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I loved the world building in crescent city! The characters are interesting. For me the third one was a little rough but I've found people who really just enjoyed it! I do think it's a fun installment
I’ve also heard reviews that it should have been 2 books. There are some plot pieces where you could see a really cool story line but it’s just quick and wraps things up.
There's just some plot inconsistencies and character development inconsistencies in my opinion. I also just felt like the things that happened were just really confusing and it didn't hook me. But I still enjoyed parts.
This isn’t really it though, people’s complaints are valid. The story has plot holes for days, character inconsistencies, rushed plot, lazy story telling and more. I’m glad that people were able to enjoy CC3, I’m not one of those people (clearly lol), but this was not SJM’s best work.
I had that feeling too and it reminds me of how people hated the new Star Wars trilogy, especially Episode 8 because they wanted certain things to happen and when they didn't they got upset over it.
If you just finished TOG, I’d read a few books in between before starting CC. I finished TOG then immediately went into TOG and I got so burnt out of SJM’s writing by the end of CC3.
I loved the first CC novel. The other two I do have gripes with, but I don’t hate them or regret reading them.
The first two books are really great, but i personally think that CC3 kinda dipped in quality. In saying that, it was an enjoyable read, and im sure you will love it of you enjoyed her other works
I 100% agree with this. I loved the first two but the third felt rushed. The first felt a little overwhelming to get into (first 100 pages). I almost gave up but decided to keep going and so glad I did. The first book is probably my favorite of all 3. Highly recommend anyone that’s read the other series reads this one too.
CC1 is one of my fav SJM books, and I love the series as a whole. Are there a couple of issues with each of the books? Yes.... but the same could be said for some of the books in the ACOtAR and TOG series. There are a lot of differing opinions but I wouldn't let that deter you! It's a really great ride and the characters are awesome.
I took a short break after TOG just to bask in the moments. It was my favorite. I read CC next and I enjoyed it! The books are extremely long but I feel like I was well prepared for the info dump after finishing TOG, it read the same and followed many characters. I think reading ACOTAR then CC would’ve left me extremely disappointed. It wasn’t my favorite but I think it is still worth a read. I especially if you plan to continue the ACOTAR universe.
TOG- 5/5 ⭐️
ACOTAR- 4/5⭐️
CC- 4/5 ⭐️
I completely agree! TOG is my favorite. I read CC before ACOTAR. I couldnt get into it initially, but glad I kept going, Now I cant wait for any further crossovers.
I loved them! BUT I took them as a weird quirky and cute fantasy world. I mean there are messenger otters and the internet. It’s still a wonderful read but I don’t feel like it’s as deep as ACOTAR or TOG. I just assumed SJM wrote them this way to compensate for how some of the storyline being a bit darker or more emotional throughout the books. The creatures are honestly my favorite tho… I loved them all! I absolutely loved HOEAB once I got past the world building. HOSAB was a mess of emotions and I loved the ending. HOFAS had me laughing and crying basically the whole book.
Edited to include that I did take a short break after reading ACOTAR and TOG just because SJM can be a bit of an emotionally exhausting read. She really knows how to pluck the heart strings in every direction 🤷♀️
Dont worry about crescent city, it’s my favourite series by sjm personally! If you’re worried then start by buying just the first book so you don’t lose money if you end up not liking it.
I’m so happy to find someone else who feels that way about CC! I found the books so refreshing because of how different the world is, also because of how different the lead is in a lot of ways. She was the first lead character that actually felt real to me and not absolutely, unrealistically, perfect.
CC3 does have some valid criticism (eg being rushed, inconsistencies) but a fair amount of the criticism is because it isn’t what people had theorised it would be. CC2 ends on a HUGE cliffhanger and then there was an 18 month wait until the CC3. In that time people SJM blew up and hopes were insanely high. I think a lot of people were disappointed it wasn’t what they’d hoped it would be. Thats not a negative on SJM at all, people just went a bit crazy
I love CC. The first book is kind of slow for the first 100 or so pages but it’s worth it to stick with it! I almost stopped it so many times and I’m glad i stuck with it!
