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jen1804's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Okay so firstly I read this book through use of both audible and the pages directly and I’m not sure whether continuously switching between the two has inevitably had an impact or not. I would have preferred to have read it from the page only because I definitely would have been more absorbed and more focused, but needs must and audible is a great tool when life gets too busy but you still wanna get your valuable book time in.
So I’ve given this book a 3.75. It’s a good book, especially the last 30%, I LOVED the last 30%. It drops marks because I think it’s quite slow paced and thus I found the book a bit unnecessarily long? I prefer faster paced stories with more happening a lot more quickly (but not too quickly haha, need to get that balance right). Also this world building set up is COMPLICATED, and I needed assistance from my friend and the details of a Crescent City guide she’d found to help me get my head around it. But once you, it is easy enough to understand.
This book is well written and I absolutely adore the urban modern fantasy sci fi type world building, which is something new from SJM.
Ultimately this book explores friendship and grief and classism and is at times incredibly emotional, the kind of emotional with big fat tears. The book deals with important themes and is occasionally pretty grim with me audibly gasping or saying ‘urgh’.
I enjoyed the characters, I loved the quick witted Bryce, I loved her complex relationship with Ruhn. I loved Dec and Flynn. I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers with Bryce and Hunt and adored their bickering, but if I’m honest I’m not knee deep yet with this ‘ship romantically.
The massacre of Danika and the pack of devils had me in denial for a while and my heart was not okay.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where we go with this series and excited for the second book. I’m hoping we get to see Bryce, Hunt, Ruhn and friends, take down the bullshit hierarchy of the Asteri and Archangels. I love an all powerful teamwork moment. I’m also hoping we get more development of Bryce and Hunt because I need a bit more before I’m fully behind it.
Satisfactory ending? For sure.
So I’ve given this book a 3.75. It’s a good book, especially the last 30%, I LOVED the last 30%. It drops marks because I think it’s quite slow paced and thus I found the book a bit unnecessarily long? I prefer faster paced stories with more happening a lot more quickly (but not too quickly haha, need to get that balance right). Also this world building set up is COMPLICATED, and I needed assistance from my friend and the details of a Crescent City guide she’d found to help me get my head around it. But once you, it is easy enough to understand.
This book is well written and I absolutely adore the urban modern fantasy sci fi type world building, which is something new from SJM.
Ultimately this book explores friendship and grief and classism and is at times incredibly emotional, the kind of emotional with big fat tears. The book deals with important themes and is occasionally pretty grim with me audibly gasping or saying ‘urgh’.
I enjoyed the characters, I loved the quick witted Bryce, I loved her complex relationship with Ruhn. I loved Dec and Flynn. I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers with Bryce and Hunt and adored their bickering, but if I’m honest I’m not knee deep yet with this ‘ship romantically.
The massacre of Danika and the pack of devils had me in denial for a while and my heart was not okay.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where we go with this series and excited for the second book. I’m hoping we get to see Bryce, Hunt, Ruhn and friends, take down the bullshit hierarchy of the Asteri and Archangels. I love an all powerful teamwork moment. I’m also hoping we get more development of Bryce and Hunt because I need a bit more before I’m fully behind it.
Satisfactory ending? For sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Blood, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, and War
Minor: Addiction and Vomit
anastashamarie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Urban fantasy is usually hit-or-miss for me, but this one hit all the right spots.
SJM builds a complex and fascinating world in the Crescent City series. Because of this, there is a pretty big info-dump in the first few chapters of this book detailing the history of the city, its people, and the social and political hierarchies. I wouldn't say the world building is any more complex than any other fantasy series, but it did make the first few chapters drag on for me. ⚠️ WARNING: AVOID THE FAN WIKI AND SUBREDDITS IF YOU'RE STILL READING. They are both filled with unmarked spoilers. If you do want to look up a guide for any of the background lore, I found a mostly spoiler-free guide that I'll gladly message you. ⚠️ Aside from the initial mountain of information, the world only added to the story overall, and the sociopolitical context became much easier to follow as the story went on.
Along with the info dump, I didn't initially relate well to the FMC, Bryce, and her "party girl" attitude. I didn't dislike her by any means--she's fiery, intelligent, and complex--but she didn't initially resonate with me on a personal level. As the story progresses, though all this changes. After the first 100-200 pages, I couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with the banter and sass that Bryce's character natural brought to the story, and the chemistry between her and the romantic lead had me giggly. I also fell in love with the portrayals of friendship and family, as I'm finding is characteristic of SJM's books. Some of the friendship scenes, especially toward the end, quite literally had me sobbing.
