User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Excuse me while I borrow a phrase from Fynn to convey my very sophisticated language while reading this monster of a book:
what the fucking fuck. Memento Mori.
Remember that you will die.
Reading HoEaB is like listening to rock (maybe goth, punk, or alternative) mixed with trap: slightly jarring and odd with a hard edge, dark vibe, and pacing that goes from low to explosions and thunder. Which is something I love but you might not. No, this was not perfect. And yes, it fell shorter than the revolutionary it could’ve been. Nonetheless, it was a unique masterpiece to me because, of all of SJM’s works, this is the most surreal yet real, casual yet grand, the grittiest and most intriguing.
With a more mature storytelling and a painstakingly-crafted, cruel world in defiance of the fairytal-ish-ness of ACoTaR,
House of Earth and Blood sets itself apart from her earlier works, bringing in a detailed urban/high fantasy and noir atmosphere of mystery, drugs, sex, war, and epicness all in one book, with a refreshing twist on the Chosen One trope while exploring the power of sacrifice and unflinching trust in love. Light it up, bitch.
To be frank with you, this sagacious mammoth of a book is more like an entire series, taking you through a journey so long and eventually satisfying with so much character development that one might say it is
too long. And perhaps I first agreed until I realised that I wouldn’t give up a single syllable and lose the characters and world.
Yes, it’s very slow for the first half but, when slow is interesting, it ends up paying off even better than fast paced as all those tied up threads snap in the longest, most exquisite climax to have graced my book shelves. HoEaB has about 200 pages of reveals and beautiful, glorious, touching battles, which is probably 4 times as many as any book. I think it deserves a break for having only twice as much a slow paced trying-to-unravel-a-baffling-murder-mystery tale.
Through love, all is possible.
In the end, for someone who doesn’t believe in love and will in all likelihood never be capable of feeling it towards any human being,
Crescent City had me weeping and laughing and clapping and being filled with sheer blinding dread while sobbing at the above quote, all within mere paragraphs of one another. Yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s brave and iconic and I appreciated it?
I have one very vital question tho:
if this was the 1st book, WHAT CRUSHING EPIC HEL IS GONNA BE THE REST? (
look for my playlist at the end of the review to enhance your reading experience even more!)
↳ CW ➯ explicit language, drug use, graphic mature content, slavery, abuse, gore, violence, mutilation, speciesism (magical species over mortals), death, loss of loved ones, depression, suicide attempt (mentioned)
↳
⋆☽ Storyline ☾⋆ Three realms make up the capital of the Valbara territory: the mer in the river, the Reapers and the dead upon the misty shores of the Bone Quarter, and the residents of Lunathion proper—all ruled by the seven Heads of the Crescent City aka seven powerful rulers from different species except, ofc, humans, because you bet
humans have no power. Which would explain the Ophion rebellion of humans now armed with guns and bombs, currently creating scenes of massacre in the planet’s capital.
“Magic and machines. Never a good mix.”
Bryce Quinlan,
a powerless and completely ordinary half-breed shunned from both sides of society and content to lose herself in her high-on-drugs-and-sex-and-youth lifestyle as a sorceress’s assistant, wants nothing to do with their antics.
Until the leader of the rebels in the city gets released, and then...you know how it goes: people Bryce loves die, the government quickly apprehends the bastard, and all is good.
Fast forward two years, the city rebels have shut the Hel up but people are, again, dying in precisely the same gruesome way—chopped into pieces. Could it be that the rebels were not responsible for the deaths two years ago? Then, could someone please explain to me,
what the shit is going on?
Thankfully, that’s exactly what Bryce, with the help of Hunt Athalar—a once-upon-a-time rebel angel enslaved to the very regime he hoped to overthrow 200 years ago—is assigned to find out.
And you bet your arse nothing is as it seems.↳
⋆☽ Storytelling ☾⋆ Allow me to introduce you to Sarah’s best writing wrapped up in one book.
I could tell you about the devouring, addictive atmosphere building that captures the
urban fantasy mashed up with high fantasy and noir world brilliantly, making use of modernised naming, casual expression-and-slang-filled conversations, deftly written descriptions of drug-addled minds, and generally diving into real and gritty notes on the world—from flashing banners to the inane TV shows.
Or, I could tell you about her no-nonsense storytelling that as usual
doesn’t shy away from any part of life—be it a female’s cramps or sex or annoying behaviours in the bedroom or depression or cursing (
which you’ll never hear me complaining about) and how considerate she is of everything including qualifications of medical experimentations.
I could even tell you about her easy way with words that paints images straightforward while bursting with the occasional apt turn of phrase, staying
more mature than her previous works without any overly poetic and dramatic passages constantly popping up yet still expertly trapping yours and the characters’ emotions to do with them as she wishes.
But I won’t.
↳
⋆☽ Characters ☾⋆ “Everyone, General, is for sale. You just have to figure out the asking price.”
★
Bryce is one of the most unlikely MCs, starting from a place of abandon and looking to find her worth, having a real chip on her shoulder when it comes to males and getting riled up rather quickly (while sometimes even unprovoked) about feministic matters, being denied a dancing career because of her body type, this curvy party girl brings a more ignored type of characters into the spotlight. With her,
SJM comfortably shoulders themes like casual sex and drugs, handling them with such rare ease. “I was told my half-human body was too clunky. I was also told that my boobs were too big, and my ass could be used as an aerialport landing pad.”
