series, but it seems related to previous series by Painter, as the references to other characters & romance arcs pop up; perhaps readers of those earlier books will still find this one appealing.
tfulton52's review against another edition
3.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I read the House of Comarre series and, while I enjoyed them, I found the writing style did not agree with me very much. I did expect a very similar experience with this one, but was very pleased in the differences! It was much better written, in my opinion. I enjoyed the story thoroughly and would have given it 4 stars if I hadn't hated Harlow's character so much. Every time her point of view came around I wished someone would come along and hit her in her throat. But I did really enjoy it otherwise, and plan on reading the rest of the series, as well.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
This was okay but I really think it should indicate somewhere that this is set in the world of the comarre series and you really do need to have read that series for it to make sense, I triple checked that it was definitely the first in the series because it was so clear I was missing huge chunks of information.
I didn't really enjoy this that much- Harlow is just a pretty unpleasant and selfish character Yes she's dealing with stuff but she's not the only one- Augustine and Lally have lost someone who was a huge part of their lives to (and arguably a bigger part of their lives than Harlow's)
Her sense of entitlement to her mother's house was also pretty unpleasant. Announcing to someone who'd lived in a house for years that you planned to sell if off as soon as possible is just mean and thoughtless. Her obsession about her father to the point of estranging herself from her mother seemed really judgemental- yes she could be annoyed about it but she had no idea what the situation between them was and to distance yourself from one parent because you don't know who the other is seem brutal to the one that is there. Yes Harlow got better as the story went on but not much.
The characters are all pretty one dimensional- Augustine the playboy who just needs a good woman to love him t redeem him, Lally the loyal servant, the baddies seemed evil for the sake of evil- they really could have learnt a few things from the evil overlord list. It was all just a bit predictable.
I didn't really enjoy this that much- Harlow is just a pretty unpleasant and selfish character
Spoiler
If she's so desperate for the money why not offer to sell her half of the house to Augustine for the $850,000 rather than demand he gives her his half for free.Her sense of entitlement to her mother's house was also pretty unpleasant. Announcing to someone who'd lived in a house for years that you planned to sell if off as soon as possible is just mean and thoughtless. Her obsession about her father to the point of estranging herself from her mother seemed really judgemental- yes she could be annoyed about it but she had no idea what the situation between them was and to distance yourself from one parent because you don't know who the other is seem brutal to the one that is there. Yes Harlow got better as the story went on but not much.
The characters are all pretty one dimensional- Augustine the playboy who just needs a good woman to love him t redeem him, Lally the loyal servant, the baddies seemed evil for the sake of evil- they really could have learnt a few things from the evil overlord list. It was all just a bit predictable.
angiepants830's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
crisscrosscutout's review against another edition
DNF 26%, no rating because it wasn’t bad, just not my thing
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
I need to just call it quits on this one.
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
3.0
New Orleans. Home of all manner of otherworldly things. Vampires, witches, Fae, and voodoo practitioners.
This book was perfectly fine. I liked the way the others were laid out in the city. Having a Fae holiday that precedes Mardi Gras was smart and interesting.
Augie is interesting. Harlow is fine.
I cannot say exactly what was missing but although I liked this book, it was just meh. I am not in a hurry to read the next book.
This book was perfectly fine. I liked the way the others were laid out in the city. Having a Fae holiday that precedes Mardi Gras was smart and interesting.
Augie is interesting. Harlow is fine.
I cannot say exactly what was missing but although I liked this book, it was just meh. I am not in a hurry to read the next book.
dhilderbrand's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read. Great world. Characters really developed
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
What a ride! If you have read Kristen's House of Comarré series you are somewhat familiar with the world of The Crescent City series already. In fact Chrysabelle actually makes a small appearance in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. It took me a little bit to get into the story but by the end I was fully invested and ready for book 2 to start.
The main person I had a hard time loving was Harlow. Her reasoning for despising her mother and alienating herself were pretty selfish. I understand the underlying want to know the answers to her questions but her mother didn't seem like the type of person to withhold information out of spite and I felt she needed to get over herself a little and be more understanding. I also had a hard time with her reaction towards her mothers death and the inheritance she was left with. Because of this It took me a while to like Harlow and when she finally got her answers I was glad to see my instincts about her mother were right.
I had no issues enjoying Augustine. We first met him in The House of Comarré series but we really get to know him in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. He is very loyal to his friends and family but also a playboy. I liked his sense of justice and the way he carried himself with pretty much every step of the book. The relationship between Harlow and Augustine isn't an easy one. There is a lot of feelings between the two but with that came a lot of head butting, and denial. I am very interested to see how there relationship (whether romantic *fingers crossed* or friendship) grows in book 2.
New Orleans is always a great city to base a paranormal storyline in. Painter did a great job building her world and characters to fit right in. I would recommend Painters new series to anyone who has enjoyed her writing in the past or looking for an intriguing read in the future.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The main person I had a hard time loving was Harlow. Her reasoning for despising her mother and alienating herself were pretty selfish. I understand the underlying want to know the answers to her questions but her mother didn't seem like the type of person to withhold information out of spite and I felt she needed to get over herself a little and be more understanding. I also had a hard time with her reaction towards her mothers death and the inheritance she was left with. Because of this It took me a while to like Harlow and when she finally got her answers I was glad to see my instincts about her mother were right.
I had no issues enjoying Augustine. We first met him in The House of Comarré series but we really get to know him in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. He is very loyal to his friends and family but also a playboy. I liked his sense of justice and the way he carried himself with pretty much every step of the book. The relationship between Harlow and Augustine isn't an easy one. There is a lot of feelings between the two but with that came a lot of head butting, and denial. I am very interested to see how there relationship (whether romantic *fingers crossed* or friendship) grows in book 2.
New Orleans is always a great city to base a paranormal storyline in. Painter did a great job building her world and characters to fit right in. I would recommend Painters new series to anyone who has enjoyed her writing in the past or looking for an intriguing read in the future.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.