Started On: December 13 , 2023
Finished On: January 1, 2024
Format: Physical Book
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance

Crescent City, Book #1
Get the book here (paid link)

“Her little smile was like seeing the sun after days of rain.”

Book Summary:

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.

(Summary from Goodreads)

“My friends are with me and I not be afraid.”

Review/Thoughts:

Where do I even start? It wasn’t at all what I was expecting and it is so different from Sarah J. Maas’s other books, but I absolutely loved it!

I was sucked in right away and didn’t want to put it down. I adored all the characters. Bryce is strong, fierce, and unapologetic. I loved watching their friendship develop and then turn into a romance. I also really enjoyed all the side characters and the banter.

I loved the urban fantasy setting. I thought it was so much fun to have traditional magic and fantasy elements mixed with modern tech. I loved the mystery elements of the plot and the twists that I didn’t see coming.

There is a ton of world-building and it does get more political than I expected, but it was still so fun! I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy.

“Memento Mori. Remember that you will die.”