So many thoughts. First and most important? Please get a new editor, Ms. Maas. A brutal editor or team of brutal editors is imperative for the next book. Your literary garden needs some serious weeding, lady. The blooms are there but they are choked under the kudzu. The weight of these books pushes me closer to carpal tunnel syndrome unnecessarily. End of rant.
Well, maybe not…This book is another doorstop. Took me over a month to finish it. I nearly stopped reading it several times while waiting for it “pick up” like the first book in the series. This time, no matter how much love I felt for the characters, the book did not “pick up” quickly enough.
The gang from the first book in the Crescent City series, House of Earth and Blood, are back. Still recovering from the revelations and near-death experiences of that book’s journey, they are thrown into even more life-threatening situations and political intrigue. A lot is going on but despite the action, it seemed a little belabored. I can’t really put my finger on why. All of the turmoil was repetitive turmoil? Or some of it was predictable turmoil? Ugh. I don’t know.
I shouldn’t have to consider giving up on a book about 10 times before I finally finish it. I just wanted the story to get on with it all ready. And then it ended. That sweet, sweet payoff I was looking for was on pages 800 & 801. Well, a sort of payoff? Maybe? In any event, a very surprisingly twisty ending makes it impossible for me to quit reading these books. Is it conceivable to be thrilled and exhausted by the idea of reading the next book? I just don’t know.