What surprises me most is that, despite her being a self sacrificing idiot, I grew to adore her. She’s not the stereotypical bore of a brave hero, she’s smart, real, tangible, messed up, and full of flaws. I realise this is Sarah’s preference in leading characters, as is dealing with loss and trauma, apparently. But I’m not complaining because
her exploration of these subjects grows with each series, adding something different, something similar—all complementing eachother. “No one gets a medal for suffering the most, you know,”
✯
Hunt the Haunted Boy bore such utter loss and loneliness that I couldn’t
not like him. I appreciate that he respected her despite being an occasional idiot yet loyal puppy, but he lacked a certain
solidity to his character that all of Maas’s other male characters still had. Such a shame.
“I have no idea what to do.”
“I’m two hundred thirty-three years old, and I’m still figuring it out.”
✮
Danika, reckless, wild, loyal unto death, awe-inspiring alpha with a life forced upon her and the usual choice for lead;
Ruhn, my precious defiant crown prince and Chosen One of the Fae, but a brother above all else; contained and messed up
Fury ; unwavering
June; unforgettable and priceless
Lele; Flynn and his reflection of the responsibility-fleeing youth; charming
Tharion; humble
Isaiah; and mysterious and dark
Aidas I need more of...all own a piece of my heart now.
“You told me not to let them see me cry. I took the advice to heart.”
↳
⋆☽ Relationships ☾⋆ ✰
Friendship: Danika and Bryce’s bond is probably one of the most beautiful things SJM has written. The sisterly support, the unwavering loyalty, the faith...it just leaps out of the page and grabs you by the throat until you are choking and crying begging for it to stop. I have no words as I’m still choking on those ruthless sobs.
Truth be told, Sarah’s
focus on the significance of friendship (even in a romance) above all else and her masterful tackling of its muddy waters is the best thing about all her works.
“That’s the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious.”
✰
Romance: What I love most about this facet of the story is its focus on everything
NOT toxic masculinity, and while I disagree that her previous works dwelled in this area (
as the focal point of all her endgame romances have been friendship, equality, and mutual understanding and respect) we have had characters who’ve been tolerant of the much more animalistic instincts of the Fae as well as ones who battled those instincts and all but declared that it’s important to respect your partner’s wishes rather than act possessively; here, she takes the last step to declare it and shows that she can write different dynamics with adding Bryce, who isn’t tolerant of it.
Yes, Bryce and Hunt might not be my fave ship, might not be a heartthrob, but not every ship has to own my heart. What matters is how they fit and how precious their bond is. Though TBH I prefer it as friendship.
✰
Mother-Daughter: A gem of pure strength. My icy heart melted.
✰
Brother-Sister: Having to deal with two older brothers who I can’t call overbearing or annoying as, honestly, I’m the unbearable one they have to bear with, I always crave these relationships in books (and hate how uncommon they are in works of fantasy). Well, my prayers have been answered! Can I have more of this preciously and precisely captured dynamic, please?
↳
⋆☽ Worldbuilding ☾⋆ 
What word can I use to convey my adoration for this world? Inventive? Fascinating? Layered?
House of Earth and Blood (
which is also the name of one of the 4 Houses of Midgard, if you’re wondering) takes on
inequality in a brutal regime while combining magic and technology in a dazzling manner—with scientists, tourists, blood tests checking one’s power, a system to monitor the vibrations in the world’s magic, and a sword in a cave (
Jumong + Arthur much?),
SJM has thoughtfully became the architect of her most ingenious world yet.Magic and technology; I never ceased to be amazed by the balance and contrast of how these two elements were mixed; how naturally it was managed. Not to mention the spin on the traits of angels (
as we know SJM loves to do, now inspired by angels in Judaism), changing them from holy, perfect idols to arrogant bastards. And there is, ofc, the usual animalistic Fae and shifters touch on the usually-known-as serene creatures—some would dislike her focus on their lupine and canine and feline sides, perhaps finding it uncomfortable, but to me, it is refreshing and precise, as it
feels more grittily realistic. What are humans but slightly more intelligent animals? And demonstrating how said connection to the wilds would affect these individuals is a sprinkle of accuracy in Maas’s favour.
In
Crescent City, Maas is inspired by multiple mythologies and uses the occasional familiar name to make all the foreign and new information less overwhelming while providing a new outlook on their definitions with clever new interpretations. Such as Midgard, originally land of the mortals between Asgard (land of the gods) and Helheim (land of the dead) in Norse mythology, here used as the name of the planet mortals made their lives upon before the godlike magical beings left their worlds and pushed in from the Northern Rift, also hosting the Quiet Realms were the dead dwell.
Midgard is a world divided by power. Literally. There are tests to determine a Vanir’s level of magic, and the one bearing more of it stands higher on the hierarchy (the down to earth ones having a celebrity-like position in the society). And humans, with no power, do not get much credit despite their efforts in guiding the city to technological advancement, having their achievements funded and claimed by rulers who are smart enough not to leave room for their inferior species thriving while they themselves cling to old traditions.
Additionally, as fits the urban fantasy genre, the focus is on the city and its world building—so while we learn about the system of the planet in general, most of our knowledge and wanderings happen within the confines of Lunathion, a city holding the same nickname as New Orleans, and throwing nudges to it in more than one way.
All together, the world of
Crescent City is
so rich it’s dripping in gems and shadows and drugs, and its exquisite creatures, artfully shaped and accordingly named landscapes, temples of pleasure, and magical libraries with sneaky books could sweep you beneath its dark waves and crush you in the jaws of the horrifying nøkks waiting for your boat to tip.
Note: I was right!
This is the “glittering city on the curve of a river,” mentioned in Kingdom of Ash. The fact that all of SJM’s worlds exist in the same universe just brings so many possibilities to the table, and I absolutely love it.
I will now proceed to the Quiet Realm of the dead, all the way across the crescent river, on my worn boat, ready to tip and leave me to drown in its dark, bloody waters.
