If you’ve spent some time on BookTok or Insta, you’ve definitely seen the City of Gods and Monsters by Kayla Edwards trending. This fantasy romance is filled with intrigue, secrets, and all kinds of supernatural beings. If Crescent City had a younger sibling, it would be this urban fantasy, slow-burn romance with intricate world-building, a morally gray MMC—talk about the Bad Boy appeal—and sizzling tension.
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Together, we will explore the summary of the first book in the House of Devils series, followed by City of Souls and Sinners and City of Lies and Legends. Don’t forget to check our Crescent City characters guide and, of course, the connections of the Maasverse.
There is a lot to unpack, so let’s dig in. As always, spoilers ahead!
Before we go into the storyline, we must establish Angelthene’s six darkslaying circles. All members of these circles belong to a specific house, marked by a specific symbol under their ear, and answer to their superiors.
It is important to note that the Head of all the circles is Randal Slade.
Loren Calla is out for drinks with her stepsister, Dallas, and their half-witch friend, Sabrine. Dallas’ sharp tongue gets them in trouble, and they lose track of time, which can be fatal for a human girl in Angelthene, where demons lurk in every shadow and supernatural beings prowl the streets at night. Having no other option, the three girls are forced to walk home, sticking close to the streetlamps. But soon, the girls find themselves faced with a darkslayer from an unknown circle, marked with a phoenix head.
When it becomes clear they are after Loren, Dallas and Sabrine use their witch powers to protect her. In the end, Sabrine is taken in Loren’s place, filling her with guilt and sorrow. No one believes the criminals were after Loren considering she is only human, while Sabrine is a half-witch, and Dallas is the daughter of the Red Baron and Taega Bright, who control Angelthene’s forces. Despite her friend’s disappearance, Loren has to attend the Angelthene Academy of Magic along with Dallas. However, the Academy seems to be hiding more secrets.
On the other side of the city, Darien Cassel is hired to find a target. Darien is a darkslayer, a supernatural bounty hunter, and Head of the Seven Devils. He has the sight, and it can help him not only locate a person’s aura but detect any changes in it, too, among other things. When his sight leads him to Loren, Darien is not sure what to make of it. Why would anyone pay 3,000,000 gold minet for a human? He decides to offer her his help to discover why people are after her.
As this fragile partnership forms, more people come after her, but Darien is there to protect her. He even brings her to Hell’s Gate, the mansion he shares with the other six devils. Loren reveals she is suffering from a mysterious illness, which results in fainting spells due to low blood sugar. Darien helps her deal with it and even goes with her for her check-up and the redoing of her medical tattoo.
When students from the Academy start disappearing, Loren and Darien realize that it can’t be a coincidence; all the students are 19, blonde, and human. People are still after her. When one of the werewolves also disappears, Darien decides to join forces with Logan, the pack’s alpha, to uncover this mystery.
To discover Loren’s true identity, they must find Darien’s mysterious client. To do that, they even have Loren as bait, pretending she is Darien’s plaything to attract the eyes of a potential predator. However, when pretending gets too real, Darien finds himself wishing he was not a murderous beast, but someone worthy of Loren. Darien suffers from magical surges, but Loren is there to help him, just like he does for her.
Following Loren’s hunch, they break into an abandoned building in the Academy that was once the lair of the Phoenix Head Society, a group of human outcasts who wanted eternal life. There, they discover part of the Master Scroll that speaks of the Arcanum Well, a device able to not only heal one’s aura but also grant eternal life. It can even heal the Tricking, the disease most supernatural beings die from after using too much magic. To find Loren’s identity, they must find the Arcanum Well, but that is certainly easier said than done.
In a turn of events, Logan finds Sabrine wandering after having supposedly escaped from her captors, but all her memories after her abduction are gone. To save her life, he turns her into a wolf, which is a direct breach of the agreement the wolves have with the vampires. Thanks to a new breed of demons, though, Calanthe, the leader of the vampires, proposes an alliance; she will help them find the missing girls and put an end to this travesty.
