Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
I’m going to repeat something I said in my review for the very first book of this series because it was true then, and it’s still true now: This series is urban fantasy at its finest. It’s everything you could want from the urban fantasy genre and more. And this was, clearly, another great book in the series.
I loved Cal, but that’s no surprise. He’s been one of my favorite characters ever since I first met him. He’s witty and sarcastic (though not in a mean way), but he’s also a caring, genuine person.
The plot was gripping, but that’s no surprise either. One of the best things about these books is how they suck me in every time, and this one was no exception. This one also had a bit of a twist that will impact future books, and I’m excited about it because I suspected part of it in Book 1 and was waiting to see if I was right. And I’m now curious to learn more and see how it will pan out.
I know I’ve mentioned the mental illness rep in previous reviews, but I don’t know that I’ve ever really talked about the other rep and how intersectional it is, since Cal is half-Mexican, bisexual, and has PTSD and panic attacks. And one thing I noticed during this book is that the author finds great, subtle ways (whether it’s purposeful or not) of reminding readers that Cal is still bi, regardless of who he’s currently dating.
Speaking of dating, because of the events of the last book, Cal’s sweetheart was unfortunately only around for a video call this time. In fact, this book was different from the others in that Cal was mostly alone or with minimal help. In previous books, he had his whole DSI team, Cooper, Erica, and various other allies. This time, the fate of his city rested on him not alerting his team. But that meant we got to know a couple other side characters a bit better (Lassiter and Lucian), and we got to meet a new character (a young vampire named Foley).
This author is so good at injecting just the right emotion at just the right moment to make these books impactful. These aren’t super emotional type books. They’re action-packed urban fantasy. And yet, I swear I tear up in most of them because the author knows when a moment is heavy or emotional for the characters, and she writes it so that you feel what the character is feeling, even when you don’t have that character’s POV.
Last but not least, vampires! I can’t help it. I like when books have vampires. I’m cliche like that.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, much like I have all the other books in this series so far!
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1-4 in Clara Coulson's City of Crows Series. Anyone who likes action-packed urban fantasy, supernatural creatures, a hilariously snarky but also realistic and compassionate protag, and touching friendships/team dynamics.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: Soul Breaker (City of Crows Book 1) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Shade Chaser (City of Crows Book 2) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Wraith Hunter (City of Crows Book 3) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Doom Sayer (City of Crows Book 4) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Day Killer (City of Crows Book 5) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Spell Caster (City of Crows Book 6) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Dawn Slayer (City of Crows Book 7) by Clara Coulson
Book Review: Storm Master (City of Crows Book 8) by Clara Coulson
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I’ll definitely need to keep this series on my radar, to start SOMEDAY. Why do there have to be so many books I want to read???
It’s such a great urban fantasy series! But I feel your pain lol.
Ooh! Still good at book #5. That’s rare. I think this yet another series that I have the first book for on my Kindle.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
It’s a great series! Lol well I hope you like if you ever do get around to it!
Hahaha I am cliché too as I do love good vampire books! Now this author seems really to have diverse characters! Kuddos to her!
I wear my vampire cliche proudly, haha.
I have the first one. Honestly, I kind of need witty, sarcastic heros/heroines in my UF, it just fits with the genre. So I’m looking forward to finally starting the series.
That’s what’s so great about this series. I feel like it delivers on what many people want and expect from UF, but it also stands out from the crowd. I hope you like it!
I almost feel like I’m sorta getting to know these books just from your reviews, and they sound like lots of fun! And I love it when you suspect a twist in book one or whatever and it comes to pass- sounds like that happened here and that’s always awesome haha.
Lol they are a lot of fun! I was starting to think I might’ve wrong about that twist thing since it took five books to finally be revealed, but it should be interesting!
I think I’d really enjoy this series. Book one was free, so I just grabbed it.
I think you’d like it too!
That sounds great! I love Urban Fantasy and this looks like a series I’d enjoy a lot, too 🙂
It’s a great series! I hope you like it if you try it!
Ooh, this series is going to be one for me to keep my eye on for next year when I am going to try and read more vampire books. I really really like the sound of all of that representation in terms of culture but also mental illness. And it sounds like the rep is well done too. Cal seems like an epic character (yay for witty characters!) and basically you make this series sound so good. The plot especially seems to come through for the reader just as much as characters and I am so there for books like that!
It’s really not a vampire series. This book just happened to involve the MC helping out a vampire and taking down some bad vampires. It’s a great series though! I love the rep and the MC and the everything lol.
It’s great for a series to still be maintaining such a high standard into its fifth novel. Glad you’re enjoying City Of Crows so much 🙂
Agreed! Thanks 🙂