Crescent City gave me ACOTAR vibes in the sense that I was only mildly invested until the last third of book when it yanked me in completely. The first 2/3 of the book read like a blend of an action heavy mystery and an EXTREMELY SLOW BURN romance. Characters were decently and developed as expected--same could be said for the protagonist's romance. The last third of the book is where SJM shone--I just spent the entire morning and afternoon finishing the book. Thankfully the ending didn't have any severely pressing cliffhangers, so I can take a short breather before grabbing the second and third installment.