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smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
It took me a while to get into this, as the start of the book is nothing like the middle and end.
What we see at the beginning is Bryce, someone who parties too hard. She is not a likeable character here. She's dating someone just because he's rich and attractive, she sleeps with someone else after agreeing to go out with the person who's pined after her for years, and she'll take any type of drug put in front of her - even spending what little is left of her money to get some. She's irreverent and dislikeable.
Then, the plot unfolds. And we begin to see a new Bryce, one trying to rebuild a new life whilst unable to move on from the past. SJM does an amazing job of humanising Bryce, showing her difficulty and grief and trauma about moving on from the person who was her entire life.
And amongst all this development, we have a well-written mystery that she has to dig deeper and deeper into. Although I had guessed at some part, others left me shocked. I enjoyed the new people we met, the world-building and courts we were shown along the way, and the discrepancies in treatment for those of different races.
I did not find myself drawn into the love story of Bryce and Hunt; no matter how many times SJM writes that they're the same, she can't convince me the man held a slave for 200 years and the girl who has suffered two years of grief understand each other's pain in that way. Sympathise? Yes. But they are in no way the same. And since a lot of their relationship developed on this shared trauma, it was hard to believe I was watching these two properly fall in love, and not just trauma bond - particularly since their relationship was over the course of *a month*.
I also wasn't impressed by the last 100 pages. The views of people at the summit was exhausting to read; Bryce in these pages seemed like a different character compared to Bryce earlier on, all the feeds at the summit seemed ridiculous (and camera's some how survived a nuclear bombing? ), and it all felt ridiculously cheesy.
This was still a good read, though I'm not sure I'll continue the series.
What we see at the beginning is Bryce, someone who parties too hard. She is not a likeable character here. She's dating someone just because he's rich and attractive, she sleeps with someone else after agreeing to go out with the person who's pined after her for years, and she'll take any type of drug put in front of her - even spending what little is left of her money to get some. She's irreverent and dislikeable.
Then, the plot unfolds. And we begin to see a new Bryce, one trying to rebuild a new life whilst unable to move on from the past. SJM does an amazing job of humanising Bryce, showing her difficulty and grief and trauma about moving on from the person who was her entire life.
And amongst all this development, we have a well-written mystery that she has to dig deeper and deeper into. Although I had guessed at some part, others left me shocked. I enjoyed the new people we met, the world-building and courts we were shown along the way, and the discrepancies in treatment for those of different races.
I did not find myself drawn into the love story of Bryce and Hunt; no matter how many times SJM writes that they're the same, she can't convince me the man held a slave for 200 years and the girl who has suffered two years of grief understand each other's pain in that way. Sympathise? Yes. But they are in no way the same. And since a lot of their relationship developed on this shared trauma, it was hard to believe I was watching these two properly fall in love, and not just trauma bond - particularly since their relationship was over the course of *a month*.
I also wasn't impressed by the last 100 pages. The views of people at the summit was exhausting to read; Bryce in these pages seemed like a different character compared to Bryce earlier on, all the feeds at the summit seemed ridiculous (
This was still a good read, though I'm not sure I'll continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, War, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Slavery, Drug abuse, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Torture, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
lonelygh0st's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have to be honest, I struggled with the first few chapters. VERY dense with world building and a lot of characters introduced in a short time. But it picked up eventually, the slow burn romance is immaculate. I didn’t think I would like this series as much as Throne of Glass but I truly do, the characters are fun and different. The plot twists and turns kept me guessing, It kept me hooked and interested. And in typical SJM style the last 200 ish pages are like a rollercoaster. This book had me by the throat. I’m not normally an “expressive” reader but I paced my house a couple times, sobbed for a solid 5 minutes, laughed. I loved it, truly earned 5⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Murder, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Sexual content, and Slavery
zia_c's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
To be very honest, this is story is hella entertaining. I can't wait to read the 3rd book in this series. 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Vomit, Drug use, Medical content, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Classism, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
bunnyjean73's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug use, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Racism, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Torture, Cursing, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Medical content, Drug abuse, Classism, Misogyny, Grief, Slavery, War, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Body shaming, Addiction, and Death of parent
jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“Sabine whispered a sentence to the room, to the Autumn King, and Declan’s heart rose, hearing it.
