I'm still processing the events of this chonky book so expect a long rambling review!! 🤪 this series (and all of SJM's books) consume my every thought, and it's truly spectacular to watch a world come to life, especially as one as complex as crescent city!  that is one thing SJM knows how to do best: weaving complex storylines so easily!!

it's so hard to write a spoiler-free review since every little detail feels like a spoiler, so I'll say this before I go into more detail after the break: it felt like so much happened in the span of 900 pages, and yet, there was so much more I wanted to see.  it didn't feel like enough, and also too much all at the same time.  so clearly, I'm still conflicted at how much I enjoyed this one...

🛑 [SPOILERS BEHIND THIS POINT] 🛑






[TURN BACK NOW!!!!]






okay if you're still with me, I'm going to start with the gigantic elephant in the room that is the multiverse of ACOTAR, CC, and TOG.  I think I went in with too high expectations because the ACOTAR crossover felt... unimportant.  everything that bryce learned from nesta and bryce could have been told to her by aidas at any give time... so yes, it was a fan service moment, but it didn't hold a great impact to me 🫠 I wanted so much more from the multiverse - and maybe that's due to the fact that I love the ACOTAR and TOG characters so much more than the CC ones... but I was truly holding out hope for an avengers like crossover event at the end...

that being said, nesta's evolution and personality in this one showed SO MUCH growth since we last saw her in ACOSF 🥹🥹🥹 - she's grown, she's besties with azriel now, and she wields her powers (those silver flames though omfg!! ☠️) and weapons with beauty, grace, and warrior skill.  I teared up everytime I saw her on the page! 😭❤️

and that leads me to bryce because she was not it in this book.  the "hiding everything from everyone" trope didn't work for me 🫠 in TOG, aelin was the queen of keeping everything close to her chest and it worked for her, mostly because we saw her trauma and grief of what happens when she trusts people time and time again.  it fit.  with bryce, it just felt smug and selfish.  yes, she takes no shit which I love, but I didn't see the growth in her like I did in HOEAB...

once again, ruhn and lidia have my entire heart like they did in HOSAB! 🥵 I loved seeing them grow past their "day and night" personalities, but again, I wanted more.  this was a veryyyyyy plot heavy book, which means the characterization and growth potential of characters felt stifled.  I didn't feel as connected to them as I have with SJM's other series, and I think that's due to this series being very plot heavy and world building and less emphasis on who the characters truly are at their core.

the ending to me felt anticlimactic, and that's mostly due to the fact that SJM uses the same "dead but not really" trope on every main character in every one of her finales 😑🙄 it felt like a repeat of ACOWAR which took away the effect she was going for.  don't get me wrong, I love a happy ending, but you're telling me not a single person died fighting gods??? please 

I just think the book would have been cleaner if it focused more on the multiverse aspects and less on the side characters (tharion, your chapters made me want to stab my eyeballs, there's only so much self pity I can take 🫠) especially if a spin-off is happening with tharion and ithan.  I screamed every time a little tidbit was dropped about the ACOTAR and TOG connections though omg - and the way she set up ACOTAR 5? priceless 😮‍💨

at the end of the day, it was an entertaining and heart-pounding plot heavy read, and it did the fan service of loyal SJM readers well.  I just think some cuts of POVs with the addition of more multiverse connections would have made this a 5 star read for me...

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: chianti red blend