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
OMG this book was epic!!! Everything I needed but didn’t know until I read this book.
Not going to lie, the beginning was a bit slow and I had a hard time getting into and understanding the world setting. But man, I’m glad I stuck with it. The rest is just perfection.
Bryce at first seemed annoying to me but I was soo wrong about her, I loved her. Everything about her but most of all her struggles. She was super relatable, her emotions and actions, yes she had her moments of stupidity, but at least she was aware of it. Once she made her mind up she stuck to it and most of all she was loyal to her friends and loved ones. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for those she loved. Her friendship to Danika was everything.
Hunt I also wasn’t sure about but ended up loving with all my heart. Her also had his struggles of course but also overcomes a lot and grows throughout the book. He also a lot to deal with, even without having to babysit Bryce.
Ruhn, oh my Ruhn , he stole my heart from the very beginning, if anything happens to him I will never forgive her.
I loved the humor, the snark, the romance and the banter we get along the way, we also get grief, betrayal, healing, friendships, love , actions and nonstop twist and turns.
The last 300-200 pages were insane, so much action and emotions, my heart was racing nonstop, I cried so many times it wasn’t even funny anymore. This book had me all over the place with emotions.
So even with the slow start and world building I have to give it 4.5
I can’t wait to get my hands on book two, whenever that may be.
This book shook me and I cannot wait for more!
I love adult fantasy, especially urban fantasy, so I had very high expectations for this book. I’m very happy that all my expectations have been met and then some. It actually reminded me of the UF books I used to read all the time years ago. It has vibes of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series and Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series so in the end it wasn’t really surprising how much I adored this book since it reminded me of those.
Honestly, I didn’t think she would be able to top the ACOTAR series, especially A Court of Mist and Fury but House of Earth and Blood is the proof of that. As much as I love that series, this book is way better, leagues better!
I really don’t want to give too much away of the book itself or the plot because it’s one of those reads that you just have to discover yourself. And also everything about it is too epic to try and explain it, if that makes sense. It was impossible to put this book down.
I loved the heroine of this book. Bryce Quinlan (who is half-Fae, half human) has my heart and it’ll be hard for me to find another character that I will adore as much. Hunt Athalar (who is a fallen angel) was a great hero as well. In the past I’ve disliked books featuring angels. I don’t know why but they just haven’t interested me as much, I guess. But Hunt? Hot damn! Suddenly I loooove angels. The romance was very slowburn and I’m not gonna lie sometimes I just wanted them to just get it on but I also thought it was written very well so I don’t think I should complain too much about that. Their chemistry was off the charts so they definitely made me fan myself quite a few times.
And really. This book was so thrilling and excited and to be honest it scared me at quite a few moments too. There were also a bunch of twists where I was actually shocked and let me tell you that doesn’t happen very often with me these days. So it all gets points for giving me all the feels as well.
Overall, House of Earth and Blood is the best damn book Sarah J. Maas has written to this date. It’s my favorite book of the year so far and I just can’t recommend it high enough. Please go read it because it’s too good not to experience this epic book!
Bryce is half fae half human and makes the most of those assets by living life to the full with her housemate and best friend and her pack of shifter wolves. But in this world living life to the full is a precarious path and soon Bryce’s world is shattered. Two years on and she is still seeking oblivion with all the aggressiveness she can muster until an attack draws her up in a world of tangled politics and war that she’d long tried to avoid. Hunt, a powerful and emotionally damaged angel who is a slave to the ruling elite after rebelling two centuries ago, is brought into investigate the attack and needs Bryce to discover what is behind the strange circumstances behind it.
I’ve read many teen books over the years during my work as a librarian and running teen book clubs and I have Sarah Maas among my favorites for those who like fantasy novels, as I do. She really creates strong women who aren’t afraid to take the lead, to assert themselves and she combines them with alpha males that really appeal along with exciting plots and good character development. Her writing has matured and produce a wonderfully crafted novel full of tight plotting and perfect pacing.
I’m going to have to call it and say this is my fave SJM book to date. Maybe even my fave book period.
It may have gotten off on a slow start and the info dumping in those first few chapters frustrated me a little.
The flippant attitude towards drug taking made me uncomfortable – but I think that was the point.
And then BAM chapter 5 happened and it blindsided me.
The aftermath of that chapter set about the rest of the story in motion and also set a president that just about anything could happen.
To say this book was intense is an understatement. There were scenes that left me a gibbering wreck and wondering why I ever decided to put myself through this installment with over a year before the next book is released!
