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May 06, 2020librarianjessica rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a masterpiece. I really took my time with it, kind of because life got insane, but also because I savoured every word. I wonder if there will come a day where I don't rate an SJM book 5 stars...in any case, today is not that day. In Bryce's world, vampyrs, fae, angels, and all manner of otherworldly entities are not otherworldly at all, but instead, regular citizens. In her world, humans are lesser than, looked down upon, and as half-Fae, Bryce is almost worse. Cursed (blessed?) with no power, she works for an antiquities dealer, dates other normal human males, and parties with her friends. But when tragedy strikes, Bryce is forced to work with an angel, Hunt Athalar, to search for what could be a dangerous serial killer on the loose in Crescent City. Trying to avoid spoilers in the synopsis is extremely challenging, but I went into this having not even read the inside cover summary, and because of that, it was an immersive experience like no other. I would recommend that to anyone thinking about picking this up; don't let Sarah's other books colour your judgement going in, for better or worse. Don't read the synopsis, don't go on Goodreads and read spoilery reviews, don't search the tag on Tumblr. You'll thank me later. A major strength of this book for me is how it is technically still "high" fantasy with the other world elements but it almost feels and reads like paranormal fantasy. I love Sarah's other series, will read literally anything she throws out into the universe, but I wondered if we'd get something similar with this first adult series (fae, high fantasy, etc.). Although we got the fae aspect, this is basically a modern world, and the addition of technology with the different Houses and how everything feels familiar enough yet also alien and fascinating is SO ORIGINAL and SO COOL. SJM's strength that draws me in so hard every single time is her characters. Bryce is a character I would normally hate in this kind of paranormal-feeling fantasy. She's that gorgeous, curvy, sassy party girl - but, because it's SJM, of course that's not all she is. And Hunt is more of her classic broody man, but at the same time, he's so distinct to me, and such a rock of a character too. He's who I want saving me if I need rescuing from a fire or something. And Ruhn! God I loved him. The party boy with the heart of gold. The development amongst the three of them was handled with such grace and patience over the course of the 800 pages. No character is ever just one thing, never reduced to a stereotype, and man, did it all move me to tears multiple times. I've said it before, and I'll say it again here, what pushes a book to a five star rating for me is the element of surprise. I don't want to be able to predict what's coming. And here, boy oh boy, did I have no idea how this was going to end. The mystery is so well-handled, I never felt impatient, and every time Hunt and Bryce were following a lead, I genuinely thought it was a good one. There were so many intricate connections, but at the same time, it never felt overwhelming. And the ultimate payoff, the reveal of everything, is so wonderfully satisfying and moving and emotional. The emotion is what does it for me with SJM too. She always manages to weave these emotional threads through everyday, mundane happenings in her books so that when she tugs on them later you can't help but sob and wonder how you got to this place. I was crying at work by the end of this one. Her characters are so realistic, her worlds so well-developed, her writing so beautiful, that it all just comes together in this perfect storm of fiction that I can't help but absolutely adore. I love this book, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.