Randal Slade discovers his Devils have been protecting a human, and demands their presence. Despite her fear, Loren tries to stay sharp, as she realizes Randal is Darien’s abusive father. To protect Loren, Darien pretends they are looking for the Arcanum Well to save Randal’s life, who is dying from the Tricking. Randal forces Darien to take a blood oath to find the Arcanum Well, binding him and Loren.
After some more encounters with new demons, the team comes to a more shocking discovery; the demons are the missing girls, the people after the Arcanum Well are experimenting on them. They must find an antidote to cure the demons.
In the face of danger, Darien decides to pursue his feelings for Loren. He takes her on a date, and they kiss, but his second thoughts get the better of him, and he pulls back, leaving Loren confused and frustrated. She is too hurt, so she decides to cut contact with Darien. As a result, Darien suffers from the surges and spends his time in the pit fighting demons, but when Loren is in danger, he goes to her. Loren discovers she is the daughter of one of the inventors of the Arcanum Well, thus the only one able to use it.
Loren has an epiphany and visits the hospital to share it with Dr. Atlas who is in charge of making the antidote, but stumbles upon Calanthe. Loren discovers that Calanthe has been leading them on and is working with Randal. Randal takes Loren and, of course, Darien shows up, and to save her. He even agrees to surrender all they have. But being the cunning slayer he is, he leads his father and his men to a trap where they are annihilated. Thinking they are finally free, Loren and Darien reunite, but their troubles are far from over.
The Arcanum Well replica Randal has in his possession will explode, and his power will blow the entire city. In a race against time, Loren rushes to distribute the antidote to the newly turned demons, hoping the blast can be contained. Unable to do anything to stop it, Darien chooses to sacrifice himself for Loren and spend his last minutes with her.
When the well explodes, the whole city of Angelthene turns to ashes, but Loren is alive, protected by Darien’s magic armor. Lost in grief, Loren cries over Darien’s body, but the magic inside her awakes, and she brings him back to life. That’s when she realizes she can save the city, by wishing upon the Liar, and so it happens.
Everything will make sense once you log into Amazon, Goodreads or whatever alternative you prefer and pick up the book!
For starters, City of Gods and Monsters is flooded with popular tropes, like enemies to reluctant allies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, found family, and a slow burn romance. Add the supernatural, corrupted underworld and bounty hunters, and you get an entire new universe.
It has a plethora of unique characters, from FMC that must be protected until she discovers her own powers, to the trouble hero, and many side characters. We witness the main characters’ character development first hand, and the journey continues in the next books as well.
The setting is also very popular amongst readers. Urban fantasy romance has been trending more and more in the last few years. If you like it, you will probably like City of Gods and Monsters, too.
And lastly, the complex and extended magic system. If you are a fan of complicated magic and the like, you won’t be able to stop at just one book.
If you are a romantasy reader, and you are looking for your next read and a new book boyfriend with tattoos and mysterious vibes, Darien Cassel is waiting for you. With plot twists and world-shattering secrets that can destroy everything in an instant, City of Gods and Monsters will keep you on your toes for all of its 700 pages—the audiobook will significantly reduce reading time.
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Yes, there is romance in City of Gods and Monsters, but it is a traditional slow burn with many obstacles yet undeniable attraction. The romance does not come to fruition until the second half of the book. Keep in mind that there is minimal spice towards the end, but the next books pump it up.
The story is narrated through Loren’s POV mostly, but we do get many chapters from Darien’s POV. However, there are so many characters involved in the story that the next books are bound to include more POVs.
In City of Gods and Monsters, power is corruption and those who do not possess it are at the bottom of the food chain. But with Loren’s inner power, it is seen something worth protecting and cherishing. As for identity, both Darien and Loren struggle to find who they are without being defined by their parents or what they can do.
Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