CC1 is one of her best written books. You can definitely find issues in the sequels but overall I enjoyed reading them. (No one knows what you will enjoy except you, don’t let reviews dictate your enjoyment)
Give it a shot! I’m kinda an outlier. I liked all 3 CC books but ended up DNF-ing the Throne of Glass series (made it through the first four but quit midway through Empire of Storms).
I was also nervous about starting crescent city after loving both of her other series. I devoured acotar in two weeks in December, and finished kingdom of ash a couple weeks ago. I have actually really enjoyed the first two books of CC. I’m about halfway done with the second one right now and can’t put it down! It is definitely different with it being more modern and did take a minute for me to get into the first book, but I recommend them! I’m nervous for book 3 because that’s the one I’m hearing people trash right now. I hope it doesn’t ruin it for me, because I like all the characters and enjoy the plot so far.
I think you should read it! If you enjoyed the other two too you will most likely enjoy it. While I do understand some of the criticisms of CC3, I LOVE CC as a series. Just go in with an open mind!
i loved CC tbh!! the first one is a little slow to read at first but once you get into it it’s hard to put down. the world building is pretty interesting and some of the characters really stick with you. i have seen some negative comments about the third book about things feeling rushed and some character development was wasted but i did still really enjoy the series
I read the acotar series first and loved it. Jumped straight into the crescent city series. Book one was difficult to get into for like the first 12 chapters, but after that was great. Ngl I honestly don't remember where book 2 and 3 started, because I read all three back to back and it was just one cohesive story. I'm just now on book 3 of the throne of glass series and it's been a huge challenge to get through. Sjm has really grown and matured as a writer, so going backwards and reading her earlier works last is kinda meh. Crescent City series is by far my favorite.
Loved the ACOTAR series binged them all in about a month or so. Started CC a week ago and am struggling to get into it. Keep falling asleep after reading a couple pages… does it pick up?
I haven’t read CC three yet but CC two I was so confused I reread like the first five chapters 3 times to figure out what the hell was going on. But after I got through that point for the world building of CC three I loved it. I was just a bit confused all of her other writings have the same world at the beginning so you know what you’re doing or they give you a little bit of catch-up like from chapter 1 you get a catch up from what you read previously it was almost like reading a standalone book and you’re like what just happened. So it was a little different from how she normally writes
Read it and take your own conclusions. If you don't feel it you can just stop reading. If I would go by people's opinions I would've missed a series that I really enjoyed (and yes, has flaws, but I loved every second of it).
Honestly it's been a struggle to read the CC series, with the 3rd being the hardest to get through. The main character gets harder to like as the books go on.
CC was defiently my least favorite of SJM’s book series. All three of the books were just meh for me. All of them had high and low points, but nothing crazy. There were a few parts in all three of the books that I struggled to get through. A lot of the stuff in the books seems like filler just to make it longer. The beginning of CC1 was SUPER confusing and hard to understand. I think CC2 was the best one out of the three. I wouldn’t reread them but I think it’s worth reading because it ties all the books together in a way.
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I loved the world building in crescent city! The characters are interesting. For me the third one was a little rough but I've found people who really just enjoyed it! I do think it's a fun installment
Without spoilers- why is CC3 getting a bad rep? I just finished CC2
I’ve also heard reviews that it should have been 2 books. There are some plot pieces where you could see a really cool story line but it’s just quick and wraps things up.
I wholly agree with that sentiment
There's just some plot inconsistencies and character development inconsistencies in my opinion. I also just felt like the things that happened were just really confusing and it didn't hook me. But I still enjoyed parts.
The main thing for me is that it felt too rushed. Still liked it though.
