I liked that she was deeply involved in Guardian business it kept her character looking forward instead of wallowing in self-pity.
Harlow finally showed remorse over her mother’s death, and seemed more open to her fae ancestry which were big pluses for me. I was surprised that the antagonist was subdued this early on, but there are plenty of contenders to take his place, so I’m not the least bit concerned about this trilogy’s staying power. Lally’s back story was alarming to say the least, and I liked how all of the threads came together to form an exquisitely crafted cohesive whole. I enjoyed this novel’s investigative-style plot line, and how the author used the various characters’ abilities to her advantage to solve the Fairy Queen’s kidnapping case. In the earlier chapters I feared that a love triangle was on the brink of developing between Augustine, Nekai & Harlow, but Painter quickly put the kibosh on that which was a relief. In addition, the real reason why Branzino (the villain) wants Olivia’s house so bad was explained, and both the witch & voodoo aspects of this story were in evidence as well. The author also tackled well-known fae lore such as mirror travel, and the alternate plane which made for some very robust world-building. I got a kick out of Harlow and Cy’s Realm of Zauron exchanges, the too-cool-for-school contact lens with built-in facial recognition, and that the beautiful dress that’s featured on the cover was described in vivid detail. This universe is chock-full of magic and techie excellence the gaming references, neato gadgets, and spelled clothing fed the nerd.
Harlow did however make one rash decision towards the end which resulted in a super predictable ending, but other than that, I was one happy camper. I asked for more fae mythology & less brattiness, and that’s precisely what the author delivered.
In fact, I re-read my review of HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN before writing this one, and observed that all of the elements that I’d previously gripped over were amended in CITY OF ETERNAL NIGHT which is exactly what you want to see in a sequel. The second installment in Kristen Painter’s CRESCENT CITY series was more plot than character driven which was a welcomed tweak because my prevailing criticism about book 1 was the heroine.
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