House of Earth and Blood

Was just sitting here twiddling my thumbs, because who knows when another of Maas' ACOTAR books will be published, and then a friend recommended the Crescent City series (and to skip the Throne of Glass series). Don't let my star rating fool you: I was captivated! Maas knows how to write imperfect characters you really root for, and Bryce Quinlan are Hunt Athalar are great examples. What kept this just a bit less zippy than something like A Court of Mist and Fury or A Court of Silver Flames was both slightly clunkier world-building (I'm not sure how else to say this, but this high fantasy world has too many middle managers), and there's plenty of sexual tension, but not one full sex scene! So prob great for folks who find some of the later ACOTAR books too steamy.