This has been on my shelf for a few years now and I have attempted to read this excerpt in full a few times. Unfortunately, the story was not interesting enough for me personally, so I have given up on it every time, and will not be reading the book in full.

It was very exciting to get to read this except! Sarah is an amazing author and she is only going to keep growing. loved her first into adult fantasy.

It's always a pleasure to read Sarah J. Maas books. She made me fall in love with fantasy and still continues to do so to this day. I cannot wait to read the full version!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Absolutely fantastic book! Sarah J maas did not disappoint, I loved the plot and the character build up, the tension between the death of danika and the pack and the budding relationship forming between Bryce and Hunt. I can't wait to read the next installment. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read the exclusive extract (which prompted me to go on to read the full book!)

I really liked the book ! The main character was liakable and I loved the plot ,I wish it was longer tho ,to enjoy it a little bit more

I thought this book was a bit slow, coming from reading her other books, they were more fast paced and exciting. Something about the modern fantasy did not make me fond of it, I'm more into old dark times with faes and creatures.

I didn't like hunt at all, he was bland and boring and I didn't care enough for his story. Bryce was very regular FMC, I loved that she is curvy though, finally a bit of diversity in her characters.

Overall I rated it probably a 2/5. I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read the next one, hopefully this story picks up pace.

This was a fantastic sampler for when the book first came out - it was fabby! I absolutely adored the finished book and it’s sequel

Best world building ever. This book is a masterpiece if you love detailed world building and character driven plot!!!!

Sarah J Maas doesn't do small or tame! Having read the whole thing now I can highly recommend it along with her other works. Great to see a new setting, and despite the large size of the finished book it's one you'll race through if you enjoy her style.

It was soo good! I thought I ought to get on and get it read after sitting on my shelf for a year what with House of Sky and Breath releasing soon after and I'm glad I did.

I enjoy this new setting fantasy setting of Crescent City with it's multiple intrigues.

Fantastically written and I got so annoyed having to stop reading as I had to go to work.

The character relationships are just so wonderful and the various events really made me feel all the feels.

I geuinely had a fun time reading this extract. I then went on to purchase and enjoy the book. Perfect for those looking for an interesting read.

Really enjoyed SJ Maas’ debut adult urban fantasy. Be prepared for the long haul though as it is VERY long. The world building is quite complex and initially, I struggled with the info dump. However, my heart was ripped out and stamped on by page 60 and whilst I was permanently scarred, I was hooked. Crescent City is essentially one huge slow burn and the real payoff doesn’t really kick in until the last 20%. Crescent City was one helluvva ride and I experienced everything from love, hope, joy, fear, sorrow, betrayal and rage.

The majority of the book focuses on Bryce Quinlan’s (half human/fae)/Hunt Athalar’s (enslaved fallen angel) investigation into the deaths of Bryce’s closest friends. I didn’t instantly warm to either MC but their developing friendship won me over. On the downside, I kept waiting for that chapter 55 moment but it didn’t really materialise. Both characters have suffered a great deal and you want the best for them. Whether, the best for them is to stay together, we shall have to see. From past experience, SJ Maas can be so cruel that way. There are some great secondary characters, Ruhn especially and I’m intrigued to learn more about Prince Aidas. The world building is fantastic with different realms to discover and a plethora of supernatural/fantastical creatures. I want my own pet chimera/otter messenger!!! I want to watch Fangs and Bangs, lol!!!

My only negative was that through no fault than my own, I inadvertently came across a massive spoiler around 300 pages in and it completely removed the whodunnit element for me. I will occasionally ask for spoilers, such as HEAs but I wasn’t looking for this and it did spoil it for me.

I can’t wait to read the next instalment. I just hope there will be less suffering as the loss of so many main characters (three in particular), was so brutal for me (view spoiler)

Super refreshing to read new content from sjm. HOEAB was genuinely good and I cant wait for the next installment

Read this ahead of publication for HoEaB and I knew it was going to be great. It's an amazing world created with such smart and interesting world building, diversity and magic systems.
Sarah J. Maas never fails to make us want to keep reading, and honestly just the excerpt made me crave the whole book right then and there.

Reread 12/8/20
~5 stars right away~

I knew I want to reread this as soon as I finished the book for the first time. But I will never stop coming back to them, because stopping is like telling me to stop breathing. Does that sound dramatic? Because I’m dead serious. The day I stop reading Sarah’s books is when i freaking stop eating pizza(Which i assure you it's never).



First read 03/14/20
~5 FREAKING HOT STARS~

Okay where to start?? Honestly , this book is such a master of art that it just rubs all the coherent idea you have. But I’ll just stick with a phrase from dear Fynn:

Memento Mori.
Remember that you will die.

Reading HoEaB is like listening to rock or alternative ,and To be frank with you, this giant of a book is more like an entire series, taking you through a journey so long and eventually satisfying with so much character development that one might say it is too long. And perhaps I first agreed until I realized that I wouldn’t give up a single syllable and lose the characters and world.

Yes, it’s very slow for the first half but, when slow is interesting, it ends up paying off even better than fast paced as all those tied up threads snap in the longest, most exquisite climax to have graced my book shelves. I know some people found the beginning to be slow, but I actually didn’t have any problems with it. I found it perfect, learning about the world and the characters was beautiful. I wasn’t bored for one second and it literally makes me so happy because I was scared this wouldn’t meet my expectations. Shame on me for doubting this queen.
Let’s get to serious business here which is the characters, and oh boy do we have a FAN-FUCKING-STATIC cast of characters here. I literally love almost every character in this book

──── ✧.: ⋆* ☾ ✧.: ⋆* ────
just one word and be done: fabulous

What a tantalising teaser to start a new series. Sarah really draws the reader in with this 5 chapter extract she makes you fall in love with the friendship between Bryce and Danika and crushes it right at the very end, leaving you wanting more more more.

Exciting new book from one of my favourite authors - what more can I say? New characters and an interesting story. I pre ordered the book!

Loved this book, 1000%. The story. The details! I can’t wait for a re-read as well as book 2!!
This is her best work so far. Bryce is such a badass!

When I finished this book, Ihad to sit with it for a little while. Sarah is overall an incredible writer, I am always so surprised at how she manages to weave in details that somehow tie together at the end of the book. Overall a really good book! That being said I’ve read some reviews I agree with, that pointed out some shortcomings in the book. Mainly how Maas tends to put young girls with little to no power paired with older, centuries-old men with lots of trauma. Also, that the way she made the book more adult is by adding cuss words. BUT my biggest gripe with the book is how many unnecessary details it has. I feel like she added so much detail to prove this world wasn’t like her past books or that it wasn’t set in this world. There were too many side characters who I thought didn’t really need to be mentioned in the central story. However, no book is perfect and the story was overall entertaining and well-spun. I really liked all the characters Bryce, Hunt, Danika, the Wolf Pack, and all the cute side characters of the book like the fire sprite or Juniper. I do like the explanation of the Houses and of how the power works in their realm. Personally, I loved the explanation of the afterlife, and I also really like how she alluded to the future series has in store. Overall it was a good book! Will I buy the sequel? You better believe it! Because as much as I dislike some of the tropes SJM perpetuates, I still really love her writing style and her character development. Plus she makes reading books fun!