↳
⋆☽ Companions ☾⋆ ↬
Book playlist: Spotify URL
↬
Books in series: ⟿ House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) ★★★★★
⟿ Untitled Sequel (Crescent City, #2) ☆☆☆☆☆
Rating: really liked it
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Gather around, my friends, and pull up several seats. I give you my worst book of 2020. My
god.
My first introduction to Sarah J. Maas's work was through THRONE OF GLASS, which sounded kind of like POISON STUDY when I heard the premise: a disgraced assassin fighting for the saving of a kingdom? YAS. But POISON STUDY was a much better book. "But no," said the Stans. "You have to read the entire series. It gets better." Well, I read all seven books, and it actually got worse. Maas either killed off or ruined the only characters who made the series halfway okay, and introduced a sleazy, growling alpha motherfucker of a love interest to match Aelin/Caleana's Super Senshi Sue Powers™. It got so bad that I joked she would literally have to be a god to become any more special and it's like Sarah J. Maas heard me thinking that and was like YAAAAASS QUEEN. I SHALL MAKE IT SO. Ugh.
The A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES series is better... in book one. I'm reading it right now and it might actually be the only book of hers that I'll give more than a two star rating, even though it butchers not just The Ballad of Tam Lin but also
Beauty and the Beast. I have a lot of thoughts on making characters in fairytales and stories where the characters are supposed to be unattractive attractive, which I expand more on in my review of A.G. Howard's ROSEBLOOD. But everything that makes A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES bearable is destroyed in later books. Maas swaps out a genuinely tortured and flawed love interest for a carbon copy of Rowan who, once again, is a sleazy, growling alpha motherfucker who makes volcanoes erupt with the force of his come and takes to the skies to make the clouds cower with his incredibly male orgasms. And Feyre, who started out reasonably flawed and realistic, as a human who can't read and has to scrounge to survive, becomes EVEN MORE SPECIAL AND AMAZING, OMG!!!! SO SPECIAL!
Throne of Glass was a young adult series until the last 2-3 books and
ACoTaR was a new adult series (even though it wasn't labeled as such), but both of them read as being fairly similar and had similar outcomes. I'll admit that my eyebrows shot up to my hairline when it was announced that CRESCENT CITY would be Maas's first adult novel, because her other books are clearly marketed at a much younger audience and this seems like an attempt to maintain her fanbase's interest as they grow older and outgrow the series. What would her take on "adult" content be?
I'll give you one fucking gods-damn clue what Maas's fucking take on gods-damn content is, but first I have to make sure that my fucking vibrator didn't fall into the gods-damn box of fucking
My Little Pony knock-offs that I fucking keep in my gods-damn linen closet!
...That's right. PG-13 sexual content and lots and lots and lots and
lots of swearing.
Now, I am no prude, but the swearing in this book was totally unnecessary and just came across as childish. If anything, it made CRESCENT CITY feel like a young THRONE OF GLASS trying to impress all of her older friends with her edginess. CRESCENT CITY fancies itself quite the little edgelord with its filthy mouth, drugs, sex, and violence, but none of it is handled well. Drugs are treated as something casually edgy that the characters
do without any sorts of repercussions. Violence is casual as well, and doesn't really serve any purpose in the story. Characters are killed off before we can really care about them properly. And the sexual content is... cringey.
Another issue I took with the book is the way it is constructed. This book was way too long-- about 300 pages longer than it probably should have been
max. I think Maas has fallen into the trap of just feeding her readers endless self-fanfiction of the stories she's already written. They adore her worlds and want to read more of it... but both ACOTAR and THRONE OF GLASS were relatively short. They didn't expand in length until the characters (who stayed with her) cared about the series. There is no such emotional bond in CRESCENT CITY,
but Maas wrote it as if it were book seven in a seven book series and expected us all to just care. I was reading the comments from stans on the negative reviews who said things like,
"Well, it doesn't get good until page 500! You should have kept reading!" and
"The last 100 pages made the first 700 pages totally worth it!" I'm sorry, but no. If your book is 800 pages long and doesn't get good until page 500, that's not okay. If you have 500 pages of info-dumping to get the book get off the ground, you're not a good writer. There was way too much crammed into this book and a lot of it was exposition that probably should have happened organically by us following the character around and seeing her interact with things and people instead of having everything dropped on the reader like a ten-ton weight of narrative. I read about 600/800 of this book and I'm still not sure what I read. It has Norse gods, faeries, vampires, demons, werewolves, shape-shifters, angels, technology, fast food, video games, humans, and a whole host of other stuff, and none of it really meshes cohesively. The world-building is a bigger mess than a drunken mid-2000s party girl stepping out of her limo to greet the paparazzi after an all-night cocaine bender. It doesn't make sense, and I don't really get how any of it fits together.
Then there's Bryce. Bryce is basically a mishmash of Celaena and Feyre. She's gorgeous. She's sexy. Everyone wants to fuck her. She's not like other girls. She feels pity for whores because she only sleeps around to self-medicate for her emotional issues. She does drugs but she's deep. She hates everyone but everyone's okay with that because they can see the pain deep inside her beautiful eyes. Brycaelayre is half-human, half-fae, and ALL Super Senshi Sue™. You just know that she's going to end up being revealed to be a "goddess incarnate" or the queen of everything by the end of the last book. Maas has never been content to let a female character be powerful on her own merits. She's gotta roll her shoulders, roll her eyes, purr, talk sweetly, tap her nails, and flap her aerobicized faerie wings to the heavens while exploding sex, magic, and specialness from every nonexistent pore.
