Review - House of Earth and Blood

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent city)

Title: House of Earth and Blood

Series: Crescent City (Goodreads)
Publisher: Bloomsbury 
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Author: Sarah J Maas
Age Group: Adult
Source: Waterstones (purchased)

Review

So I can officially declare that I am a Maas convert!🤣I will admit however that when House of Earth and Blood was first announced I wasn’t so sure I would read it. I also had the fortune to read a NetGalley exclusive before publication and can honestly admit that the few chapters I did read I didn’t enjoy. However, looking back now I think that my lack of enjoyment was more about the fact that I don’t like reading on devices and much prefer reading in paper format. Once I finally got my hands on the hardback of House of Earth and Blood I was so glad that I didn’t turn away from this book and thankfully enjoyed every moment of reading this book.

One of the elements that I loved about House of Earth and Blood was the dual narration. We get to hear from both Hunt and Bryce’s perspectives and watch how over the course of the book they learn to overcome their initial judgements and prejudices for one another as well as the society they live in. The books blurb already states that Bryce lost her friends and remained wounded afterwards and this was one of the premeditated judgements that Hunt held about her, that she would quickly remove her scar to maintain her beautiful figure:

‘How anyone could breathe in a dress that tight was also a mystery. It was long enough that it covered the area on her thigh where the scar from that night two years ago would be—that is, if she hadn’t paid some medwitch to erase it. For someone who clearly took pains to dress nicely, he had little doubt she’d gotten it removed immediately. Party girls didn’t like scars messing with how they looked in a swimsuit.’

Yet as I’m sure your aware if you’ve read the book this judgement slowly changes. I won’t give away any spoilers but I will say this; Maas always deals with trauma in her books and Bryce is no exception to that. We are given a young beautiful women who supposedly cares more about her looks and lacks personality and depth, considering Hunt’s initial judgements, but if you read till the end you will learn that the scar Hunt alludes to holds more significance; that Bryce is in fact more than just the party girl with a need to look good, she is a young woman who has yet to overcome her trauma, loss, and guilt.

A different relationship I enjoyed was between Bryce and Ruhn. I loved watching them begin to heal their relationship after distancing themselves from one another for so long. As someone who has siblings I know that those relationships can be rocky and tricky but at the end of all the difficulties you still love your siblings. So, watching Bryce and Ruhn begin to heal their sibling rift was rather uplifting in a book that deals with some rather challenging traumas. Below is an extract where Ruhn proves once again that he is not willing to give up on his sister no matter how many times she tries to push him away. All I can say is that I’m excited to see how much further their relationship can improve in the sequel as well as getting to see more depth from Ruhn himself because I believe his character has huge potential.

‘She scanned his face, weighing the offer there. The hand extended. “Why?” she asked quietly. “Why keep bothering?” “Why keep pushing me away, Bryce?” His voice strained. “It wasn’t just about that fight.” She swallowed, her throat thick. “You were my best friend,” she said. “Before Danika, you were my best friend. And I … It doesn’t matter now.” She’d realized back then that the truth didn’t matter—she wouldn’t let it matter. She shrugged, as if it’d help lighten the crushing weight in her chest. “Maybe we could start over. On a trial basis only.” Ruhn started to smile. “So you’ll come watch the game?” “Juniper was supposed to come over that day, but I’ll see if she’s up for it.” Ruhn’s blue eyes twinkled like stars, but Bryce cut in, “No promises, though.” He was still grinning when she rose from her barstool.’

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savouring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...

Key Quotes

Warning! Some swearing below

‘But it was Danika’s added “Love you” as Bryce slipped out into the grimy hallway that made her hesitate with her hand on the knob. It’d taken Danika a few years to say those words, and she still used them sparingly. Danika had initially hated it when Bryce said them to her—even when Bryce explained that she’d spent most of her life saying it, just in case it was the last time. In case she wouldn’t get to say goodbye to the people who mattered most.’

‘Tonight it had been simple enough—no guns. Hunt understood the unwritten words: make them suffer. So he had.’

“This is already a nightmare.” Isaiah coughed. “You watched Quinlan for one night.” “Ten hours, to be exact. Right until her pet chimera just appeared next to me at dawn, bit me in the ass for looking like I was dozing off, and then vanished again—right back into the apartment. Just as Quinlan came out of her bedroom and opened the curtains to see me grabbing my own ass like a fucking idiot. Do you know how sharp a chimera’s teeth are?” “No.” Hunt could have sworn he heard a smile in Isaiah’s voice. “When I flew over to explain, she blasted her music and ignored me like a fucking brat.”

‘She’d refused to go to therapy. […] But Bryce hadn’t shown up—not because she didn’t believe it would work. No, she knew it would work, and help, and probably make her feel better. Or at least give her the tools to try to do so. That was precisely why she hadn’t gone. From the way Hunt was staring at her, she wondered if he knew it—realized why she blew out a long breath.’

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Afterthoughts

Have you read House of Earth and Blood what did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

House of Earth and Blood is about more than just fantasy and enjoyment it deals with challenging traumas, overcoming grief and loss. The Characters are multidimensional and sassy AF!