She did it again! SHE DID IT AGAIN. Okay, yes, I loved it. Let’s do this happy review >>>
Goodreads Blurb
Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savouring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.
Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.
Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.
As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir…
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Well, it’s not really a surprise to me that I absolutely LOVED this book. I’m a huge SJM fan, even if hating her is a pretty shitty trend right now. Her writing is always great for me and I just really freaking enjoy her books and her storytelling.
This book was a gem full of fun and mystery and typical SJM (and I mean that in a good way) writing. SJM’s characters were so well thought out and developed so well. The hate to love trope was there again and it was done beautifully!
Even if people are saying that these characters were too similar or just like other characters in her other books; I loved it nonetheless. We love the consistency that we have a badass female character, we love that the characters value love and friendship, we love that we actually get a great group of characters that we individually get to know.
My friends are with me, and I am not afraid.
Sarah J. Maas
Um, cue my tears after that quote from that scene that broke my heart.
~ but back to the review ~
Bryce was such a strong character with unbelievable sass. The banter and comedy she brought were hilarious. Hunt was like another Rhys, but even better in my opinion. And did anybody else get Dorian vibes from Ruhn? because he was awesome.
The book was set up in such a smart way – all the little seeds and foreshadowing – and while reading it, I was thinking about how great this book is as a mystery, where we have two “cops” getting to know each other and trying to find the killer. It reminded of how Leigh Bardugo also went in the mystery genre with Ninth House, except that House of Earth and Blood read so much easier!
I really didn’t care that this writing was similar to her YA books, because it was just easier to read. I do still find that adult books (like Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House) use more brain power and that it’s a little harder for me to get into them compared to YA writing styles.
Overall, it was super entertaining, it gave me the feels – yes I cried at certain parts – and I was fully driven by the plot and character development throughout. The first half was a little slow but by the second half, I literally stayed up until 1am to finish this. Last night.
Yes, I’m tired.
Since I finished it last night, I’ve been looking at the beautiful fan art people have created and it just makes me so happy to feel this kind of joy and excitement when reading a book again. I haven’t felt that 5-star exhilaration in a while even though I am really enjoying my Shadowhunter Chronicles binge.
See below for 2 amazing pieces of art featuring the characters from this book:
I’ve tried very hard not to mention anything specific because spoilers are freaking rampant but I really loved this one. It was set up perfectly for the second book too, and I definitely have a few predictions. I can’t wait for book 2! I would highly recommend this one if you enjoy SJM’s books.
Have you read this book already? What did you think?
Until next time,