The love interest, Hunt, is basically a stand-in for Rowan and Rhysand. I'm not entirely convinced that he's here to stay, though, as Micah was looking pretty fine and fiery and there were way too many paragraphs devoted to talking about how hot he was. Don't be surprised if on book 2 or 3, Hunt undergoes a total personality transplant, starts being a dick for no reason, and is then kicked to the curb with the story reworked for how he was secretly an evil gaslighter who was imprisoning Bryce and robbing her of her potential with some half-assed betrayal and only Micah could set her free.
WHICH, by the way, the constant use of the word "alphahole" in this book was not only incredibly irritating and ridiculous, it's also incredibly unselfaware. If you're trying to make fun of a trope, it's probably best not to have that be a trope that you're well-known for. One of the alphahole quotes in this book could literally be a description for any book that Maas has churned out in the last five years. Don't even get me started on the whole "males" and "females" and "scents" nonsense.
I don't think it's exaggeration when I say that this is THE WORST MAAS BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. It was so terrible, reading it actually gave me a headache. All of her other books I've read, I could at least finish, but this was unbearable. It was like SJM took everything I hated about her previous books and injected them into CRESCENT CITY in ultra-concentrated form. The
only two redeeming things about this book were the *attempt* at sex-positivity (but only for Bryce-- remember, actual whores are to be pitied) and an odd reference to My Little Pony figures (called "Starlight Fancy" figures-- Bryce collects them). Between the terrible, disorganized world-building, the curse-words speckling each page, and the beautiful but two-dimensional shells that served as the main characters, I just could not find one single fuck to give. Maybe because SJM took all those "fucks" and put them into her book, instead. You know, to make it "adult."
1 star
Rating: really liked it
2 stars baby. I promise there will be no spoilers in this review, I’m not a monster. Warning: this review is long.
Let’s begin with what kept me going throughout this entire book: my stupid tallies.
My Stupid Tallies: Characters snarling: 108. This physically hurt me tbh.
Characters being described with golden/tan skin: 22. The woke queen is back ladies and gentlemales, with another racially ambiguous cast that lets her imagine them as white but defend herself if people ever say she has no POC in her books. Absolute galaxy brain.
Characters purring: 17. Gross.
Characters roaring: 9. While much lower than I anticipated, it still was 9 times too many. I have never heard a real-life person do anything close to a “roar” but since “tHEy’rE nOt HuMaN eLLiE” I guess it’s fine.
The M (view spoiler)[ Mate gross gross gross (hide spoiler)] Word: 2 I want to thank this woman for restraining herself in this book, 2 times for her favourite word is incredible, let’s give her a round of applause, guys.
The Characters: Bryce Quinlan: Bryce “Silky” Quinlan is first up to the executioner’s block and oh boy do I have some things to say about Bryce. While she is SJM’s typical snarky heroine, she is what I will thusly dub
The Advanced Self-Insert . While Calaena and Feyre were obvious self-inserts (both having golden-hued hair and blue eyes, suspiciously like the author) Bryce actually has RED HAIR, which is honestly a game-changer, a never-before-seen addition to Sarah’s repertoire. I’m so proud of her. Let us list why Bryce is
The Advanced Self-Insert: - Every dude is insanely horny for her. Doesn’t matter if they’re an ancient mythological being or some dude on the street -- he wants to bang her.
- She is supremely skilled in the arts of battle. Wielding both a rifle and a sword at once? No problem, despite both weapons requiring two hands. Bryce is just that amazing. Being half-human and therefore physically weaker than almost every character in this book? No problem, the plot will demand she beats them anyway.
- She is the most beautiful “female” to ever walk the earth. Nobody compares to Bryce, whose hair is silky beyond words, whose voice is silky, whose walk is silky (???), whose skin is silky. The woman is so silky she will fold if you touch her. Naturally, silk is a complete aphrodisiac for every “male” in this novel, so she is desired by all. People having types? Nope, golden-skinned redheads only baby.
But enough about what makes Bryce ridiculously hot, let’s talk about her flaws, and boy are they vast.
- She is just too curvy to be a dancer. Her ass and breasts are just too round, too perfect, for her to possibly be a professional dancer.
- She attracts “alphaholes” (these are her own words btw) and complains about it despite these alphaholes being the only men she even entertains notions of dating/being with. Maybe her true flaw is that she’s a hypocrite?
- ???
- Did I mention that she’s really beautiful?
A well-rounded character (literally) if I do say so myself.
Hunt Athalar: And now we come to our glorious love interest, our Fabio, our physical equal to Bryce. He is a fallen angel (completing SJM’s wing-kink), so renown through the land that he has been dubbed “the Umbra Mortis” or “The Shadow of Death”. The creativity behind this title is unparalleled: not only did she have to think of two words that are “cool and edgy” but she had to put them in google translator and change them into Latin. Think about that for a second … all the time and effort… what a writing queen. I hope to be as powerful as her one day.
Anyway, let’s talk about his personality. Like Bryce, he can be quite funny sometimes (I actually love the Jelly Jubilee parts of the novel – see I can be nice). Also, like Bryce, his personality doesn’t really extend past the fact that he is beautiful beyond comprehension and has power never-before-seen for his race (lightning magic, ooOoOoOOOoo). Also like every other powerful character in this novel, he uses this magic a total of once or twice. Because when you make all-powerful characters, you must limit them by not letting them do anything of note, otherwise the book would’ve ended on page 3. Oh, and he has a total foot fetish. I feel like that’s important to note, you know, as a trigger warning for grossness.
Still better than “Feminist King” Rhysand and Rowrat.
The Other People: Carbon copy rip-offs of her characters from other books. Ruhn is an emo version of Aedion merged with some Azriel. Fury is literally the same as Amren. Juniper is Elain with a personality. Sandriel is Maeve. Danika is EXACTLY Aelin. Is it plagiarism if you’re ripping-off yourself? A question for the philosophers, methinks.