I also thought the murder mystery of this plot was nicely done. All the clues (and red herrings) tied together nicely in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fantasy readers who also enjoy crime shows: think Criminal Minds meets the Mortal Instruments. Very enjoyable read and I'm already looking forward to the next one.
SJM builds a complex and fascinating world in the Crescent City series. Because of this, there is a pretty big info-dump in the first few chapters of this book detailing the history of the city, its people, and the social and political hierarchies. I wouldn't say the world building is any more complex than any other fantasy series, but it did make the first few chapters drag on for me. ⚠️ WARNING: AVOID THE FAN WIKI AND SUBREDDITS IF YOU'RE STILL READING. They are both filled with unmarked spoilers. If you do want to look up a guide for any of the background lore, I found a mostly spoiler-free guide that I'll gladly message you. ⚠️ Aside from the initial mountain of information, the world only added to the story overall, and the sociopolitical context became much easier to follow as the story went on.
Along with the info dump, I didn't initially relate well to the FMC, Bryce, and her "party girl" attitude. I didn't dislike her by any means--she's fiery, intelligent, and complex--but she didn't initially resonate with me on a personal level. As the story progresses, though all this changes. After the first 100-200 pages, I couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with the banter and sass that Bryce's character natural brought to the story, and the chemistry between her and the romantic lead had me giggly. I also fell in love with the portrayals of friendship and family, as I'm finding is characteristic of SJM's books. Some of the friendship scenes, especially toward the end, quite literally had me sobbing.
I also thought the murder mystery of this plot was nicely done. All the clues (and red herrings) tied together nicely in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fantasy readers who also enjoy crime shows: think Criminal Minds meets the Mortal Instruments. Very enjoyable read and I'm already looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Slavery
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Vomit
ka_ke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was nervous to start HoEaB when I got it but now it may be a new favourite. I even appreciated the lack of explicit smut, but I do hope there is some in HoSaB. I related to Bryce on an unnatural level, I understood her pain, her grief and her struggle to keep fighting. Thank god I have HoSaB to start now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery
Minor: Torture, War, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Spectacular
I was really worried SJM wasn’t gonna be able to pull off low fantasy as well as she does high fantasy but I am so glad to be wrong. I cried, I gagged, I cried happy tears, and I cried some more. This was a wild ride with lots of tissues and I can’t recommend it enough, I loved it with my whole shattered heart.
I was really worried SJM wasn’t gonna be able to pull off low fantasy as well as she does high fantasy but I am so glad to be wrong. I cried, I gagged, I cried happy tears, and I cried some more. This was a wild ride with lots of tissues and I can’t recommend it enough, I loved it with my whole shattered heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Slavery, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, War, Gun violence, and Torture
l_ander's review against another edition
I just cannot get into this. It's really slow and frankly boring.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
plsnotanotherdamselindistress's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
The 2nd timr I am reading this book shows me that I am really good at blocking things out if I decide I want to bc some of these plot twists destroy my carefully created image of the male MC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexism
skm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gun violence and Fatphobia
begentile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Gore, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit
dragonqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Abandonment and Physical abuse
michellemaas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
* Beware of minor spoilers
5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Installment in the Crescent City series. This Adult Urban Fantasy novel features the "forced proximity", "forbidden love", "slow burn", and "hurt/comfort" tropes while dealing with themes of loss, elitism, and slavery.
It was amazing! Great variety of mythological creatures, relatable and lovable characters, and the story kept me intrigued up until the very end.
“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.”
Bryce is breathing but she is not alive. Things have never been the same since the sudden death of her best friend and when another person turns up murdered the same way, Bryce is the only lead the police have. As a result, she is forced to partner up with the infamous Hunt Athlar in the hopes of finally solving the mystery surrounding her friend's death and bringing her killer to justice.
"With the strength of the most powerful force in the world. The most powerful force in any realm. What brings loyalty beyond death, undimming despite the years. What remains unwavering in the face of hopelessness . . . Through love, all is possible."
Phew, I have a LOT to say so buckle up for a hefty review. This book has exceeded every possible expectation I had of it. Its page count and the fact that it was Urban Fantasy instead of my usual High Fantasy made me weary at the beginning but it was AMAZING. The characters were well developed, the story had me at the edge of my seat, and despite being over 900 pages strong there wasn't a single paragraph I thought was unnecessary.
