By Sarah J. Maas
Stop what you are doing and place a “quitter strip” (bookmark) in that other bound travesty you thought you were reading. This is the book to get us through the Apocalypse, people. There are about seventeen plot twists, romance, adventure, and an epic battle. You never knew 800 pages could go by so quickly!
It is a fantasy read, so if that is not normally your jam, I implore you to stick with me through mentions of “fae”, “werewolves” and the like – this is book is still for you, trust me!
Bryce Quinlan lives in a society that is separated by caste: Fae, Angel, Witch, Wolf, etc. The lowest of these is humans, and society shuns any “half-breeds”. Led by Archangels, or Governors, the governing body employs lesser angels as soldiers and law enforcement. Each caste has its own governing body, with relations between the different races/parts of town/alliances tenuous at best.
Quinlan and her best friends span these different worlds through bonds they made and cemented in college. She is the only “half-breed” among them, (Fae and Human), so she is often viewed as the weaker one needing protection. When her best friend is viciously murdered, the Archangel of Crescent City, Micah, tasks her and his own personal assassin, the Umbra Mortis, an angel with the rare power of lightning, to solve the crime.
Non-fantasy readers, come back to me now. Throughout the book, Maas is able to explore some incredibly relevant themes to our world today such as race, bigotry, slavery, bullying, and the power, privilege, and burden of a governing body. She also says a lot about domestic violence, drug addiction, and loyalty and innate goodness above else.
At its heart is a mystery that will keep you guessing, There is also plenty of action and adventure sequences, and love conquering all ultimately. The is the first in her new Crescent City Trilogy, and her first foray into adult fiction. I’m not sure I am emotionally able to go on this rollercoaster two more times – but let’s be honest of course I will.
Soundtrack
- I Ran by Hidden Citizens
- Wolves by Rise Against
- Angels Fall by Breaking Benjamin
- Hurts 2B Human by P!nk
- When Legends Rise by Godsmack
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- Big genre-bender
- Twists and characters keep surprising you throughout
- Reaffirming faith in humanity and good in most creatures
- No huge cliffhanger ending that makes you disgruntled about waiting for a sequel
Cons
- We are reaching here….but some of the language is gratuitously “adult”
- Some questions still remain about secondary characters – Fury? Who are you and what is your story?
- What makes an oracle go blind? will bother you for a third of the book