If you are an avid reader or even an occasional reader, you have definitely heard of Sarah J. Maas and her smash hit series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. After being referred to that series by a friend and absolutely LOVING it, I decided I would read the other books that Maas had written. So, I downloaded the two Crescent City books while I was on spring break and got to work. All of her books are fantasy romance novels, and although the general theme is similar in everything she’s written, Maas manages to craft such different characters and worlds in each series, creating something brand new and entirely different.
The book begins by introducing the reader to the main character that we will follow throughout the two books, half-human/half-Fae Bryce Quinlan. Fae refers to Faeries, which are basically all-powerful magical humans. In Crescent City, where the book takes place, humans are looked down upon and scoffed at by the high and mighty Fae people, due to their mortality and lack of magical powers.
Bryce is a freshly graduated college student taking on the world with her shapeshifter wolf soulmate and best friend Dannika. The two young women can take on anything together, and we follow them on crazy nights out full of partying and random hook-ups at clubs. Wolf packs full of shapeshifters are responsible for defending the city from crime and demons and such, and Dannika “works” as the leader/alpha of her wolf pack. The reader is introduced to the members of the pack, and we see what a tightly-knit group of friends Bryce has in her life.
Everything is perfect in Bryce’s life until tragedy strikes, and Dannika and the wolf pack are ripped from Bryce forever. We follow Bryce throughout the book as she tries to piece together what happened to her friends and why, and the story becomes very reminiscent of a mystery novel. In her search for the truth, Bryce meets fallen angel Hunt Athalar, infamously known as the Umbra Mortis, the personal assassin for the Archangel (city head) named Micah. Bryce teamed up with Hunt to find the murderer responsible for the deaths of Dannika and her friends. Hatred turns to love throughout the series, and the complicated relationship between Bryce and Hunt is the definition of a slow-burn romance, and who doesn’t love a slow burn?
If you have still not read A Court of Thorns and Roses, the time is now. These books are so entertaining and will make you wish you read them sooner. Once you read A Court of Thorns and Roses, immediately read Crescent City. Although this slow-burn romance doesn’t compare to A Court of Thorns and Roses (can anything compare?!), it is still mind-numbingly good, and some of the slow parts are made up for when you get to the end of the second book, which is one of the best, most satisfying endings I have read in a long time.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!