First and foremost, there was some really good -and surprising- social commentary in this. Mainly the discussion about racism, classism, and politics, but also the discussions about how different people deal with grief and experiencing loss. Bryce working through her loss was a huge theme in this book and I thought it was really well done. It showed how different people dealt with it- Juniper threw herself into her dance. Fury disconnected from her friends. Bryce put on a carefree front because it was easier for her to have people assume the worst than to let them see how broken the loss of her friend left her. Her life was completely ruined by the loss of Danika and since it's not "normal" for her to have been this strongly affected considering they were not blood-related or romantically involved Bryce was always made to feel that she had to hide how not okay she was. As if, if others don't understand why you need to grieve, you're not entitled to it.
“The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city.”
Secondly was the good relationship development. Bryce and Hunt felt like such an authentic slow burn. They became friends, they showcased some of their best qualities and they proved their loyalty to one another all before the attraction and eventual love developed.
Then the reveal was so beautifully done. I like that there wasn't a clean, perfect, and logical trail they followed to get the killer. They had to consider several possibilities (most of which were born of luck) and follow some dead ends before reaching their goal. Kudos to Sarah for designing such an intricate plot that kept me guessing up until the twist. Also a big old middle finger to Sarah for making me have an absolute mental breakdown at 1 in the morning after reading the reveal and not being able to sleep or continuing on functioning as a normal human being the next day. But actually though, the power of words on a piece of paper . . . This woman is truly brilliant. Still hate her for breaking my heart beyond repair though but the good kind of hate. The positive kind of hate. I don't react to books very dramatically. I never cry or want to throw books in anger or any of that. And it's not because I don't care, I feel deeply for these characters, I'm just not wired that way. I don't really react in a particularly dramatic fashion to real-life occurrences either but this book elicited SUCH a reaction from me. I actually cried over a book for the first time after 7 years of avid reading. Say what you will about her plots or questionable romances, but if there is one thing no one can take away from Sarah it is what a talented writer she is. She has a way with words that can bring out every single emotion in you, and just really feel for the characters.
“Bryce was a ghost for a long while, Hunt. She pretended she wasn’t, but she was. . . You brought her back to life.”
And on that note, I love that all our characters were so complex and so utterly and beautifully flawed. They all felt so rich and well developed from Viktoria to the Autumn King and of course our main people. Each character had flaws and redeeming qualities, there was no one character I went: that's the morally sound, perfect, and incorruptible character. They were all plagued by some sort of shortcoming even if they were "good characters". That made them feel so REAL and relatable. I don't want characters who are so high and mighty above everyone else, then judgemental when someone can't live up to their own level of perfectness. I want to dimension. I want realistic. And I got it. Not only did that make these characters more relatable but it made them so much better to read about. A hero can be flawed and a villain can be someone with good intentions despite their bad ones. I'll admit that having read 2 ACOTAR books and the first TOG book I didn't really get all the Sarah hype. . . Like yeah the books were good and I liked them. They were entertaining reads with some hard-hitting moments and good romances but I couldn't discern why she- above a lot of other authors who write very similarly- was so popular. This book though . . . I get it now.
Furthermore, I like that this was very distinctly adult with the topics it discussed but there wasn't a huge focus on sex. In fact, our main love interests didn't even have sex with each other (though they did with other people). I feel a lot of authors think "adult (insert genre here)" and go: cool, we'll take a YA story and just add a bunch of sex and innuendos and call it a day. That was not the case at all. The matters discussed were very adult and this book felt challenging in a way I would not have expected from a fantasy novel.
"You’re my friend. Who watches trashy TV with me and puts up with my sh*t. You’re the person I don’t need to explain myself to—not when it matters. You see everything I am, and you don’t run away from it.”
Finally, I liked the inclusion of whatever the hell the opposite of toxic masculinity is. Toxic femininity? I consider myself a feminist when the end goal is equality. A lot of feminists believe in lifting up women by degrading men and that's just not the point. Regardless if you're addressing racism, sexism, or any other -ism it's important to realize that it's not about taking turns. It's not: oh well that group of people have been in power and favored for the past few centuries, so now it's our turn and after centuries we can go back . . . No. Women should be lifted up until we have equal rights . . . Not more rights. I love that that was addressed since I've never seen it talked about and also it didn't feel degrading either. Sarah handled it perfectly so that it wasn't offensive just an enlightening moment. For example, Bruce was super big on being an independent woman who didn't need help from anyone. And she was super cautious about accepting help or advice from men because her mother had been caught in a possessive and toxic relationship. However, Hunt talked about wanting the best for her well-being because he cared about her, not because it gave him a power trip to control her. Another time Bryce was on the brink of death and her friend told her not to give up because she had Hunt waiting for her on the other end, and Bryce replied "you're convincing me to live because of a guy" essentially which some might have seen as anti-woman, but her friend replied with "there's nothing wrong with caring enough about someone to want to live out your life with them- regardless of gender". There was such a thing about women being portrayed as weak in earlier years, then it tipped over to the other extreme of them not needing anyone at all but Sarah proved we can have both. Bryce is undoubtedly one of the most badass female characters ever, amplified by the fact that she had no power to rely on- only her own hard work, training, wit, and brains. That's what I think made this particular subplot not be offensive because Bryce could have stayed independent but there is no prize for it just like there's no prize for accepting love. Bryce was able to enter a relationship and rely on someone without that taking away from her skills or abilities. She doesn't need Hunt in a physical sense, but there's no shame in it if she did.