The Plot: By far the weakest plot Sarah J. Maas has ever construed and this is the same woman who plotted ACOFAS. It goes like this: Action > Banter for 600 pages, sprinkled with the most boring murder investigation I have ever read > Answer is given to them > Another 50 pages of banter > Revelations > An “action-packed” ending where more than half the cast of characters do nothing.
The World: The world-building in this book sucked. I know of two locations: Pangera (an entire fucking continent) and Crescent City. That is all. We never leave Crescent City. Ever. I don’t think we could if we tried.
There’s this war going on in the background of the entire novel, between humans and the Vanir. Yes, the Vanir. If that sounded familiar, it’s because it refers to a race of nature gods in Norse mythology. However, SJM liked the sound of that word but didn’t like its meaning, so in this world (also called MIDGARD) the word ‘Vanir’ refers to all different kinds of mythological beings, including angels, fae, werewolves etc. I love stealing words from ancient cultures and disregarding its original meaning so it can work in my shitty high fantasy novel.
Anyway, this war is going on because humans are completely oppressed by the Vanir, who see themselves as superior to humans in every way. However, most of the characters are Vanir so the human plight is pretty much pushed to the background except when the half-human Bryce is being sneered at and she gets mad about it. There are literally people dying, Bryce. This war and human oppression get less screen-time than Bryce’s perfect ass. How can I take this war seriously and believe the Vanir are meant to be the bad guys when we spend so much of the book talking about how sexy they are??
Lastly, the writing: I don’t wanna be too mean here because I did read an ARC, but holy shit this is most badly edited ARC I have ever read. I’m thinking her editors are just becoming so lazy because they’re like “ah whatever it’s SJM, they’ll buy it no matter what, leave all the typos in there, take out no scenes, just let her do whatever.”
This book should have been edited down to 500 pages and that’s THAT.
Overall: If you loved her other work, particularly the ACOTAR series, you will no doubt love this, it has lots of the same shit in it. If you’re going into this hoping her foray into adult fantasy will result in intricate world-building, morally grey characters and adult themes, you would be wrong.
This book is basically ACOTAR but now she can swear!! Hooray!
2/5 stars thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Rating: really liked it
Reread 2022:I still stand behind my rating & review.
Now it’s finally time to dive into book two.
"Light it up, bitch." Did I cry? Twice
Is this my favorite SJM book? No
Do I need the next book? Immediately
I have
A LOT of feelings on the first book in the
Crescent City series so I'm going to do us all a favor and just get straight into all the things I liked and didn't like about this!
What I Liked👯♀️
The emphasis of friendship. Y'all mind if I scream for a sec? I didn't read the synopsis before I picked up this book and the last time I read it was months ago, so imagine my surprise when I finished part one of this book. I was pretty gutted to say the least. Now, after finishing it and realizing the full extent of Bryce and Danika's friendship, how much they loved each other, and the lengths they would go to save each other literally makes me want to bawl my eyes out (especially when we find out the significance of some of the things they say to one another). By the end of this book I was reduced to a blubbering mess of tears. Pass the tissues, please.
💁🏻♀️ Bryce Mother F'ing Quinlan. I love that bitch even when she is a bitch. I'm not trying to jump the gun or anything here but she
MAY be my favorite female MC we've had so far. She's a curvy, red-headed, sassy, cursing up a storm, take no shit type of gal and we love to see it. I adored how unapologetic she is for being herself, how fierce and hard she loves people, and how much she cares for the greater good as well. Her character growth in this was phenomenal and heart breaking and I need the next book immediately because I need more time with Bryce in my life.
🤬
Cursing and sex talk. If you want my honest opinion SJM writing adult book feels so right and if she never went back to YA books I wouldn't care. I think the way cursing, talking about sex, drugs, partying, and drinking is brought up in this book is pretty realistic to the society we live in today. And I think that this made the book feel a tad more
"normal", you know, as normal as we can get when we're talking about witches, wolves, vampires, fae, mermaids, and life vest wearing/mail delivering otters.
🌎
Urban fantasy world. I really don't read enough of them but when I do I always love them. There's just something about all these paranormal creatures in a modern/futuristic world with technology and what not that fills my heart with glee. And Sarah builds this world up just like her others. She did a really great job of creating a complex world...even if it did take a little while to catch on. Once I was able to catch up it really did make me appreciate how well it was all put together and I definitely can't wait to see more of it.
💘
Romance. Can we just talk a second to appreciate how
SOFT Hunt Athalar really is? Because I could cry thinking about it. I loved how this took a friends to lovers approach and that within the time of Bryce and Hunt becoming friends and developing feelings for one another there was a whole lot of healing going on too. I am praying to all the gods that they are endgame and will legitimately riot if they are not.
What I Didn't Like 🙃
I am confusion. This book just started name dropping people and places left and right like it was nothing. SJM honey, please let me catch up I'm trying to figure out who is who, what planet we're on, and what in the hell CBD stands for. Eventually I got it but it's just one of those cases where you have to just power through and hope for the best that it will all make sense.
😴
Too long. It's a good thing that I enjoy SJM's writing because man, was this long. I tried not to let it bother me that much but the fact that you have to sit through just about 500 pages before any
"big" revelations start to pop up was rather annoying. For readers who don't like her writing this could definitely be the thing that makes or breaks you. Looking back on it I just feel like so much of the first 500 pages could have been condensed and it pretty much would have read the same way.
☠️
My favorite character died. I don't think I really need to say anymore than that. But I am
DEVASTATED and honestly ready to sue.
