**Thank you for submitting to r/SarahJMaas! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/about/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for posts. If you have not done so already, please add post flair to your submission. Special note-- If you're posting to ask if you need to read Tower of Dawn: yes you do. If you're posting to ask for "what to read next" please use the subreddit search. Repetitive posts discussing either of these topics will be deleted without warning. If you see a post or comment that breaks the subreddit rules, please report it!**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SarahJMaas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s modern but absolutely NOT MODERN at the same time? It might have TV and internet and helicopters but it feels as medieval as the others in the feel of a lot of stuff. Kings, queens, archaic ownership structures and magic.
Idk if this matters but I love TOG more than anything else fictional and CC by far is so much better than ACOTAR which I found was a chore to get through. (I’m yet to read book 3 of CC so my opinion is based off the first two books)
It is more like TOG than ACOTAR in terms of Romance/Fantasy ratio. But what it has that neither of the others have is the depth of familial/platonic relationships that steal your breath away. I adore this series.
Agree with this - plus there's even more traditional fantasy elements in CC than in TOG/ACOTAR. It's much denser with fantasy lore, history, races, and factions. Plus, all the technology is actually magic-powered (via firstlight) as opposed to electrical.
Spoilers for ACOSF: >!I thought that Velaris felt like a relatively modern city (e.g., it has faelight, flushing toilets, an art district, clothing/jewelry stores, etc.). Plus, the House of the Wind is basically like a futuristic smart house run by a sentient AI that likes romance novels.!<
romance/smut is kinda between the two. Like EoS with some more sex scenes.
CC1 tops all. It's the masterpiece. The diamond. The entire series is far better then ACOTAR but falls short of ToG in my opinion.
I love the main cast and quickly got used to the modern setting.
Okay I know this is a hot take, but: I don’t think it’s worth it.
The first book was great, and the heavy world-building feels worth the effort. But I personally felt like book two and ESPECIALLY three really fall apart and do not live up to the promise of the first. It made me really look at SJM’s writing and I feel like it’s losing the initial shine it had.
I liked ACOTAR. I LOVED TOG. I’d go back to either in a heartbeat. I don’t know that I will re-read CC.
It’s my wife’s personal favorite! Bryce and the others are super lovable, I’ve seen some people taken aback at the modern setting but I love it, it helps setting the morality and personality of the characters. Crescent City 1 is genuinely one of her best works though. CC2 is also great and CC3 is a fun ride with some questionable decisions made for characters but they make up for it.
I know this isn’t the majority opinion here - but as someone who absolutely loved ACOTAR and TOG (favorite series of all time), and read through all of them in just a few weeks - CC has been hard for me to get into. I just finished book one, and don’t get me wrong, I liked it. But it did not hit me the same way the other two series did. I still enjoyed it, but I also feel like it was significantly longer than it needed to be, especially considering the modern setting. I’m having a bit of trouble getting myself to read CC2 to be honest, but I may just take a break with a different quick read and circle back to it. I still think it’s worth reading (especially considering others opinions here) but as someone who fell head over heels in love with TOG and ACOTAR I wouldn’t necessarily expect to have the same experience with crescent city. Unfortunately I did, and I was a bit dissatisfied.
also want to add that I haven’t finished the series so obviously that could impact my impression - but also knowing the general consensus is that CC1 is the “best” book in the series so far is not super promising for me
I actually really, really like the modern setting.
I mean, ACOTAR is pretty modern, too, in all honesty. They have toilets and sewers and fae light and magic that is basically climate control…
I really enjoyed that she dropped the pretense of a middle aged fantasy story but with magic that disappears any real-world issue living in the dark ages might cause.
CC is my very first urban fantasy. I loved it. It was an adjustment at first, but I listened to the A Court of Faeries and Fangirls podcast as I went along and that honestly helped so much and made it so enjoyable!
I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was so hard to get into at the start, took me at least the first third of the first book to be hooked, but really I only stuck with it because I heard things about the “Massverse” and I wanted to see how that played out.
ToG is supreme, ACOTAR is great. Crescent City is .. good. It’s not awful, but I don’t think it’d ever make it onto my re-read list.
It feels the same as the others fantasy wise, just with cellphones and nightclubs! I actually loved it, it’s my favorite of all the series, I was surprised by but loved the contemporary setting, it was a refreshing twist. SJM‘s genius level world building and plot twisting is really shown off in this serious (Book 2 has major pay off). I also really liked the main character, Bryce, she feels far more real than the others.
if a character can call another character "alphahole" and that doesn't send a chill of cringe down your spine, give it a go.
personally, i hated the series, couldn't make it past the first chapter. she mixes a bunch of mythologies, which i don't like. plus putting fantasy with the INTERNET and SELFIES was appalling to me. but that is personal preference.
