City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils)

— 5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❝Whether he called himself a Devil or not, he had quickly turned into her angel. Perhaps she was becoming his, too.❞📖 | 760 pages👤 | author Kayla Edwards🏢 | independently published📅 | release date 25 January 2022What you can expect:— Third-person POV— Dual POV— First instalment in a series— New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance— Vampires, werewolves, witches, demons and more— Mental-health rep— Morally-grey characters— Grumpy/Sunshine— Bodyguard trope— Close proximity— "Touch her and die" vibes— Slow-burn romance— Bad boy/Good girl— Found familyTrigger warnings include: violence, mature language, sexually explicit content, drug abuse, animal death, sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and suicide.City of Gods and Monsters is a New Adult Urban Fantasy and is the first instalment in the House of Devils series by author Kayla Edwards. Loren Calla has only ever been ordinary. As a human struggling to live within a city filled with all kinds of supernatural creatures, Loren has learned to ask for little and expect less. She always expected a simple and predictable life in a world filled with unpredictability... that is until she barely escapes an abduction attempt at the hands of Darkslayers—supernatural bounty hunters that possess the Sight, a magical tracking ability that allows them to see a person’s aura—and one of her friends is taken in her place. Loren will do whatever it takes to see her friend returned to safety unharmed... even if that means enlisting the help of the most notorious Darkslayer in the city and the leader of the Seven Devils. Darien Cassel is a notorious bounty hunter that serves nothing but positive results for those that hire him. When an unknown proprietor hires Darien to search for Loren in exchange for a very large sum, he accepts. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that Loren Calla is a mere human and not the kind of dangerous creatures he generally hunts. What makes Loren so special to warrant such a large reward? When more women start disappearing, and some of them slowly turn up dead, Loren and Darien are determind to find that out. As their search for answers takes them deep into Angelthene's corrupt underbelly they discover a dark secret that threatens to unravel their world's very existence. And when tragedy strikes, Loren learns that love can make an ordinary person do extraordinary things.THIS BOOK IS SEVERLY UNDERRATED.Yes. I just said it. Author Kayla Edwards has created a truly immersive and thrilling story set in the modern world of Angelthene. The writing was captivating and descriptive, and the pacing was steady throughout the duration of the book. At the beginning of this story we follow Loren, her adoptive sister Dallas and their friend Sabrine on their girls' night out in the town. Loren has issues with her blood sugar and finds herself in-need of returning home as she abruptly begins to feel poorly. As the girls' begin their venture home under the light of the moon they suddenly find themselves fighting for their life as they are cornered and attacked. The attackers' objective was to abduct Loren for reasons then unknown, and when that becomes impossible they instead take Sabrine to later use as ransom. Feeling distraught, guilty and afraid Loren and Dallas turn to the police in the hopes of seeing their friend safely returned. What follows is a conspiracy surrounding legends rooted in forgotten history that takes Loren in an adventure that is anything but safe and predictable. From the very first chapter you're invested and desperate to know more, and whilst this book is indeed thick it was genuinely impossible for me to put it down. Kayla Edwards has solidified herself as a must read and auto-buy author as a result of City of Gods and Monsters.❝He loved the way she said his name, as if it was a light she walked toward through darkness.❞Sigh. Darien Cassel. The easiest way for an author to pull me into their books is by writing a main male character that is renowned for being grumpy and dangerous... and yet we see them display softness and tenderness for their loved ones. Darien has very quickly placed himself at the top of my book boyfriend's list... and I imagine my fellow readers of this book will agree. Darien is ruthless to his core with a tough exterior to match. But what we delve into as the story progresses is his internal battles and struggles with his Surges. A Hellsehyr's Surge was an incredible way for Kayla Edwards to explore the complexities of Darien's magic and his deeply rooted mental heath struggles. It was genuinely a shock and a delight, as sad as the context was, to see a male character at the centre and focus of mental health struggles. We truly see him begin to let those external walls crumble as he better knows Loren which is ultimate sign of trust from him. As much as I thoroughly enjoy a dark, tall and broodingly handsome main character (who doesn't?), the depth to Darien's character is what helped me better understand and connect with him. A truly memorable main character and love interest that cannot be missed out on.Kayla Edwards done a phenomenal job in writing Loren Calla as a main character. As a human surrounded by magic and supernatural creatures it would have been easy to overshadow her characteristics as Loren's identity is largely rooted in feeling "lesser" than the rest of her peers. And yet Loren demonstrated a determination and strength that immediately had me rooting for her character and holding nothing but the upmost love and respect for her. Loren is aware of her capabilties and her limitations, and doesn't let anybody tell her differently. Her love and loyalty towards her loved ones are at the root of who Loren is, and we see that dictate her choices and decisions throughout the story. In spite of her initial fear and hesitation towards Darien when they first meet Loren continues to display a remarkable sense of compassion and kindness which is what I believe to be what initially draws Darien in. Loren's stubbornness and resilience is a driving force during trying and difficult times as the storyline progresses, and Loren is truly one of my all-time favourite characters to follow. The development between Loren and Darien was slow and authentic. Suggestive and sexy. It was truly everything, and I think new readers are going to love what's in-store for this couple.City of Gods and Monsters is only the beginning of one of the best Fantasy stories that I've ever read. Since discovering this series I've went on to read and equally enjoy its second instalment City of Souls and Sinners and I cannot wait for the release of book 3, City of Lies and Legends upon its upcoming 2024 release date.

