It’s not often I feel so addicted to a book, wanting to keep reading and at a loss when it was over.
Set in a contemporary fantasy world, the story follows half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge for the murder of her closest friends. She was living the perfect life, working hard all day and partying hard all night with friends she loved so much, they were like her family. So when her world came crashing down so did her will to live. After two years of heart ache, Bryce is offered the chance to track down the killer and avenge her friends’ deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a fallen angel who has been enslaved to the Archangel he once attempted to overthrow. Working as an assassin and feared by all, he is offered a deal of a life time: help Bryce find the murderer and his freedom will be within arm’s reach.
Together they must dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, uncovering dark powers and secrets which threaten everyone Bryce now holds dear, as well as the reputation of her deceased friends.
Doing what she does best, Sarah J Maas creates realistic characters who develop and grow throughout the story. Not only are they relatable, but empathy for Bryce is built early on so the reader becomes invested in the story pretty much from the get-go. Maas creates a vivid world with a plot that’s simple to follow. Every aspect of the story is done so well and it’s an easy, addictive read.
Where this book shines and is so different from her first two series is that there is no love triangle and the momentum that drives the story forward is not the romantic aspect. The story is more about the investigation as well as Bryce and Hunt’s separate personal development. Any romance is a secondary focus, signalling Maas’ smooth transition from young adult to adult fiction.
House of Earth and Blood is the first book in Sarah J Maas’s new series, Crescent City. After publishing thirteen young adult fantasy novels, Crescent City is her debut into adult fantasy. Writing her first novel at just sixteen, she uploaded it to fanfiction.net (an online story sharing site). It quickly became one of the most popular stories on the site. Maas decided to take it down and try her luck getting it published. It didn’t take long for the story to be picked up by Bloomsbury and become a New York Times bestselling series.
Chances are, if you’ve read any of her books you already knew all this. You also likely have every intention of buying this book, if you haven’t pre-ordered it already. You’re here in hopes of finding out more about it. You need your fix while you wait for the book to arrive. I too am a huge fan. I read her ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series and completely fell in love with Sarah’s writing style. To the already-fans, this book was everything I was hoping it would be. I didn’t want to put the book down but I also wanted to savour it, knowing it would be at least a year before I got another fix.
I loved this novel and I eagerly await the next book in the series. People who love thrillers, fantasy, unexpected twists, and strong character development with a dash of romance should enjoy this book. For those who haven’t read any of Sarah’s previous books and aren’t sure what the hype is about, grab a copy of Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood and join us.
Reviewed by Jessica Incoll
Twitter: @littlejadventur
Distributed by: Bloomsbury Australia
Released: March 2020
RRP: $34.99
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