Reviews - City of Souls and Sinners

834 reviews for:

City of Souls and Sinners

Kayla Edwards

4.07 AVERAGE

andrealaz23's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 89%

It felt repetitive and at some point you have to accept other’s people help

thelakinator's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

rasha_reads's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

So… I am currently trying to make my way through as many series as I can because I have THE worst case of literary FOMO and I am insatiably curious. Ok, yes, I enjoy the romantasy genre as well, but I am determined to chase that feeling I got from reading ACOTAR and TOG... While the “House of Devils” series may not live up to its hype as a God tier pick, it was still one that I became quite engrossed in (even though there were parts that I had to push through). As with the first volume (see my review of “City of Gods & Monsters”), it was not perfect but by the end, it redeemed itself and entered unputdownable territory.

After the tumultuous events of book 1, we rejoin our MCs where, as expected, they seem to be enjoying their HEA; except that you just know that it is merely a HFN considering the unanswered questions concerning family and what comes next for the city. At this point, any trace of a slow burn has been eliminated between Loren and Darien with some very spicy scenes (🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️) straight from the get go. It can come as no surprise that things take a turn for the worse in Angelthene and they are caught right in the middle of politics and power grabs which, in turn, causes personal drama.

But this is where the author shines: the world building. The details and storyline in “Souls & Sinners” expands beyond “Gods & Monsters” to impressive levels. We find out more about the true rulers of this world - not just the city - and how far they are willing to go to get what they want as well as more about the politics of the darkslayers. The array of characters includes the devils, reapers, huntsmen, vampires, witches, werewolves, angels of death, wargs and the nameless. Add to this, the schools, areas of the city of Angelthene and beyond, shops, familiars… the amount of detail put into this story is mind boggling. You can also expect some great action (🩸🩸🩸🩸).

However, partly due to these details and an extremely complex plot that has a few twists, this is not a book for the faint of heart. The self published hardcover edition (which has some really great details such as artwork and a beautiful cover and dust jacket) is a whopping 862 pages. In other words, we are entering George R.R. Martin territory and this is only the second volume of the series.

However the length of the book (which even the author refers to it as being a million pages in the acknowledgments) is only part of the problem. The other, IMHO, was the pacing. The first 120 pages (approximately) are a partial recap of the first book with a peek into Loren and Darien’s HFN, but this section seemed to me to be an excuse to add in a bit more spice and felt gratuitous. The pace and plot start developing more after that but then it starts to slump and got a touch predictable, even with the tension created, and doesn’t pick up again until 70% through. In other words, for anyone out there who is likely to DNF a book, be warned: this one may not be the best choice. But if you are like me and you must push through a books once you have started, I think you will be rewarded, as I was.

The pay off comes from the characters inner lives and interactions. The relationship between Darien and Loren may not be in my top twenty but the connection between them is undeniable. And those are the moments that had me smiling, holding my breath and crying.

Fair warning: keep a box of tissues next to you and make sure you have a copy of book 3 handy to dive into immediately after reading this due to the emotionally damaging cliffhanger. See you after “City of Lies & Legends”…

4.25 stars 🤓📚

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