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angelofthetardis's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Thus far I haven't been as drawn into the world of Crescent City as I have with Sarah J Maas' other realms, but I was nevertheless very excited to read this one as soon as it came out as it starts to draw the worlds closer together. With Hunt, Ruhn and Baxian stuck in the dungeons of the Asteri and facing torture, and Bryce no-where to be found on Midgard or in Hel, everything is set up for this to be a gripping, bloody, thrilling ride toward the ultimate showdown.
I was hoping for an epic crossover event, a really impactful tale that would serve as an episode in both of her incomplete series and a temporary yet meaningful blending of the Night Court and Lunathion... but I was left feeling a bit cheated. I will be fair, although the ending of CC2 had been spoiled for me some time ago, I only read the book a few weeks ago so I haven't had the same length of time to have this building in my head. But if I had, I suspect I would have hurled the book across the room. Ultimately, there's a lot of wandering through tunnels, a little bit of friendly interrogation and a bitch-off between Nesta and Bryce and... that's about it. I did like the fact that little hints from both CC and ACOTAR were pulled into the narrative here, but overall the crossover element felt more like it was there to please the fans than to actually move the plot along. There is one moment which is gorgeous and brilliant and sort of illustrates Nesta's character development in a nutshell though...
This series is probably the most complex of the three in terms of worldbuilding, and generally speaking you can see that a LOT of thought has gone into it, but it almost feels like too much. There are just so many elements to keep track of, so many character threads to follow and so much lore to remember that a lot of bits and pieces get lost in the noise. And this book only adds to the worldbuilding, expanding on the origins of the people of Midgard, the history of the Asteri and so on. Unfortunately, while I can imagine the scenes where this is set out playing well on a TV or movie screen, when listening or reading it does feel like a never-ending info dump during these moments. And there are more than one of them, which really deadens the pace and had me zoning out a little. Similarly, I'd say that a lot of snippets could have been edited out so that the focus remained on the main story.
I'm ashamed to say that I can't ever really tell you who my favourite character is. I just can't connect with anyone in here. Their relationships with each other are well drawn and every one of the main characters and supporting cast is really well fleshed out, but there's just nothing binding my soul to one of them. If I had to choose, I'd probably go with Hunt, but even that doesn't sit quite right. And in terms of their character arcs throughout this book, I wouldn't day there are any major surprises - everyone basically acts exactly as you'd expect them to.
Likewise, most of the major plot points are fairly predictable; however, there are a couple of moments that make you sit up and take notice, and those are worth tuning in for. There are a couple ofmloose threads that I guess could be picked up in another book or two, but I suspect any future instalments might suffer from too thin a plot and too much magical politics.
The whole series has a bit more of a sci-fi edge to it, but that's definitely expanded in this book - why am I imagining Stargates dotted a over Crescent City and at the Northern Rift? I do like it because it's not what I was expecting, but equally I think I'm more of a straight fantasy type of girl.
I'm not disappointed with the book, but nor am I particularly worried about picking it up again. A shame for such an anticipated release!
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Death of parent, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, Gore, Body horror, and Torture
Moderate: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Sexual violence, Car accident, Vomit, Alcohol, and Cannibalism
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, War, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual content, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Blood, and Child death
katvou's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Gore, War, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Kidnapping
Minor: Cannibalism, Excrement, Vomit, and Alcohol
siad's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Physical abuse, War, Cursing, Torture, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, Sexual content, and Genocide
Minor: Kidnapping and Vomit
lisashelves's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Sexual content, Violence, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Vomit, and Slavery
justsokristin's review
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Vomit, Violence, Blood, and Gore
hapalyn's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, War, Medical content, Violence, Gore, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Vomit, Genocide, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Excrement, and Domestic abuse
selena13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Slavery, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Drug use, Genocide, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Grief, War, Cursing, Classism, Death, Sexism, Gun violence, Torture, Vomit, Misogyny, and Murder
sinasbooknook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
i expected a slowburn from sjm but this was just sooooooo boring. this was 700 pages of cliffhangers that never fell, info dumps, random povs, gimmicks, and twists with no satisfying plot, character development, or emotional depth to give any of them merit. the other 200 pages were a happy, predictable ending that did not make it a good book
even the minor things that had potential to redeem it fell flat and carried no weight in the grand scheme of things
Graphic: Cannibalism, Torture, War, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, and Vomit
booksandteatime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child death, Blood, War, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Sexual harassment, and Torture