House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) - Sarah J Maas

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) – Sarah J Maas

Where to even start with this review, that is the question. I don’t know what it is about Sarah J Maas, but the worlds she creates, the stories that she is able to weave through the pages of her books. Sucks me right in, every…single…time….

Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. Every night is a party and Bryce is going to savour all the pleasures Lunathion – also known as Crescent City – has to offer. But then a brutal murder shakes the very foundations of the city and brings Bryce's world crashing down.
Two years later, Bryce still haunts the city's most notorious nightclubs – but seeking only oblivion now. Then the murderer attacks again. And when an infamous Fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, is assigned to watch her every footstep, Bryce knows she can't forget any longer.
As Bryce and Hunt fight to unravel the mystery, and their own dark pasts, the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the deepest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...

Anytime I see the news that Maas is releasing another book, I know without doubt I will be buying it. She is one of those authors that I have a real trust in, with the stories she created for us, and I devour them up page by page.

Crescent City was no different, a new world, a new set of characters and a newfound love for me. This book was one rollercoaster of emotions and had moments where I was bawling my eyes out, cheering on and filled with absolute pride at the bad ass characters that were brought to life. It kept me gripped and wanting more, but it also had me not wanting to finish it. The closer I got to the very end of the story; I just did not want it to end. Which says a lot for an almost 800-page story let me tell you.

I will say that some may find the start of the book quite slow, but you have to remember this is a whole new world, and there are lot of intricacies and characters we have to learn about before we can really become invested in the story. But there will come a moment, where everything will just explode and like a punch to the gut at the same time you will be clinging on for more.

I love Bryce as a character, she was stubborn, strong willed and I love that we could see the dark parts of her that she kept hidden from everyone else. We saw her at her most vulnerable as well as at her strongest. She could be an absolute Bitch at times, but I lived for it as much as it infuriated me as well. Her relationships were all so different and all so complicated, but it brought something more to the story. I adored the emphasis on friendship in this as well, and the power that such a friendship can bring. A lot of people say you can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends. This I feel was very much the case in this story, and it was such a beautiful thread to keep throughout, as much as it broke me too.

Hunt Athalar, I don’t really know what to say here, he was dark, brooding and with such a heart-breaking history, it was amazing to see so many sides to him. Appearances and rumours a like key in this story to not necessarily always being the truth and there always being something so much deeper than anyone realises in their assumptions. The chemistry between him and Bryce and even him and Rhun, I lived for it, the banter, the abuse the almost relaxed way things slipped into place. It was a joy to read it all come together and some of my favourite moments were brought from it.

Rhun Danaan, now here is a character that for me did not get enough airtime, I loved him! Even as overprotective and overbearing as he could be, I loved that. I loved the way he continuously strived to build a relationship with Bryce, to put to bed previous conflicts. All he wanted was the best for her, and he would stop at nothing to make sure that was the case, even if it meant her hating him completely. I felt like he was this slither of pureness amongst such horror. I would love to see more about him, see more of his history, his relationships, and even more about his time with the Autumn King.

This whole world was filled with such intricate magic and species and towns and histories. It could be a lot to take in and remember, but you come out the other end feeling like an expert in the topic. Also, so invested in these characters lives, heartbroken and angered at some of the choices and the characters we lose along the way. But that pain really showed me how invested and connected I felt to the story. The whole theme of friendship and love. It just felt wholesome, and like a pocket of safety in this dark dangerous and painful world. Mental health was touched on, looking at the depression that follows grief, all of it so heart breaking but so cleverly done as well by Maas.

‘That is 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’

I really loved the above quote, it resonated deeply, and felt like such an important message to take away. Nothing in life is permanent, we may fear it daily, but until we truly choose to live it, how can we ever appreciate the time we do have here.

Overall, I loved this book, this world, everything. I tried my best to drag it out and not read it all in one go as I usually would, but still for me personally I still wanted more, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. I just hope it won’t be too long a wait until we can get our hands on it.

I have given this 4.5 out of 5 stars