At the beginning of 2025, I made several literary resolutions: (1) read 156 books or more (2) write reviews for every book that I read (3) open up an IG account specifically about books and (4) try to get through as many books in my NeverEnding TBR (the physical one of books I already own ☺️😳) as possible. So, I’m 2/3 through (1), I’m keeping up with (2), have managed (3) and The “House of Devils” series definitely makes it into (4)… so here goes my 101st REVIEW of the year…The first thing I noticed when reading “City of Gods & Monsters” was it’s similarities to SJM’s Crescent City. There were certain things like the FMC being attacked and then being in a police station, the MMC being a hunter but then turning bodyguard… I had to remind myself that I was reading a different book and prayed that it was not just a repeat or fan fiction. For the first 200 pages or so, the plot felt slightly contrived due to the MCs motivations — A bounty hunter finds his mark but decides to protect her instead; and she just says yes and trusts him. (Really?) Plus her adoptive sister says ok to trusting him as well as long as he is no threat to her place in Loren’s life (chicks before d***s?). I had trouble getting into it but even so, I put my opinions aside (I am incapable of DNF-Ing) just to see what would happen next. Thankfully, my patience paid off and my questions were answered, at least partially.Despite my initial reservations, I thought this was decently written tale. It is part urban fantasy and part dystopian that also has a mystery threaded throughout with some Mafia romance undertones ( I think these will become more apparent in later books). The city of Angelthene is populated with a host of characters major to minor that were decently fleshed out and lent to the overall world building which was pretty well done. Add to that some great dialogue and emotional damage from the FMC, Loren, and MMC, Darien, and I started to understand why this would appeal to fans of SJM’s Crescent City.It might have had a slightly stilted and slow start but once it got to the halfway point, the storyline and character interactions really took off. It included several plot twists, a few of which I predicted but most of which really surprised me, and the slow burn builds until it sizzles at the end. Expect 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️ feels and 🩸🩸🩸 action.This might not be God tier romantasy but it was engrossing and had me laughing, gasping and even crying so if you’re looking for a book with dark romantasy vibes, this would be a worthy addition to your TBR.Looking forward to the next volume…4.5 stars 🤓📚[Above is a partial review - full text on Goodreads, Storygraph and Fable]#CityOfGodsAndMonsters #HouseOfDevils @KaylaEdwardsAuthor#booksbooksbooks #books #bookish #bookaddict #bookclubread #reading #bookstagram #booktok #bookreview #booksof2025 #bookdragon #bookworm #lovebooks #bookrecs #booklovers #booklove #booknerd #bibliophile #ilivetoread #passionforbooks #bookish #readingcommunity #bookaddict #bookrecs#sciencefiction #urbanfantasy #adventure #fiction

I liked this book in the beginning, but by the time I got to 80%, I was skimming pages as it seemed to be the same scene repeated with a different enemy. I didn't feel like it needed to be this long.I got to the point that I was fed up with Loren and stopped paying attention to her parts in the book, there was no development to her throughout. Faint, tremble, get attacked, be perfectly fine (even though complaining about how everything hurt at the time, but yet point out how painfully human she is), jump to conclusions with Darien, cry. That's all this character seemed to be able to do. I understand her part to play in this book, but I was fed up with her.But it was nice to see Darien grow and develop through the book, I felt like he was the only one of the twosome who I felt had any background and was constantly trying to please.It was just a shame Loren's character made me want to get this book read and deleted.

It's not often that a book in the fantasy realm comes along with fresh new perspectives, wholly original. I'm glad to say that this one does. The tropes are all there; vampires, werewolves, enhanced supernaturals etc, but handled in a different & exciting way. The protagonists are charming in a scary AF way. The only complaint I have is the propensity of "Lola" to burst into tears continually. This is, of course, not confined to this book, it seems to be a problem in a lot of fantasy books out there. I suppose it's meant to make the heroine more sympathetic but it just annoys me. That minor quibble aside, there is an original & engrossing world to be explored & I will be doing just that by going to the next book straightaway!