♻️
Not the most original. I told myself going into this that I was specifically not going to compare this to the ACOTAR and TOG series. Since it's a brand new series I wanted to give it my undivided attention and not look for similarities, but it was
SO HARD. A lot of this felt like Sarah took the best parts of ACOTAR and TOG, mashed them together, changed the time period/setting to a more futuristic one, and added more paranormal creatures. And while I loved this world she created it always felt like this was something I had read before. I mean, there were even similar phrases used in this with just a few words changed from her other books.
And there you have it friends, my complete list of thoughts on
House of Earth and Blood. I am definitely excited to continue this series and despite the 3.5 rating I still really did enjoy this. I'm not stressing too much over this not being my favorite SJM book because her sequels are usually the
BOMB and you best believe I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment for these characters!
Rating: really liked it
4.75/5 ⭐
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
“Let someone in, give them the power to hurt you, and they’d do exactly that, in the end.” When I saw 800+ pages I got a bit scared.
Okay, a bit more.
But then...
...I LITERALLY HALTED ABSOLUTELY FUCKING EVERYTHING TO READ THIS BOOK AND I DON’T REGRET A THING.
It’s been
amazing.
AMAZING.
At this point in life, I don’t even want to question anymore this woman’s books.
The
world-building, as usual, is fabulous. I really love the fact that this world has been fashioned in an urban fantasy style because with this, the whole multiverse Sarah J. Maas is creating (like the goddess of life that she is) gets even more credibility and depth.
I even love the fact that I could witness a mixture of traditional weaponry, modern style guns and technology. I mean, I truly loved this whole picture of someone strapping a sword down their back and pulling out a mobile phone and texting or snapping a picture. It’s cool, deal with it.
Now, as a bit of a warning, this book gets full-on New Adult, bad words and all so if you feel offended by this kind of thing then I don’t know what to tell you, deal with it or suck it up. I, for instance, have no problem with this (I’m Romanian, we’re nasty creatures) and it definitely didn’t ruin anything for me. Au contraire, it added flair.
Throw those F-bombs like confetti, queen, I am here and I am ready. 
After some time passes and I got used to the story, I started to realise that under all that notorious party girl exterior Bryce tries to put like a charm around her, she is a broken soul who’s trying to get through life – life made hard by those who try to tear her down; she’s a braveheart who loves too much; she’s compassionate and smart; she’s a bad bitch. And Danika is her equal bad bitch bestie and I kind of love them both. And their friendship is heartbreaking!
“It’s easier for me – when people assume the worst about what I am. It lets me see who they really are.” Hunt is a bit of a stiff-ass but he gets better as the story moves on. Still not head-over-heels in love with his character but he’s definitely a good lad. He’s as broken and lonely as Bryce and this is what makes them fall in love so fiercely and deeply. They feel right for each other. They feel like home.
“You are where I want to end up. A life – with you. You are my fucking path.” Also, I actually can’t help but love Ruhn, with all of his frat-boy-dude-bro type of attitude he has at the beginning. Yeah, Ruhn’s the one I truly liked from the beginning. He’s such a goof at heart, I can feel it.
And Hypaxia. OMG, Hypaxia
exudes big queen energy. She might be a possible all-time favourite of mine. But we shall see, of course.
I would also like to underline the fact that Lehabah is my baby and I love her so much and Syrinx can eat all the food I have in the house for all I care!!
Precious babies.
Now, we have to talk about this too, a kind-of warning matter like the bad words thingy – even though there are some serious matters going around the Crescent City, this book is
very sexy. Sexy for real. And some sexy things also happen *oopsie*.
Just harness your horses for a moment, please.
SJM already mastered this skill of mixing business with pleasure in her books so be prepared to feel a bit uncomfortable at the smut but get fast over it because people die and demons roam free in that world. And there are some juicy secrets teasing us too so you won’t have time to catch your breath.
Blush a bit, go wash your eyes and get over it. This book means business.
Because you’ll see after you pick it up, the last 200 pages are THE SHIT. I honestly cried at least three times and I wasn’t feeling very myself by the end of it.
You know a book gets to you when you broke down crying, so guess what? Brace yourselves, this book wants to catch you off guard. In a very Maas style.
So, with all that being said, GO READ THIS BOOK. And find yourselves a new obsession in it. As I did.
It’s amazing.
“She was sea and sky and stone and blood and wings and earth and stars and darkness and light and bone and flame.” (Book-styled)
Rating: really liked it
Just released my Top 10 Books from 2020 BookTube Video - now that you know this one made the list, click the link to find the rest!
The Written Review 
"See, that right there is the problem. You and the whole rest of the world seem to think I exist just to find someone like him."
Bryce Quinlan lives in
a world full of fae, werewolves, angels and demons...and in
a world full of high-rise apartments, internet and cell phones.
"The forcast didn't call for rain." She scowled at the sky. "Someone must be throwing a tantrum."
Crescent City is the one place where all forms of magic (and technology) intersect into one, unforgettable town.
But there's
a dark side to the city.
...the cities were little more than pens for the Vanir to trap and feed on the humans - and their humans.
And that dark secret swallowed Bryce's best friend alive.
Now, two years later, Bryce is (finally) back on her feet...just in time to see the signs appearing.
Signs that indicate that whatever caused the first incident is itching to come back - bigger and more deadly than ever before.
"Some bad shit's going down, isn't it."
WHEW. This one was wild...and hella confusing.For the first 300 pages or so, I felt really lost and I honestly almost put the book down.
There was
SO MUCH info-dump world-building that my head was spinning and I was NOT having a good time at all.
Just imagine chapters with sentences like this thrown all around:
Pollux atonius, Sandriel's triarii commander - the Malleus, they called him.
And so, I turned to the reviews.