As a die hard fan of ACOMAF – Crescent City was an unfiltered joy to read. SJM was meant to write steamy adult fantasy, she is the queen of sexual tension and hot fae alphaholes with wings – be they bat, hawk or angel wings.
I only pray that she doesn’t pull a Tamlin on us because Hunt is end game. END GAME!
There were so many similarities to ACOTAR and Tog – and some repeated familiar lines, but I guess that’s her official style?
“My friends are with me and I am not afraid” cheap trick? Or nod to the Throne of Glass Series? Either way, I was sobbing through that entire scene.
The last part of the book was a suspense filled marathon. There were so many twists I did not see coming!
The last book that made me cry this much was Empire of Storms and it took me weeks to get over my book hangover.
However, the ending of Crescent City was quite satisfying. It wasn’t the cliffhanger I dreaded – and I think I can just about handle the wait for cc2!
This is the first time I’ve read anything from Sarah J. Maas. I know, I know… what rock have I been hiding under? Besides the fact that I received books from her Throne of Glass and ACOTAR series, and haven’t taken the plunge, everyone and their mama has recommended her books to me. I have NO excuse! But what is good about the fact that I’m ignorant about all things SJM… it means I have nothing of hers to compare it to. Her characters reminded me of no one. Her storyline didn’t feel overplayed. It was all brand new to me and it was wonderful!
Let me just say… House of Earth and Blood is bloody brilliant! It’s addictive, it’s entrancing, and I’m so absolutely in love with this looooooong introduction to her Crescent City series!!
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I saw SJM’s newest book would be shelved in “adult fiction” (if you’ve read any of her others, you’ll know that while they’re called YA, they’re better fits for New Adult). I expected older characters at the very least, but in the first 100 or so pages of Crescent City, the disappointment was creeping in that apparently the formal move into adult fiction really meant nothing else but more swearing, more references to casual sex, more alcohol, & more drugs – but, as with many previous SJM books, if you push through the first bit of clumsy world building, the story will quickly pull you under and make it impossible to put down for the next 700 pages. I actually found myself loving this urban fantasy world – mer people, shifter & werewolf packs, angels, and (once you managed to wade through the info dumping) a rich world of magical politics. There’s everything you love in an SJM novel, from slow-burning romance to a wildly unexpected, heart-wrenching finale, and while it’s true, as many reviewers have said, that the characters are almost copy-paste from other books (there were many times this felt eerily similar to the early books in the Throne of Glass series, Bryce is basically Aelin, and Hunt is basically Rhys), it was still a super fun read that delivered exactly what SJM always promises.
“The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city.”
‘House of Earth and Blood,’ the first book in the new ‘Crescent City’ series by Sarah J. Maas is a contemporary fantasy title about a half-fae/half-human woman–Bryce Quinlan, who loses her closest friends in a brutal killing. After the authorities put the alleged assailant in prison, the killings start again.. leaving Bryce in the midst of the mystery and one hell of a quest for vengeance.
When Bryce ends up with an enslaved Fallen angel on her heels everywhere she goes for protection, the two clash from the start. Hunt Athalar is a well-known and widely feared assassin for the Governor and he’ll do anything to regain his freedom. He’s pushy and she’s stubborn.. and the result is often hilarious.
As this was my very first Maas read, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve seen conflicting reactions to her previous work all over, but I try not to pay much attention to things like that. I realize most opinions are not based so much on the work, but rather personal preferences and prejudices one way or the other. This book was a lot though and I’m struggling to settle on a place to begin the discussion. There’s a lot to process and that’s mostly a good thing. Mostly.
“If it’s not a date, then how is it different?”
“It’d be a trial run. For a date,” Connor said through his teeth.
“She lifted a brow. “A date to decide if I want to date you?”
“You’re impossible.”
Since I like to approach titles with as fresh an outlook as possible, I let some time sit between my initial read of the synopsis and actually getting into the story. So, literally within the first five chapters, the author made me love those friends who weren’t long for the world.. and then crushed me when they were gone.
If I’d re-read the summary, I would have been prepared.. but I didn’t. Instead, I bawled my eyes out and I was barely getting started. Yet, I’m so glad for that experience. It really set the tone for the entire book which is full of ups and downs, tragedy and levity, joy and sorrow. This story wounded my soul. It hurt me on a level that is like the swift, brutal end of a cherished relationship. You know the kind.. where the other person walks away and you’re still all in.. just standing there and watching them go? Yeah. That kind.
I want to get one thing out of the way first. There are people who pan the hell out of this writer.. and it was abundantly clear, very quickly–that what they mistake for a lack of skill or quality, is the way they personally feel about the characters or stories they’ve read. I’ve seen all sorts of reasons–they can’t relate to the characters, they think the stories are cheesy, she replaces characters too often, and so on.