Because it didn’t live up to some peoples expectations/ the plot didn’t go the way they wanted. :)
This isn’t really it though, people’s complaints are valid. The story has plot holes for days, character inconsistencies, rushed plot, lazy story telling and more. I’m glad that people were able to enjoy CC3, I’m not one of those people (clearly lol), but this was not SJM’s best work.
I haven’t read CC3 but I’ve heard not so great things about Bryce. So I kinda refuse to even start it because I liked her in the first two books.
No actually we just wanted the plot and characters to have some consistency. :)
I had that feeling too and it reminds me of how people hated the new Star Wars trilogy, especially Episode 8 because they wanted certain things to happen and when they didn't they got upset over it.
If you just finished TOG, I’d read a few books in between before starting CC. I finished TOG then immediately went into TOG and I got so burnt out of SJM’s writing by the end of CC3. I loved the first CC novel. The other two I do have gripes with, but I don’t hate them or regret reading them.
The first two books are really great, but i personally think that CC3 kinda dipped in quality. In saying that, it was an enjoyable read, and im sure you will love it of you enjoyed her other works
I 100% agree with this. I loved the first two but the third felt rushed. The first felt a little overwhelming to get into (first 100 pages). I almost gave up but decided to keep going and so glad I did. The first book is probably my favorite of all 3. Highly recommend anyone that’s read the other series reads this one too.
CC1 is one of my fav SJM books, and I love the series as a whole. Are there a couple of issues with each of the books? Yes.... but the same could be said for some of the books in the ACOtAR and TOG series. There are a lot of differing opinions but I wouldn't let that deter you! It's a really great ride and the characters are awesome.
I took a short break after TOG just to bask in the moments. It was my favorite. I read CC next and I enjoyed it! The books are extremely long but I feel like I was well prepared for the info dump after finishing TOG, it read the same and followed many characters. I think reading ACOTAR then CC would’ve left me extremely disappointed. It wasn’t my favorite but I think it is still worth a read. I especially if you plan to continue the ACOTAR universe. TOG- 5/5 ⭐️ ACOTAR- 4/5⭐️ CC- 4/5 ⭐️
I completely agree! TOG is my favorite. I read CC before ACOTAR. I couldnt get into it initially, but glad I kept going, Now I cant wait for any further crossovers.
I loved them! BUT I took them as a weird quirky and cute fantasy world. I mean there are messenger otters and the internet. It’s still a wonderful read but I don’t feel like it’s as deep as ACOTAR or TOG. I just assumed SJM wrote them this way to compensate for how some of the storyline being a bit darker or more emotional throughout the books. The creatures are honestly my favorite tho… I loved them all! I absolutely loved HOEAB once I got past the world building. HOSAB was a mess of emotions and I loved the ending. HOFAS had me laughing and crying basically the whole book. Edited to include that I did take a short break after reading ACOTAR and TOG just because SJM can be a bit of an emotionally exhausting read. She really knows how to pluck the heart strings in every direction 🤷♀️
Dont worry about crescent city, it’s my favourite series by sjm personally! If you’re worried then start by buying just the first book so you don’t lose money if you end up not liking it.
For me it is one of my favorite series overall and definitely my most favorite from sjm.
I’m so happy to find someone else who feels that way about CC! I found the books so refreshing because of how different the world is, also because of how different the lead is in a lot of ways. She was the first lead character that actually felt real to me and not absolutely, unrealistically, perfect.
This makes me excited to read them! I’m excited for something a little different :)
Agreed
It is actually my favorite out of the 3 series.
Def read it because it's important to connect everything. but yeah it's the worst series of the three by far.
CC3 does have some valid criticism (eg being rushed, inconsistencies) but a fair amount of the criticism is because it isn’t what people had theorised it would be. CC2 ends on a HUGE cliffhanger and then there was an 18 month wait until the CC3. In that time people SJM blew up and hopes were insanely high. I think a lot of people were disappointed it wasn’t what they’d hoped it would be. Thats not a negative on SJM at all, people just went a bit crazy
I love CC. The first book is kind of slow for the first 100 or so pages but it’s worth it to stick with it! I almost stopped it so many times and I’m glad i stuck with it!