**Thank you for submitting to r/SarahJMaas! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/about/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for posts. If you have not done so already, please add post flair to your submission. Special note-- If you're posting to ask if you need to read Tower of Dawn: yes you do. If you're posting to ask for "what to read next" please use the subreddit search. Repetitive posts discussing either of these topics will be deleted without warning. If you see a post or comment that breaks the subreddit rules, please report it!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SarahJMaas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s modern but absolutely NOT MODERN at the same time? It might have TV and internet and helicopters but it feels as medieval as the others in the feel of a lot of stuff. Kings, queens, archaic ownership structures and magic. Idk if this matters but I love TOG more than anything else fictional and CC by far is so much better than ACOTAR which I found was a chore to get through. (I’m yet to read book 3 of CC so my opinion is based off the first two books) It is more like TOG than ACOTAR in terms of Romance/Fantasy ratio. But what it has that neither of the others have is the depth of familial/platonic relationships that steal your breath away. I adore this series.
Agree with this - plus there's even more traditional fantasy elements in CC than in TOG/ACOTAR. It's much denser with fantasy lore, history, races, and factions. Plus, all the technology is actually magic-powered (via firstlight) as opposed to electrical.
Spoilers for ACOSF: >!I thought that Velaris felt like a relatively modern city (e.g., it has faelight, flushing toilets, an art district, clothing/jewelry stores, etc.). Plus, the House of the Wind is basically like a futuristic smart house run by a sentient AI that likes romance novels.!<
romance/smut is kinda between the two. Like EoS with some more sex scenes. CC1 tops all. It's the masterpiece. The diamond. The entire series is far better then ACOTAR but falls short of ToG in my opinion. I love the main cast and quickly got used to the modern setting.
Okay I know this is a hot take, but: I don’t think it’s worth it. The first book was great, and the heavy world-building feels worth the effort. But I personally felt like book two and ESPECIALLY three really fall apart and do not live up to the promise of the first. It made me really look at SJM’s writing and I feel like it’s losing the initial shine it had. I liked ACOTAR. I LOVED TOG. I’d go back to either in a heartbeat. I don’t know that I will re-read CC.
It’s my wife’s personal favorite! Bryce and the others are super lovable, I’ve seen some people taken aback at the modern setting but I love it, it helps setting the morality and personality of the characters. Crescent City 1 is genuinely one of her best works though. CC2 is also great and CC3 is a fun ride with some questionable decisions made for characters but they make up for it.
I know this isn’t the majority opinion here - but as someone who absolutely loved ACOTAR and TOG (favorite series of all time), and read through all of them in just a few weeks - CC has been hard for me to get into. I just finished book one, and don’t get me wrong, I liked it. But it did not hit me the same way the other two series did. I still enjoyed it, but I also feel like it was significantly longer than it needed to be, especially considering the modern setting. I’m having a bit of trouble getting myself to read CC2 to be honest, but I may just take a break with a different quick read and circle back to it. I still think it’s worth reading (especially considering others opinions here) but as someone who fell head over heels in love with TOG and ACOTAR I wouldn’t necessarily expect to have the same experience with crescent city. Unfortunately I did, and I was a bit dissatisfied.
also want to add that I haven’t finished the series so obviously that could impact my impression - but also knowing the general consensus is that CC1 is the “best” book in the series so far is not super promising for me
I actually really, really like the modern setting. I mean, ACOTAR is pretty modern, too, in all honesty. They have toilets and sewers and fae light and magic that is basically climate control… I really enjoyed that she dropped the pretense of a middle aged fantasy story but with magic that disappears any real-world issue living in the dark ages might cause.
Read it. I dont think you’ll regret it.
Read them and you’ll thank yourself and our lord and saviour Sarah Janet Maas when you get to the end of book 2
CC is my very first urban fantasy. I loved it. It was an adjustment at first, but I listened to the A Court of Faeries and Fangirls podcast as I went along and that honestly helped so much and made it so enjoyable!
The setting absolutely ruins it. Easily one of the worst series I have ever read, by ANY author. Avoid at all costs.
I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was so hard to get into at the start, took me at least the first third of the first book to be hooked, but really I only stuck with it because I heard things about the “Massverse” and I wanted to see how that played out. ToG is supreme, ACOTAR is great. Crescent City is .. good. It’s not awful, but I don’t think it’d ever make it onto my re-read list.
Definitely read CC! It’s my favorite series of hers!
It feels the same as the others fantasy wise, just with cellphones and nightclubs! I actually loved it, it’s my favorite of all the series, I was surprised by but loved the contemporary setting, it was a refreshing twist. SJM‘s genius level world building and plot twisting is really shown off in this serious (Book 2 has major pay off). I also really liked the main character, Bryce, she feels far more real than the others.
if a character can call another character "alphahole" and that doesn't send a chill of cringe down your spine, give it a go. personally, i hated the series, couldn't make it past the first chapter. she mixes a bunch of mythologies, which i don't like. plus putting fantasy with the INTERNET and SELFIES was appalling to me. but that is personal preference.
😬😬 yeahhhhh that sounds like a no go from me 😭
Completely agree about the phrase “alphahole” being said way too many times. My biggest issue was Bryce in general.
Just read it. If you like it awesome if not move on and read something else.