They cite her for poor character building (which I assure you is at least not the case in this book), couples with no chemistry (again, definitely not the case here–in fact the chemistry is great between friends, foes, lovers and most things in-between), and cheesy scenes. Okay, the latter could be misconstrued–the only cheesiness I saw was between friends being goofy, as friends are prone to do, or some really sweet moments which also happen in actual situations.
Now, as I said, this was my first and so far–only Maas read. Maybe it was the exception to all those above generalities imposed on her as an author by readers who are opposed to her. Maybe. But I’m seeing similar things about this book and it really just comes across as a people who don’t know the difference between good vs. bad and like vs. dislike.
“There was only silence here. Silence and mist.
Was this death? Silence and fog?”
There are a lot of things Maas did really well in ‘House of Earth and Blood.’ The world-building is absolutely massive and intricately detailed. From the seven regions of the city, to their inhabitants and the political breakdown of each, and the symbolism representing it all.. you can tell she spent a ton of time fleshing it all out and there’s a rhythm to how and why each group is placed where they are. Every faction and race referenced with any amount of focus has a full history and structure of its own. Some of the things that identify them are long-standing reliable mythology and others are creative off-shoots from the norm.
Nearly every character the story gives any serious attention to, has a substantial backstory of their own. The only exceptions being more secretive individuals for reasons of their own and perhaps we’ll find out more about them in future releases. From the ruling body of the planet, to the bowels of Hel, to the people in between, there’s a distinctive hierarchy keeping everyone in their place. A careful balance.. precarious and volatile.
“There are thirty-six photos on your four-year-old phone, and all of them are dismembered bodies,” she said.
The conflict, both internal and external is rough.. and I mean emotionally. I laughed, I raged, I cried.. I adored, I detested. This book is an absolute roller coaster of emotions in spots. Honestly, the last 100-150 pages I spent mostly in tears. Sometimes melting from happiness, sometimes suffering soul deep blows. Did I like every character? No. Did I like every character I was meant to like? Probably still.. no. But that’s okay.
Maas succeeded in immersing me. She gave me characters I could relate to.. either because I saw something or myself in them.. or something of someone I knew. She made me invested, sometimes rewarded me for that investment, and other times destroyed me with it. She moved me to react. And that’s the mark of a really good storyteller.
It wasn’t perfect. Nothing ever is. There are little plot devices here and there that seem far-fetched in the moment, but after you learn more later.. their purpose clears up. To be honest, in hindsight I realize at least they’re typically addressed by someone within the character’s social circle as questionable, but blown off by a whole lot of ‘it doesn’t matter–there’s no other choice.’ That’s actually quite a brilliant use of subtlety to turn the reader’s gaze elsewhere.
“That’s what they call you, but that’s not who you are.”
“And who am I?”
“A pain in my ass.”
I’ve told you many of the things I think she did right, but there is one big thing I think she did wrong. I think she made a decision for the sake of the drama it would create. I think there was a particular direction she wanted the story to take and she forced it to go there. And I think at that point, she either forgot who her character really was.. or she willfully dismissed that knowledge. It’s a really common problem with current writers, some of my favorites in fact. So, make no mistake. I’m not putting her down. But I was incredibly angry for the character because it felt disloyal.
The motive for the act was strong and steady throughout the novel. I don’t dispute the act entirely itself. I dispute how it was handled. Lying about it? In the particular case.. 100% inconsistent with the character’s psychological baseline. It’s not a clever twist, if it doesn’t make sense for the character. It’s a sharp turn off the road across a field full of holes.
When it makes sense, but you’re so subtle the audience still doesn’t see it coming.. that’s when you hook them with it. You want to shoot for ‘holy shit I should have seen that’.. not.. ‘what the hell just happened?’ Otherwise, you can literally toss them from the moment. That’s exactly what happened to me. I put the novel down for two days because I was furious about the plot point decision, not the act itself.
The other things I saw were minor and also pretty common. An easy solution information download to clean-up plot points, for one. Though at least it was done in an acceptable, somewhat less overt manner. You could see it for what it was if you were looking, but I’m betting most readers these days are so accustomed to that, they barely notice if it’s a decent setup.
Another minor issue (and other recurring complaint of mine in current titles), was the ‘yoyo effect.’ You’ll see what I mean if you read the book. It happened in a big movie late last year too. There’s a dramatic incident.. but wait, it’s reversed.. only to be followed by another dramatic incident going the opposite direction, but wait.. that’s reversed too, and then there’s at least one more of those incidents.. that may or may not be reversed.