Everyone and their mother was praising this book to high-heaven, with the stipulation that you really need to get past the first third of it.
So I...gave up...on trying to remember all of the minor details (sorry butterfly-shifter, you don't get to stay in my brain) and just went with the flow.
AND LET ME TELL YOU - WOW.Seriously wow.
The remaining five hundred pages knocked my socks clear across the country.
It was insanely good.
But, keep in mind that the first third did make me want to hurl it against the wall.
BUT, I am totally pre-ordering my copy of the sequel literally over a year in advance cause gosh-dang I can't live without the next one.
Annd here are some other fun booktube videos starring this book! 
Just a fun little BookTube Video all about some fabulous literary worlds!
Just posted my Goodreads Choice 2020 Reaction Video on Booktube! Click the link to check it out!!
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
How most authors approach writing an adult book: “I’m going to delve in to some dark, gritty topics. Readers will truly
feel the pain of the characters struggling to cope with the world around them.”
How SJM approached writing an adult book:“SHIT FUCK BALLS FUCK FUCK FUCKING SHIT HOLY FUCKING MOTHER OF FUCK YOU FUCKER WHAT THE BALLSAC YOU SON OF A BITCH FUCKING FUCKITY CUNT RAG.”
————————————————————————
I’m finally ready to write this damn review. Please note that I AM actually a big SJM fan, which is why I took this book's existence so personally.
Alright, alright, alright:
1. The minor characters.I was much more interested when Bryce and Hunt interacted with anyone OTHER than each other. Can I name any of those minor characters? Sure can't because either a) I finished this over a week ago and already forgot their names and/or b) their names are weird AF, which made it too difficult for me to remember them in the first place. I particularly liked Faerie brother & co., cat demon, badass boss bitch, and mermaid dude.
2. Danika's hair. Ice blonde with rainbow highlights is pretty bitchin'. (I'm grasping at straws here.)
It's a no from me, dawg:
1. The 3rd person omniscient POV is done SO POORLY. I'm honestly at a loss on this. ToG is told from the same POV and SJM does a fine job with it (could I USE any more acronyms?).
Seriously. SJM knows how to do it. SHE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE (don't @me, haters). SO, WHAT WENT WRONG HERE?! She left absolutely NOTHING up to the imagination. There was no mystery or tension between the characters. We’d read a scene from Bryce’s POV where Hunt was unusually quiet. Then, it would switch to Hunt's POV where he would spend the first few paragraphs recapping the exact scene we just read with Bryce AND he would explain every single thought he had while he was silent during that conversation. THERE WAS ZERO ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION. There was certainly no need for me to turn on my brain. She spoon feeds it all to you.
2. The spoon is actually a giant shovel used for slinging info dumps at you.You're told basically the entire history of this world for 150 pages with a little bit of dialogue/one grain of plot rice sprinkled in during it. Do I look like a give a flying flapjack who ruled this place 400 years ago and how they weren't that popular and who took over for them and what color shoes that person wore and how long they went between haircuts? SURE DON'T. Tell me when it's relevant. But actually, don't TELL me this information...
3. SHOW IT TO ME.It's Creative Writing 101. You need me to know about the current dictator's entire family tree as well as each of their favorite colors? SHOW me why it's relevant WHEN it's relevant. Don’t hit me in the face with a textbook. Also, make sure it’s actually relevant. 95% of the info dumps were not. NEAT.
4. There was no sex scene.In fact, there was very little spice at all. I’m not reading SJM just for plot, SO WHAT THE HELL.
5. Everything is SO contrived. I can’t even go into this without giving away spoilers. But, you’ll know it when you see it. Over and over.
6. So much gratuitous cursing.Look, I'm not some delicate flower who faints at any and all four letter words (see: this review).
But, reading this book felt just like watching a Scorsese movie. Did they really need to say "fuck" every other word? FUCK* NO THEY DIDN'T. It served no purpose.
*my purpose = rage
7. Bryce quit dancing because she was told her boobs and ass were too big.OKAY, BRYCE. Could not stop rolling my eyes at this detail.
Am I going to read the next book in the series?NO.
Is the previous answer a lie?Probably.
But, Lindsey, if you hated this so much, why didn't you give it 1 star?Bias. Complete and total bias.
Rating: really liked it
Reread and when I tell you that this book was perfect. Perfectly told and brilliantly executed.
This woman speaks my language. That ending was magical beyond words. It was cinematic. It played like an action thriller.
My old self clearly didn’t know what she was talking about. Rating it 4 stars. 🙄 I mean, the audacity of it all.
Old review still stands but not fully. I appreciated the world-building so much more even though it was a bit of a slog to get through at first.
The characters I’ve become obsessed with and I wouldn’t change a thing about that ending.
As I’ve already stated, it was perfect. I’m in awe right now.
“Through love, all is possible.” —————————————
Sarah J Maas really does own my ass!I was anticipating this book like no tomorrow and whilst it wasn't perfect for me, I fell in love with the story regardless.
I'm not going to go into too much detail. Just discover the book for yourself, darn it!
BUT I loved the world-building. There was so much to it, so rich and full and whilst for others it felt info-dumpy, this was one of my favourite aspects. I can see it getting confusing, but I relished in the way the world was introduced and the way she kept building upon it. It was epic!
The main characters were just as good as the side characters. There was depth to them all. The murder mystery element was a damn treat and I need the sequels to be following some sort of similar story line. The mystery was intense, exciting, and had my mind reeling! I became a damn detective whilst reading!
My slight qualm was with the ending though. The last two-hundred pages are a fuckin whirlwind and at first, I could not believe the constant revelations we were getting. It was so fuckin good and SO well done! Everything, every plot point, was tied up nicely and linked. It all made sense. But as I read on, I found that it dragged a bit too? And that certain things felt convenient? Some aspects of the magic weren't fully explored, which is a pet-peeve of mine. So I do think it could have been slightly shorter and more cohesive.
This also read like a complete book. So I'm intrigued to see what the other books will be like, which characters it'll follow and what the story-line will be.
But all in all, always sign me up for more Sarah J. Maas.
And Hunt, where you at?
---------------------------
Pre-reading raves!LOOOOOOOK AT THIS COVER!!!!
I cry. 😭😭😭😭
Best SJM cover. The
detail! 😍
---------------------------
Well, this news just made my day! NEW MATERIAL FROM SARAH J MAAS! 🤩
I can’t wait to see how she ventures into Adult Fantasy!
You can read more about it here:
http://ew.com/books/2018/05/16/sarah-...
I hope Maas does a Sanderson and releases books every year from here on out. 😁
Rating: really liked it
This was good, but I didn't love it by any means. It took soooooo long to get going, which I knew going in. Everyone talks about how the beginning is a lot of world building and is super boring but it's worth it in the end! Well, I don't think it was entirely worth it. Maybe it's because I have a pet peeve about books or series that you have to wait until a certain point for it to get good because I don't want to waste my time. Especially in this case I'm extra bitter because this book is 800 freaking pages long and doesn't start to get reaaally interesting until like page 500 if I'm being generous. But yeah, that's my little rant. The story itself was intriguing and had a lot of twists and turns but they all kind of happened close together. There was an angsty romance that took a lot longer to get going than I expected. It was super duper slow burn so even as the world is building it wasn't like there was much of a romance to latch onto to be interested in. I liked the additions of wolves and angels and other such creatures added to this new fae world. The world is cool because it's an urban modern-ish setting, like our world but not, with these creatures added. The characters were good, nothing spectacular, kind of frustrating at times. I feel like SJM has a very specific character she writes and I don't know if it's just me but I think all of her protagonists kind of seem similar to me. They're like the tough outside soft inside girls, I don't know. I think I might pick up the sequel but honestly, not committing to anything at this point. We'll see how much the supposedly urgent plot is dragged out in that one. I know this makes it seem like I hated it but I didn't, it was a solid middle of the road for me. But I am very happy I finally freaking read it.
Rating: really liked it
[the death of Danika and the pack. I was falling in love with them and excited to read about some awesome werewolves from SJM. And then they are just killed pretty much right off the bat. I don’t really care that much for Bryce. She’s pretty cool but I want Danika. Sigh… (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
4.5 StarsI know it's not "cool" to like SJM books anymore...all the cool kids say she's tired, she doesn't have enough "rep" in her books, she's too trope-y, her males are too "masculine," angels and fae have been done too many times before, blah, blah, fucking blah...
I'm not here to rate the literary elements here, people.
I'm not here to ferret out any imagined or un-imagined social warrior stances in a
barely adult Urban Fantasy book meant for entertainment.
And this was scrumptious.
Was the beginning somewhat clunky and hard to get into? Yes. But I was prepared. And that should be expected in almost any first in a new fantasy series.
Was it too long? Yeah, probably. But I also wouldn't trade in any of the length and, in turn, lose any of the world/character-building.
Did a lot of the characters remind me of characters from her other books? Sure.
But again, I don't care.
At the end of any given day, I am just a basic bitch who reads for ENTERTAINMENT.
And I found this book to be 800 pages of a good time.
Can't wait for book two.
Rating: really liked it
Series Predictions: • badass heroine. she's so special, so beautiful
• everyone is in love with her
• love interest #1 introduced
• but wait
• FAE (oh sorry, it's sidhe now i guess)
• love interest #2 introduced; gross alpha male (totally
fae sidhe)
• something about a mate bond
• shows abusive tendencies towards MC but that's okay because he has a ~troubled~ past and all transgressions are forgiven
• as a matter of fact, those abusive actions are portrayed as
swoon-worthy and #relationshipgoals
• original plot lines and characters forgotten; lol what's continuity?
• love interest #1 is forgotten. probably won't show up again in later books tbh
• who cares about inconsistency: HOT
FAE SIDHE
• long, unnecessary pages of cringeworthy, disturbing sex scenes and weird euphemisms for penis
• more novellas/novels published after series ends because why not
Rating: really liked it
Okay, I just need to stop. Stop it, Emily. At this point I can't say anything negative about Maas because it is 100% my own fault for continuing to pick up her books, hoping for... for what? That she will suddenly give me back the fun frivolities of the first two
Throne of Glass books? Clearly, I am deluded if that is the case.
I'm actually going to return this book. It turned up yesterday; a $20 preorder I have no memory of making. Was I drunk? Hormonal? Sleep-deprived? Who knows? Could have been all three. All I know is that I read three chapters and I am already exhausted with the smirking and scenting. Maas is just not for me anymore, clearly. I am curious to hear what makes this her "first adult fantasy book" from those who finish it. So far, it seems almost exactly like her other books, but with a few more "fucks" thrown in.
Rating: really liked it
review 2/24/22:
honestly enjoyed this more the second time around. i still maintain that this book is too long and lacks the kind of direction i prefer in fantasy. but upon reread i can appreciate the sheer depth of the world... the politics are pretty interesting and the hierarchies are clearly well thought out. i don't think this is maas' best work by any means but i am curious to see where this series goes.
----------------------
review 4/4/20:
bold and brash but will i wanna throw it in the trashafter reading, whispers:
trash--------------------------------
since when do i write reviews anymore... if you want a 25 minute spoiler filled vlog of messiness, i can provide here
Rating: really liked it
the biggest fan of a demon cat though <3
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