“And why is it a somehow a mark against your strength to admit that there is someone, who happens to be male, worth returning to? Someone who I know made you feel like things are far from f*cked.”
If I had to nitpick, I'd say the world was a little difficult to get used to. I'm a seasoned fantasy reader and even I was struggling with all the different creatures. I was also a little confused throughout different periods in the book (but that was very intentional on the author's part since she is going to do a bunch of big reveals in the sequels).
“Memento Mori. Remember that you will die, and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer.”
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to every human ever. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, and it was just so damn good. I cannot wait to read the sequel, even if I know that it will likely break me even more than this first installment.
* Please note that this is an Adult novel that deals with very serious and potentially triggering themes, therefore not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check trigger warnings on the author's website before reading. Your enjoyment is not worth risking your mental health for!
5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Installment in the Crescent City series. This Adult Urban Fantasy novel features the "forced proximity", "forbidden love", "slow burn", and "hurt/comfort" tropes while dealing with themes of loss, elitism, and slavery.
It was amazing! Great variety of mythological creatures, relatable and lovable characters, and the story kept me intrigued up until the very end.
“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.”
Bryce is breathing but she is not alive. Things have never been the same since the sudden death of her best friend and when another person turns up murdered the same way, Bryce is the only lead the police have. As a result, she is forced to partner up with the infamous Hunt Athlar in the hopes of finally solving the mystery surrounding her friend's death and bringing her killer to justice.
"With the strength of the most powerful force in the world. The most powerful force in any realm. What brings loyalty beyond death, undimming despite the years. What remains unwavering in the face of hopelessness . . . Through love, all is possible."
Phew, I have a LOT to say so buckle up for a hefty review. This book has exceeded every possible expectation I had of it. Its page count and the fact that it was Urban Fantasy instead of my usual High Fantasy made me weary at the beginning but it was AMAZING. The characters were well developed, the story had me at the edge of my seat, and despite being over 900 pages strong there wasn't a single paragraph I thought was unnecessary.
First and foremost, there was some really good -and surprising- social commentary in this. Mainly the discussion about racism, classism, and politics, but also the discussions about how different people deal with grief and experiencing loss. Bryce working through her loss was a huge theme in this book and I thought it was really well done. It showed how different people dealt with it- Juniper threw herself into her dance. Fury disconnected from her friends. Bryce put on a carefree front because it was easier for her to have people assume the worst than to let them see how broken the loss of her friend left her. Her life was completely ruined by the loss of Danika and since it's not "normal" for her to have been this strongly affected considering they were not blood-related or romantically involved Bryce was always made to feel that she had to hide how not okay she was. As if, if others don't understand why you need to grieve, you're not entitled to it.
“The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city.”
Secondly was the good relationship development. Bryce and Hunt felt like such an authentic slow burn. They became friends, they showcased some of their best qualities and they proved their loyalty to one another all before the attraction and eventual love developed.
Then the reveal was so beautifully done. I like that there wasn't a clean, perfect, and logical trail they followed to get the killer. They had to consider several possibilities (most of which were born of luck) and follow some dead ends before reaching their goal. Kudos to Sarah for designing such an intricate plot that kept me guessing up until the twist. Also a big old middle finger to Sarah for making me have an absolute mental breakdown at 1 in the morning after reading the reveal and not being able to sleep or continuing on functioning as a normal human being the next day. But actually though, the power of words on a piece of paper . . . This woman is truly brilliant. Still hate her for breaking my heart beyond repair though but the good kind of hate. The positive kind of hate. I don't react to books very dramatically. I never cry or want to throw books in anger or any of that. And it's not because I don't care, I feel deeply for these characters, I'm just not wired that way. I don't really react in a particularly dramatic fashion to real-life occurrences either but this book elicited SUCH a reaction from me. I actually cried over a book for the first time after 7 years of avid reading. Say what you will about her plots or questionable romances, but if there is one thing no one can take away from Sarah it is what a talented writer she is. She has a way with words that can bring out every single emotion in you, and just really feel for the characters.