It’s just, taking a climax and overdoing it to the point it’s no longer interesting. Like ‘The Departed.’ Remember that older Leonardo DiCaprio film? The entire film was great drama.. very intense, very story driven. Twenty minutes from the end.. BAM.. sudden, dramatic incident. Would have been a beautiful ending. Maybe even one more after that. But instead, we got an entire series of them over that twenty minutes.. until the shock and surprise was just replaced with droll resentment.
“What brings loyalty from beyond death, undimming despite the years. What remains unwavering in the face of hopelessness.”
Anyway, I’ve gone on far too long.. but give me a break. It was an 800 page novel. I wasn’t a fan of the reveal regarding how the friends died.–
4.5/5 stars — rounding up to 5
(End/complete review at http://www.BetwixtTheSheets.com)
First few chapters are steep with world building but when it gets going I couldn’t put it down. Loved the book, Loved the characters!
When I read a Maas book, I always know I’m going to be in for a fun time! And this one did not let me down! However, it did take me a little longer to get into and love the characters! But that last 150 pages had my heart!
Bryce was an interesting character because she may have seemed superficial at first, but underneath her there’s so much more! Sometimes you just have to find the right person who can chip away at those hardened layers!
And oh dear lord, Hunt! Loved him! He was definitely like a mirror of Bryce! Both have been through so much pain and grief! I really liked the chemistry between the two of them!
At first, I just felt claustrophobic with so many fantasy and paranormal creatures thrown my way at one time. But as the pages turned, I really did fall in love with this world! There was plenty of action and surprises and I’m excited to see what happens next!
House of Earth And Blood
Oh My ! OH OH OH MY ! How fast can I get my hands on this book ?!?!?! What a start to an amazing new world, filled with shifters, fairies, werewolves, angels, elves, humans and ? I meet a section of this world in the excerpt I read of wolves and their friends from other species. There was a lot of new world stuff to absorb in the first couple chapters, this is an all new world. It felt a touch slow I just wanted to see what would happen, yeh I’m impatient. Then it started moving fast, really fast, when everything was changing, it changed a different way, my heart broke and my peek was over. 🙁
I loved it, want it, need it.
SJM always delivers. For me, her books just always work. I absolutely loved this book. The characters wormed their way into my heart and I feel like I really come to know them over the course of the book. Bryce is so great. Her snark and sass are fantastic and she’s a badass. Hunt is this rough badass exterior that is actually just hiding his soft cinnamon roll insides. And Ruhn is another great one. I adore him. The slow burn that is this book is just amazing and so well done. It builds at such a slow yet addictive and engaging pace and then it absolutely explodes. I absolutely loved this world and I have so many theories and I’m dying to know where this is all going to go. But this fantasy world with so many creatures mixed with almost real world technology worked so well. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE BOOKS!!! I just. So many questions and theories that I need answers to. As always, SJM delivered and her books keep getting better and better and I cannot wait to see what’s next.
My Rating:
Type: series – (this is the only book released as of now)
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magical world, Action & Adventure, Fiction
Primary Characters: Bryce, Hunt
Secondary Characters: Danika, Ruhn, Hypaxia, Tristan, Lehabah, Jesiba, Fury, Tharion, Aidas
I have been a huge fan of Sarah J Mass and that’s the only reason for me to pick this book. I’m not a fan of Urban Fantasy, yet I was hoping this to be good. This book is ok, but for me this is definitely not as good as other two series. This book is too long with 850 pages and it takes time to pick up. Book starts out slow. It takes a while to understand those jargons and details about all the houses and rules.
Plot
Bryce Quinlan lives in a world full of fae, Vanir, werewolves, angels, demons along with humans, who live in high-rise apartments in Crescent city which has internet, camera’s and cell phones. Well, we do have more of Urban life here than internet or camera. i.e Sex and drugs.
Bryce and her best friend Danika are party girls. One day when Bryce is immersed in the life of sex and drugs unexpected happens. Demon kills all her friends including Danika. Fast forward 2 years, now the accused is behind the bar, crime starts up again.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels. His skills and strength are only used to follow his boss’s orders and kill his boss’s enemies. Situation forces Bryce and Hunter to work together. Its time to hunt those demons and solve the mystery of these crimes.
Characters & Relationship Building
Character building and relationship building is good. Its slow and progressing. Loved Bryce’s transformation from an assistant to powerful sorceress in morning and party going girl with high on drugs and sex in evening to mature, decision making responsible women. Hunt is good, till he is (You will know when you read the climax). He is brooding, solitary and loyal. He is understanding and powerful, even with his limited power. I was super disappointed in him at the end.
