Book Review: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City series) by Sarah J Maas

This book is set in a world where humans live among fae, angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, mermaids: basically any supernatural being you could hope for. IT IS EPIC!! The supernatural beings rule all, while humans are considered second class citizens and struggle to survive.

The book follows Bryce Quinlan, a 23 year old half fae half human with luscious red hair and a bodacious bod. She is also an absolute BAD ASS. You will be happy to follow along with her musings for the entirety of the novel as she is witty, clever and sassy. She is also not afraid of a challenge or a little confrontation, which is very entertaining.

The second main character you will have the blessing of following is hunk Hunt Athalar, an enslaved fallen angel with the infamous title 'Umbra Mortis'. He is forced to be an assassin for the Archangels to repay his debt for rebelling against their cause. He quickly became one of my new character crushes. I love a good brooding male character.

I came across this novel after one of my best friends recommended it to me. She randomly picked it up at Kmart, having heard nothing about it, and loved it so much that she said I MUST read it. Not to hype this book up too much, but I'm grateful that it was introduced into my life. It's the adult fantasy series I didn't know I needed.

This is the first book of the Crescent City series, with two more currently set to be published.

Rating

5/5 stars

Recommended Age for Reading

18+ (contains violence, drugs and erotica)

Synopsis (Plot)

This is in the blurb, but I will still include a *SPOILER ALERT*.

The book begins with Bryce Quinlan's closest friends being murdered by a demon. Two years later, with the suspected murderer behind bars, the demon attacks begin again, which sparks Bryce to investigate. She does this with the supervision of Hunt Athalar, who wants nothing to do with Bryce. At first. She's a party girl and everything that Hunt despises. But after spending almost every waking minute with her, he begins to realise there is more to Bryce Quinlan than the party girl exterior. The further Bryce digs, the more she uncovers about her own dark past, the underbelly of Crescent City while also stirring the creatures from deep down in Hel (yes 'Hel' is the correct spelling for this novel. I thought it was a typo at first hahaha).

The Ending

No spoilers

There was a lot of world building in this novel to get to the ending. This is a 799 paged book, so by the time I reached halfway I was considering giving up. I was learning a lot about Crescent City, watching Bryce battle her own mental demons, torment Hunt and struggle to uncover the truth of what was happening in Crescent City, but my friends told me to keep persisting and I'm glad I did because the last 300 pages were divine. The twists and action did not stop. All of the world building had paid off and everything began to lock into place and make sense. In the last 300 pages I couldn't fo anything else but read, and I got incredibly mad when people tried to speak to me.

I won't say anymore for fear of spoilers and overhyping.

'Light it up' - Danika

My Final Thoughts

It has violence. Adventure. A murder mystery. A hot, steamy romance. A strong female lead. Brooding males. Every supernatural being you could ask for living in chaotic harmony.

It is exactly what I want in an adult fantasy novel and more. While the beginning of the novel feels like an information dump, with many characters, town names, rules and lingo to remember, never fret. Maas will continuously help you remember who is who, so if you're anything like me and feel like you need to remember every single detail, Maas has your back.

Sarah J Maas is a master craftswoman, and this is by far my favourite series of hers. She is brilliant at creating believable characters that the reader wants to invest in, making your empathy for a character turn to hatred and vice versa within a few pages, creating jaw dropping twists, building complex and interesting worlds and incorporating important messages into her novels.

House of Earth and Blood sees powerful character development and carries themes of the importance of friendship and the deconstruction of class.

If You Liked House of Earth & Blood, You Might Like...

1. A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J Maas

A young adult fantasy series by Maas, which is based on the Beauty and the Beast. While it is not as erotic, bloody or dark as House of Earth and Blood, it is an awesome series.

2. From Blood and Ash

I haven't read this series yet, but I have been told by my fellow bookstagrammers that it is an epic read. Will be buying it when I'm out of lockdown and allowed to go to the bookstore again!

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