“Bryce was a ghost for a long while, Hunt. She pretended she wasn’t, but she was. . . You brought her back to life.”
And on that note, I love that all our characters were so complex and so utterly and beautifully flawed. They all felt so rich and well developed from Viktoria to the Autumn King and of course our main people. Each character had flaws and redeeming qualities, there was no one character I went: that's the morally sound, perfect, and incorruptible character. They were all plagued by some sort of shortcoming even if they were "good characters". That made them feel so REAL and relatable. I don't want characters who are so high and mighty above everyone else, then judgemental when someone can't live up to their own level of perfectness. I want to dimension. I want realistic. And I got it. Not only did that make these characters more relatable but it made them so much better to read about. A hero can be flawed and a villain can be someone with good intentions despite their bad ones. I'll admit that having read 2 ACOTAR books and the first TOG book I didn't really get all the Sarah hype. . . Like yeah the books were good and I liked them. They were entertaining reads with some hard-hitting moments and good romances but I couldn't discern why she- above a lot of other authors who write very similarly- was so popular. This book though . . . I get it now.
Furthermore, I like that this was very distinctly adult with the topics it discussed but there wasn't a huge focus on sex. In fact, our main love interests didn't even have sex with each other (though they did with other people). I feel a lot of authors think "adult (insert genre here)" and go: cool, we'll take a YA story and just add a bunch of sex and innuendos and call it a day. That was not the case at all. The matters discussed were very adult and this book felt challenging in a way I would not have expected from a fantasy novel.
"You’re my friend. Who watches trashy TV with me and puts up with my sh*t. You’re the person I don’t need to explain myself to—not when it matters. You see everything I am, and you don’t run away from it.”
Finally, I liked the inclusion of whatever the hell the opposite of toxic masculinity is. Toxic femininity? I consider myself a feminist when the end goal is equality. A lot of feminists believe in lifting up women by degrading men and that's just not the point. Regardless if you're addressing racism, sexism, or any other -ism it's important to realize that it's not about taking turns. It's not: oh well that group of people have been in power and favored for the past few centuries, so now it's our turn and after centuries we can go back . . . No. Women should be lifted up until we have equal rights . . . Not more rights. I love that that was addressed since I've never seen it talked about and also it didn't feel degrading either. Sarah handled it perfectly so that it wasn't offensive just an enlightening moment. For example, Bruce was super big on being an independent woman who didn't need help from anyone. And she was super cautious about accepting help or advice from men because her mother had been caught in a possessive and toxic relationship. However, Hunt talked about wanting the best for her well-being because he cared about her, not because it gave him a power trip to control her. Another time Bryce was on the brink of death and her friend told her not to give up because she had Hunt waiting for her on the other end, and Bryce replied "you're convincing me to live because of a guy" essentially which some might have seen as anti-woman, but her friend replied with "there's nothing wrong with caring enough about someone to want to live out your life with them- regardless of gender". There was such a thing about women being portrayed as weak in earlier years, then it tipped over to the other extreme of them not needing anyone at all but Sarah proved we can have both. Bryce is undoubtedly one of the most badass female characters ever, amplified by the fact that she had no power to rely on- only her own hard work, training, wit, and brains. That's what I think made this particular subplot not be offensive because Bryce could have stayed independent but there is no prize for it just like there's no prize for accepting love. Bryce was able to enter a relationship and rely on someone without that taking away from her skills or abilities. She doesn't need Hunt in a physical sense, but there's no shame in it if she did.
“And why is it a somehow a mark against your strength to admit that there is someone, who happens to be male, worth returning to? Someone who I know made you feel like things are far from f*cked.”
If I had to nitpick, I'd say the world was a little difficult to get used to. I'm a seasoned fantasy reader and even I was struggling with all the different creatures. I was also a little confused throughout different periods in the book (but that was very intentional on the author's part since she is going to do a bunch of big reveals in the sequels).
“Memento Mori. Remember that you will die, and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer.”
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to every human ever. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, and it was just so damn good. I cannot wait to read the sequel, even if I know that it will likely break me even more than this first installment.
* Please note that this is an Adult novel that deals with very serious and potentially triggering themes, therefore not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check trigger warnings on the author's website before reading. Your enjoyment is not worth risking your mental health for!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Medical content, Police brutality, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
Minor: Deadnaming, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent