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cbdayy 's review for:
City of Souls and Sinners
by Kayla Edwards
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this post contains spoilers for The City of Gods and Monsters series ~ so beware!
I recently finished the second book of the city of gods and monsters series. I started the series bc a booktok creater I like swears that Darien Cassel is her new favorite book boyfriend aaaaand originally her recs have never let me down.
Something in my brain does not allow me to DNF books (I think it’s the serotonin of clicking read and seeing it added to my yearly book count😆) so I powered through the first and then thought maybe the second would be better so I read that too. Now we will say I have absolutely no intention of picking up the 3rd.
There were so many things I found wrong with the book and I am NOT a book critique-r. However throughout the 2 book I found myself going ‘????’
The following are rants that weave through book 1 &2:
Let’s start with Lace. Her & Darien had been in a relationship and it seemed like there was gonna be some build to her jealousy and I think it could have added to the plot and then it was just .. never really mentioned again.
The book is called city of gods and monsters but there’s brief mention of gods that then never contribute to the plot? I could understand if the Well is supposed to be the ‘God’ figure but i feel like thats a stretch really
SO MUCH POTENTIAL for Mordred and Penelope and they don’t even get speaking lines?? Just mentions.
Hells Gate was supposed to be this huge secret but Loren would order cabs to and from there? Then they were confused how the bad guys found them??
In the second book I really enjoyed the addition of Dallas POV being added. However I kept thinking why we never got more from Sabine?? She was the one originally captured and everything in book 1 and we dont get anything about her trauma about being captured or then turned into a wolf?? Just that now suddenly she’s interested in the guy that turned her? Like ok..
You’re telling me that soft frail - can’t do anything without Darien - Loren. Not only killed a head vampire but then also took down a hellseyer (even an ex-communicated one -the Warg)?? Those plot lines just didn’t add up to me
Don’t get me started on the smut scenes in these books🙄🙄 I actually skipped them all. After Zodiac Academy I have been struggling to get back into the smuttier scenes in books and in book 1 when they are in the nightclub I was HOOKED I was so excited about the build up that was happening between Darien and Loren and then.. then I felt like there were so many times a true smut scene could have been added that would have hit with the same fire and build up as the night club scene. Instead readers are given a last ditch effort of a smut scene at the end of the book. Literally no build up, just suddenly ‘oh and now we do it’. It would have been better left out in my opinion.
You know who else had so much potential that wasn’t reached?? Ivy!!!!!!!! Darien’s twin sister. A devil by right but also made out to kinda be whimpy?? By all means she should have been a bad a** b*tch but instead she was married off to a guy with a gambling problem that Darien had to save the day with?? Then in the second book when Darien is saving the day AGAIN with his power - that as his twin Ivy should have just as much of - instead of stepping up to help. (Paraphrasing) ‘she gets a look from Darien and doesn’t protest and stays back’ and instead their male cousin steps up to help? THAT was really the tipping point of these books actually suck??!!!!!!! For me. Because quite frankly if the world is ending your personal trama should be put on the back burner am i right? I just couldnt help but think why is she even a Devil if Darien has to do everything for her?
Also Darien is totally an internalized sexist. Everything he does to ‘protect’ the woman around him is just him being a control freak and is giving ‘oh you’re a woman and can’t do it by yourself’. If he ACTUALLY trusted the woman in this series there could have been so much less whiney drama.
Overall my main complaints go out to the author who created so much potential for really awesome female characters and instead made them out to be frail and useless. Of course realistically they do all have power and strength in their own right but I truly feel as if none of their strengths were able to shine through due to them ALL relaying on the men around them for everything. Even the female hellseyers were somehow made to be less than the males. I believe that romance and female strength can go hand in hand. That is not the case in these books.
If you are still here… I know I have some harsh opinions on this book and if you loved it I am sorry to not share your view! I would love to hear both sides if you either loved or also disliked this book. All I ask is that even if you disagree with me we still keep comments cordial! I will not be arguing in the comments & there is no reason to be rude🤍
I recently finished the second book of the city of gods and monsters series. I started the series bc a booktok creater I like swears that Darien Cassel is her new favorite book boyfriend aaaaand originally her recs have never let me down.
Something in my brain does not allow me to DNF books (I think it’s the serotonin of clicking read and seeing it added to my yearly book count😆) so I powered through the first and then thought maybe the second would be better so I read that too. Now we will say I have absolutely no intention of picking up the 3rd.
There were so many things I found wrong with the book and I am NOT a book critique-r. However throughout the 2 book I found myself going ‘????’
The following are rants that weave through book 1 &2:
Let’s start with Lace. Her & Darien had been in a relationship and it seemed like there was gonna be some build to her jealousy and I think it could have added to the plot and then it was just .. never really mentioned again.
The book is called city of gods and monsters but there’s brief mention of gods that then never contribute to the plot? I could understand if the Well is supposed to be the ‘God’ figure but i feel like thats a stretch really
SO MUCH POTENTIAL for Mordred and Penelope and they don’t even get speaking lines?? Just mentions.
Hells Gate was supposed to be this huge secret but Loren would order cabs to and from there? Then they were confused how the bad guys found them??
In the second book I really enjoyed the addition of Dallas POV being added. However I kept thinking why we never got more from Sabine?? She was the one originally captured and everything in book 1 and we dont get anything about her trauma about being captured or then turned into a wolf?? Just that now suddenly she’s interested in the guy that turned her? Like ok..
You’re telling me that soft frail - can’t do anything without Darien - Loren. Not only killed a head vampire but then also took down a hellseyer (even an ex-communicated one -the Warg)?? Those plot lines just didn’t add up to me
Don’t get me started on the smut scenes in these books🙄🙄 I actually skipped them all. After Zodiac Academy I have been struggling to get back into the smuttier scenes in books and in book 1 when they are in the nightclub I was HOOKED I was so excited about the build up that was happening between Darien and Loren and then.. then I felt like there were so many times a true smut scene could have been added that would have hit with the same fire and build up as the night club scene. Instead readers are given a last ditch effort of a smut scene at the end of the book. Literally no build up, just suddenly ‘oh and now we do it’. It would have been better left out in my opinion.
You know who else had so much potential that wasn’t reached?? Ivy!!!!!!!! Darien’s twin sister. A devil by right but also made out to kinda be whimpy?? By all means she should have been a bad a** b*tch but instead she was married off to a guy with a gambling problem that Darien had to save the day with?? Then in the second book when Darien is saving the day AGAIN with his power - that as his twin Ivy should have just as much of - instead of stepping up to help. (Paraphrasing) ‘she gets a look from Darien and doesn’t protest and stays back’ and instead their male cousin steps up to help? THAT was really the tipping point of these books actually suck??!!!!!!! For me. Because quite frankly if the world is ending your personal trama should be put on the back burner am i right? I just couldnt help but think why is she even a Devil if Darien has to do everything for her?
Also Darien is totally an internalized sexist. Everything he does to ‘protect’ the woman around him is just him being a control freak and is giving ‘oh you’re a woman and can’t do it by yourself’. If he ACTUALLY trusted the woman in this series there could have been so much less whiney drama.
Overall my main complaints go out to the author who created so much potential for really awesome female characters and instead made them out to be frail and useless. Of course realistically they do all have power and strength in their own right but I truly feel as if none of their strengths were able to shine through due to them ALL relaying on the men around them for everything. Even the female hellseyers were somehow made to be less than the males. I believe that romance and female strength can go hand in hand. That is not the case in these books.
If you are still here… I know I have some harsh opinions on this book and if you loved it I am sorry to not share your view! I would love to hear both sides if you either loved or also disliked this book. All I ask is that even if you disagree with me we still keep comments cordial! I will not be arguing in the comments & there is no reason to be rude🤍