ReadingDiva's Blog

**Originally posted @ ReadingDiva's Blog**

REVIEW: City of Eternal Night is book #2 in the Crescent City Series by Kristen Painter, and the spinoff series to The House of Comarre Series. This story just keeps getting better, City of Eternal Night starts right off where House of Rising Sun ends. Harlow & Augustine are now sharing the house Olivia left them and they are discovering just how much attracted to one another they are.

I enjoyed City of Eternal Night very much, these characters have matured and evolved a lot. Harlow though reluctant to her Fae nature has learned to embrace it but not without reservations and even apprehension. I enjoyed how nice the story flowed, the conflict with Harlow’s father has taken a new spin and these characters find themselves fighting against a very powerful Fae.

Harlow’s life has changed drastically since her mother’s death, but what I like the most about the changes is how she understand that her life is hers to control and how she chooses to take the steps needed to keep her sanity. She is also interested in learning how gain control over her powers which she still doesn’t know much about. I think the author did a great job bringing a new spin to the story, the secret that keeps Harlow bound to her mother’s home and how she chooses to come to terms with the darkness that threatens to consume her. I love Painter’s writing style. It is simple yet so full of details that open the reader’s imagination to a world where anything is possible.

The world of the Fae and the exotic and dark nature of New Orleans give the story the needed spark to keep it interesting. The different types of Fae and the many different type of magic flowing around the story is entertaining without making it overwhelming. These characters have their good and bad traits, their needs and desire for power have created an array of conflicts that adds interest to the story. Kristen Painter has created a captivating world. A world with all kinds of creatures and magic, where witches, voodoo warlocks, vampires and ghosts, are in a constant struggle of power and conflicts but all the while giving City Of Eternal Night a captivating and sensual feel, where anything is possible and where power fuels these creatures souls.

Kristen explore Augustine and Harlow’s feeling quite nicely. She exposes their needs and wants without making it the focal point of the story. She gives us a love story that develops slowly, showing the characters true intention and forming alliances based on strong foundation. I enjoyed how Augustine and Harlow’s story moves slowly, giving their story a sense of reality and normalcy. City of Eternal Night is full of surprises and twists, it engages the reader to draw conclusions and to take sides, it evokes reactions and strong emotions. I enjoyed this installment and I can’t wait to read the next book. Kristen has proven to write spellbinding stories that captives the imagination.