Hunt and Bryce’s relationship is transformed from reluctant allies who team up to solve a mystery, only to then fall horribly in love with one another is natural.
Ruhn and Bryce relation annoyed me a bit (Bryce being more annoying), yet loved determined Ruhn. He didn’t give up on his relationship with Bryce and worked relentlessly to make it work.
Friendship between Danika and Bryce is best in this book. Loyalty and faith they had in each other is astounding.
Secondary characters: There are too many characters in this. I have only highlighted few in this. The super best character in this is Prince Ruhn. He is the precious, defiant crown prince. I loved his fierce protective nature. I did love Hypaxia for her thoughts and opinion. Let’s see how she turns out in next series. I m more curious on Bryce’s employer “Jesiba Roga”. Lehabah was incredible. Trystan, Declan and Tharion were awesome. I m still skeptical of Fury. Mysterious and dark Aidas, I need more of him. Micah was unexpected and good. Danika is reckless, wild, loyal and daring. She is the awe-inspiring alpha, would have loved to see more of her.
World Building
This universe is a blend of blend of paranormal, urban and high-fantasy. We see humans, Fae, Angels, mermaids, Warewolfs, witches, sphinx, vampires along with lot of modern technologies. It’s a complicated world. The mixture of all, somehow didn’t sit well with me.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and action. The action in the climax is wonderful. However, in the second part of climax, when it became a one woman show, I was disappointed. I loved the conclusion and action, yet in my opinion it could have been better.
Book is too long and the pace has its own up’s and down’s. Writing style is ok, however I couldn’t clearly identify the narration type as it varied from multiple limited third person. Language used is foul with lot of curse words and details of sex. It has more details of blood, murder and gore. This may not sit well with many people.
Overall, I don’t hate this book, and I will continue on to see where the story goes, I just wish that this had been a more solid foundation for a series
Follow me
https://meander23.com
https://instagram.com/meander_read_roam/
I love SJM’s first adult fantasy book. It’s so good, I read it in less than a week!
This book is unlike any of the other Sarah Maas books that I’ve read. First of all, the book has a broader mic of characters, including fae, the mer, fauns, angels and archangels, shapeshifters, and fire sprites, as well as humans and half humans. The main character, Bryce, is only twenty-three years old, but Hunt Athalan is two hundred thirty three years old. Bryce is the bastard (and unacknowledged) daughter of the Autumn King, but she is working as an assistant in an antiquities business. Her brst friend Danika is the leader of an elite pack of wolves. A second difference is that the book contains a lot of swearing. Granted, the city sections tend to be rough and tumble, and many of the characters are soldiers, but the profanity is a departure for Maas. A third, and major, difference is the plot twists that mark the last quarter of the book. After a while, I didn’t know what to believe about favorite characters whose actions and motives were called into question. As usual, Maas’ plot is filled with manipulative and two=faced people. The book was enjoyable. I know the book is listed as the first in a series, but the book has a definite conclusion rather than ending in a cliffhanger.
I enjoyed House of Earth and Blood. I was a bit lost in the beginning. There were a lot of characters in the first few chapters and struggled a bit to keep them straight. After a few chapters, I got some of the straight. Partly because of this and partly because I initially had a hard time liking Bryce Quinlan, I was slow liking this book. I feel like Bryce is like a real person. Initially all I saw was her rough exterior that she showed the world. At some point I started seeing the real Bryce, the soft, vulnerable, tough, and strong person she is and loved her. During the first 1/4 of the book my opinion of the book started changing. I went from it is ok to ok I think I may like this and by the end of the book I was hooked and am so ready for book 2!!
I almost didn’t finish this…….almost.
I’m glad I stuck it out though. This story, the characters––bryce and hunt???? I LOVED THEM and I swear if they’re not end game I will riot. Honestly I will.
Outside of the information dump in the beginning and I feel like she could have cut about 300 pages out of this thick boy I enjoyed this story. I felt the characters kept me intrigued enough to mud through the slow parts (and there were a lot).
The ending was AMAZING!!!!! I can not wait for the next book because I have all these questions and theories……a lot.
Loved this storyline! Bryce is witty and sexy and relatable. Sarah does it again building a lush and enticing world.
Sarah J. Maas books never disappoint! I can always count on them for some steamy romance, amazing character building, and overall talented writing. This book was a page-turner that had me staying up hours into the night! Bryce is hilarious and has her pros and cons, which makes her likable since its more realistic to not like EVERYTHING about the main character. Nothing but love for this book!
Would absolutely recommend to anyone who tends to like fantasy.