5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You are the kindest thing that has ever happened to me. You are…you are my home. And I think it’s safe to say that my life would be a whole lot darker without you in it. You light up my life, Loren Calla.”

You know those books that quickly pull you right into the heart of its story? This book is one of them.

City of Gods and Monsters is a book that wrecked me in the best way and elicited so many different emotions from me—and when a book does that for me it quickly becomes a favorite.

If you loved Crescent City then this book is a must-read! It includes similar elements but this book maintains its authenticity and stands on its own.

Let me list off a few things to expect in COGAM:

• New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance
• Slow slowburn romance with rewarding spice payoff
• Relatable Heroine
• Hot brooding morally grey love interest
• Sunshine/Grumpy dynamic
• Forced Proximity
• Found Family
• Gritty and Dark setting
• Atmospheric Worldbuilding
• Infused with plenty of action and tension
• Intriguing Magic System
• Supernatural creature like witches, warlocks, werewolves, vampires, demons, and supernatural bloodlines
• Emotional rollercoaster
• "Touch her and you die"
• A cast of diverse characters who are fun and lovable
• Diabetes and Anxiety Reps

First of all, I must praise the writing in this book because it was immersive and flowy so it did not take much effort to keep me hooked. The only reason I took my sweet time with this book is because I knew it deserved my full attention and I wanted to savor every page.

He loved the way she said his name, as if it was a light she walked toward through darkness.

It's hard to give a proper summary to the story because there is so much more to it but I'll try my best.

Angelthene is a sprawling metropolis city catered to and favored supernatural beings, therefore it is a city that treated humans as lesser beings since they do not belong to the immortal demographic. It's also particularly a dangerous city to the humans as Angelthene has a pest problem that involves feral demons who crave one thing only: the taste of flesh.

Our heroine, Loren Calla, is as human as they come. Even having an adoptive sister as a pure-blood venefica or a Witch does not guarantee her life would always be safe and simple as she wants it to be. Especially when one night she is almost abducted by Darkslayers, supernatural bounty hunters who possess a magical tracking ability that seeks out a person's aura, and they end up taking her friend in her place.

The abductors demand a ransom for her friend's freedom and Loren knew knew in this blood-drenched city, it's only a matter of time before her friend meets a tragic death. Guilt-ridden and frightened, Loren is willing to do whatever it takes to free her friends even if it means she will seek the help of the leader of one of Angelthene's most ruthless Darkslaying circles—Darien Cassel.

This is not a mere rescue mission, both Loren and Darien pick up on threads leading them to darker secrets that mark the inevitable tragedies ready to strike their city and their lives.

“Think you can handle that?”
“Yes,” she said, her stomach muscles fluttering. A whimper escaped her lips, and her words were wild gasps as she said, “I can, and I want to.”

Loren and Darien are definitely rising up to be one of my favorite couples that I got to know this year. The chemistry and sexual tension between the two is INTENSE.

I do not want to deter readers when I say this is a slow slowburn romance because from the moment they meet, every Loren and Darien scene is infused with so many feelings and so much sexual tension. The spice is truly rewarding and worth the wait although some moments are scattered throughout the book.

They have a beautiful dynamic I don't even know where to begin but what I can say is their feelings are almost tangible to me. There are many barriers between them and they come from complete different worlds—they are from different races. Loren is a mere mortal and Darien is a Darkslayer marking him as a supernatural gifted with immortality.

I died every time Darien called Loren "sweetheart" or "baby". He is so tender and sweet to her when he wants to be. He is protective and takes care of her whenever she is injured. He is just so so swoon-worthy.

Whether he called himself a Devil or not, he had quickly turned into her angel.
Perhaps she was becoming his, too.

This book includes dual POV so it follows Loren and Darien's POVs and it really helped me dive into them and I appreciate that so much because it offered me a better insight into them as characters who have different layers to them.

Loren's characterization: I think Kayla did a fantastic job of writing such a relatable and vulnerable character that was not necessarily a badass but she didn't need to be one to stand out. She is led by her emotions and some may consider that a weakness but in her case, I see it as a strength because she does not live in a kind world. She does have fears but is such a courageous person.

Darien's characterization: Darien is exquisitely dark and complex. There are so many aspects to him and I was delighted to get to unfold each of them as the story progressed. He is dark, vicious and violent but not to those that he loves. Beyond the tainted exterior, he has a heart of gold. That exterior begins to crumble as Loren spends more time with him and his vulnerability and feelings seep through the cracks. His violence and reputation as the leader of the Seven Devils is not his only personality.

“Touch her again and I’ll cut your goddamn heart out.”

The cast of characters, especially the Seven Devils, were simply entertaining and fantastic. They did not feel like background characters because they always added comic relief where it was appropriate and contributed to the story and the main characters' arcs in different ways.

You could simply be nicer to her and see where it gets you. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to listen to your filthy internal brooding.

This is not a book you can easily put down because plot-twists catch you at every corner and the nerve-wrecking action just keeps you engaged and at the edge of your seat.

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence, mature language, drug abuse, sexual content, and suicide.