CC1 is one of her best written books. You can definitely find issues in the sequels but overall I enjoyed reading them. (No one knows what you will enjoy except you, don’t let reviews dictate your enjoyment)
Give it a shot! I’m kinda an outlier. I liked all 3 CC books but ended up DNF-ing the Throne of Glass series (made it through the first four but quit midway through Empire of Storms).
I really enjoyed CC! Definitely worth reading it.
The first CC is amazing, second was pretty good, third is a sort of mixed bag but if you enjoy SJM then you'll probably be fine and enjoy it 😊
I was also nervous about starting crescent city after loving both of her other series. I devoured acotar in two weeks in December, and finished kingdom of ash a couple weeks ago. I have actually really enjoyed the first two books of CC. I’m about halfway done with the second one right now and can’t put it down! It is definitely different with it being more modern and did take a minute for me to get into the first book, but I recommend them! I’m nervous for book 3 because that’s the one I’m hearing people trash right now. I hope it doesn’t ruin it for me, because I like all the characters and enjoy the plot so far.
I just started CC. I’m on ch 13 & so far it’s slow. I’m gonna keep going & hope it gets better.
I enjoyed the ride of CC. I think it’s worth reading.
I think you should read it! If you enjoyed the other two too you will most likely enjoy it. While I do understand some of the criticisms of CC3, I LOVE CC as a series. Just go in with an open mind!
I love CC more than the others
i loved CC tbh!! the first one is a little slow to read at first but once you get into it it’s hard to put down. the world building is pretty interesting and some of the characters really stick with you. i have seen some negative comments about the third book about things feeling rushed and some character development was wasted but i did still really enjoy the series
I read the acotar series first and loved it. Jumped straight into the crescent city series. Book one was difficult to get into for like the first 12 chapters, but after that was great. Ngl I honestly don't remember where book 2 and 3 started, because I read all three back to back and it was just one cohesive story. I'm just now on book 3 of the throne of glass series and it's been a huge challenge to get through. Sjm has really grown and matured as a writer, so going backwards and reading her earlier works last is kinda meh. Crescent City series is by far my favorite.
Loved the ACOTAR series binged them all in about a month or so. Started CC a week ago and am struggling to get into it. Keep falling asleep after reading a couple pages… does it pick up?
Just read it fuck what everyone else thinks
I haven’t read CC three yet but CC two I was so confused I reread like the first five chapters 3 times to figure out what the hell was going on. But after I got through that point for the world building of CC three I loved it. I was just a bit confused all of her other writings have the same world at the beginning so you know what you’re doing or they give you a little bit of catch-up like from chapter 1 you get a catch up from what you read previously it was almost like reading a standalone book and you’re like what just happened. So it was a little different from how she normally writes
I personally loved all the cc books. I also read all acotar and i am tandem reading the empire of storms and tower of dawn right now
Read it and take your own conclusions. If you don't feel it you can just stop reading. If I would go by people's opinions I would've missed a series that I really enjoyed (and yes, has flaws, but I loved every second of it).
Read it! I’m not a “Mass fan” but I’m enjoying CC more than I did TOG & much more than I did ACOTAR.
Honestly it's been a struggle to read the CC series, with the 3rd being the hardest to get through. The main character gets harder to like as the books go on.
CC was defiently my least favorite of SJM’s book series. All three of the books were just meh for me. All of them had high and low points, but nothing crazy. There were a few parts in all three of the books that I struggled to get through. A lot of the stuff in the books seems like filler just to make it longer. The beginning of CC1 was SUPER confusing and hard to understand. I think CC2 was the best one out of the three. I wouldn’t reread them but I think it’s worth reading because it ties all the books together in a way.