A #1 New York Times bestseller!Sarah J. Maas’s brand-new CRESCENT CITY series begins with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance. Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her … day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.
more
This story is amazing! The depth of every character, the incredible plot and the immense emotions it draws from you, this story had me hooked from start to finish.
Magic, heartache, danger, death, love, bonds, sacrifices, truths; there’s so much that happens! What an incredible journey! I can’t wait to see what will happen next! Fantastic!
I don’t think I have any spoilers in my review here. Just my impressions and thoughts. Since this book has just been released, if you don’t want to have any part of the storyline potentially ruined, then save this review to read after you’ve finished the book.
This really did feel like Sarah J. Maas heading into a fully adult style of storytelling. It has the classic feel that Maas has with words, but it’s more grown up and edgier than her previous works. Like it’s the type of story she’s meant to be telling.
It takes seconds to start falling for the characters on the page. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Maas book if she didn’t completely rip your heart out and stomp on it, I just didn’t expect for it to happen so quickly.
This was a great series opener. There’s a lot of world-building and explanation going on in the first third or so, but then the story really takes off running.
The fact that this turned out to be a paranormal mystery/thriller as well as an urban fantasy/paranormal romance was endlessly entertaining and completely unexpected. Given how she wrote this, and seeing what she did in her previous series, we all know that Maas is the Queen of Plot Twists. Can she please just write full-on mysteries? Because wow! This woman has a talent to keep you captivated.
Something that I’ve grown to adore about Maas’s books is a common trait that her female main characters have. They are all lovers of the arts. Aelin loves music, Feyre loves painting, and now Bryce loves dancing. Characters loving the arts isn’t something I’ve often come across in books that I love, so I really appreciate that.
Now… Bryce and Hunt. Given Maas’s track record, I’m actively trying to not ship it. She would shock us all by keeping them together for the entire series, but I’m desperately hoping that she throws us a bone just this once.
I am really curious to know how many books there will be in this series. I’m fully hooked and don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this world.
This review is based on an excerpt I received free of charge through NetGalley. I found the first few pages a little difficult to follow but once many of the characters had been introduced the story really flowed. There are lot of descriptions of violent scenes. If you don’t like that kind of thing, this book is probably not for you. Since I was reading an incomplete copy, I was greatly disappointed it ended just as I was getting to the part where I didn’t want to put it down. I am looking forward to reading the complete book.
Sarah J Maas has the ability to create worlds from nothing while weaving extraordinary characters & unforeseeable plot twists making them so real it’s as if you’re living in the story. If this taste showed even a glimmer of what House of Earth & Blood will have to offer we are all going to be in for one serious ride.
I was instantly connected to Bryce as the story quickly wove unconventional friendships amongst the houses of Migard. What should have been a fun night out after a bad date quickly turned into a dark gruesome fate. I found myself plummeting into an abyss of desperation for more of the story. I want to know—no I NEED to know what happens next.
I was given the chance to read an excerpt (the first 5 chapters to be exact) and I already want to read more, though I do have a few criticisms. Hopefully they’ll be ironed out though as I’m able to finally finish the book when it’s published. It’s been years since I’ve read any of Maas’s books, so I was a little apprehensive, but was happy to hear it is a whole new series so I wouldn’t be lost. The book is very complicated from the start and there are already hundreds of details established about this new world, the government, and the players in it. I was a little irked at the main character’s name since, to me, it’s a very masculine name for a female lead, but got used to it by the end of the excerpt. With the way Bryce talks on and on and on about Danika, her roommate, it started to make me question why the book isn’t told from her perspective. Lastly, chapter 5 is gripping and leads up to a MASSIVE cliffhanger. Literally one where you get done and yell “noooo!” because you HAVE to know what happens next. I guess I’ll be waiting until the full book is published, but I did like it so far. I’m very intrigued and can’t wait to finish the story come March.