It was the answer to the ancient Prime’s words. To the Autumn King’s question of how, against every statistic blaring on Declan’s computer, they were even witnessing Hunt Athalar fight like Hel to keep Bryce Quinlan’s heart beating.
Through love, all is possible.”
- Sarah J. Maas, House of Earth and Blood 🌙❤️
—————————
HI I FINISHED READING HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME. ITS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND I HAVE NO WORDS. No thoughts, just so many emotions. I’m obsessed with Bryce Quinlan and I love her so much. Bryce’s unwavering loyalty to Danika was so special and bittersweet. They are my favorite fictional friendship. Hunt and Bryce becoming friends to something more was so cute. The slow burn, the teasing, the protectiveness… just so good 🤌🏼😘 They are endgame and I won’t listen to anything else. I really enjoyed all of the characters. The way Ember cursed out the Autumn King. She was waiting for her moment for 20+ years! 😂 The last 600+ pages 🤯😭🥺❤️. I stopped and read parts over again to help my mind comprehend everything. Yes, I have House of Sky and Breath and I preordered the third book because I’m always prepared. I’m so excited for the next journey in Crescent City! 💙
It was the answer to the ancient Prime’s words. To the Autumn King’s question of how, against every statistic blaring on Declan’s computer, they were even witnessing Hunt Athalar fight like Hel to keep Bryce Quinlan’s heart beating.
Through love, all is possible.”
- Sarah J. Maas, House of Earth and Blood 🌙❤️
—————————
HI I FINISHED READING HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME. ITS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND I HAVE NO WORDS. No thoughts, just so many emotions. I’m obsessed with Bryce Quinlan and I love her so much. Bryce’s unwavering loyalty to Danika was so special and bittersweet. They are my favorite fictional friendship. Hunt and Bryce becoming friends to something more was so cute. The slow burn, the teasing, the protectiveness… just so good 🤌🏼😘 They are endgame and I won’t listen to anything else. I really enjoyed all of the characters. The way Ember cursed out the Autumn King. She was waiting for her moment for 20+ years! 😂 The last 600+ pages 🤯😭🥺❤️. I stopped and read parts over again to help my mind comprehend everything. Yes, I have House of Sky and Breath and I preordered the third book because I’m always prepared. I’m so excited for the next journey in Crescent City! 💙
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, War, Bullying, Drug use, Physical abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Gore, Medical content, Blood, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
bhrtng's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Uggghhhh this is my fave SJM book YETTTT. The world building was a little heavy at first, but pushing through was worth it. A friend who finished before me said that "If it's important, it'll come back up later" which helped me get through the first part without getting too hung up on little details. The murder mystery kept me guessing and the last 200 pages were a SPRINT that had me screaming, crying, throwing up, literal tears in my eyes it was GOOD. I can't wait to start book 2 but at the same time I think I need a week to recover haha. I loved the modern setting, the way Bryce was more likeable/less annoying than SJM's other protagonists (at least to me), the slow burn romance between Bryce and Hunt, and the interesting side characters! I can't wait to see where this series goes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Medical content, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Death, Grief, Slavery, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use
Moderate: Torture, War, and Gore
nitecrtlvr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Violence, Gore, Torture, Slavery, Blood, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
knittingceliac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Amazing! A little difficult to get all the world down at the start, but so so worth it! Maas’ worlds are always incredible and this is no exception.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Torture, and Drug use
nikkihill22's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
like most books by this author, it made for an entertaining read. I don't think SJM includes very much true depth to her stories, her world building leaves too much to be desired for that. It's like she mixes and mashes various mythologies without thinking about how they could or should intersect, and she has the same issue when it comes to technology being included in a magical world. There's a lot of potential for interesting world building but none that she follows through on.
Where she does shine though, is writing characters and their interpersonal relationships. I won't say that was perfect in these books either, although i do think it was a lot better than the ACOTAR series. I didn't expect to be as emotionally involved as i was throughout the climax of the story. Which is maybe a knock against the overall quality of the book that i didn't even realize i cared until it was too late.
The pacing of the book was a little slow for me, it's mainly following one macguffin to another and another and another in the hopes of finding a criminal. Although i do think SJM does a decent job of explaining all that when we finally learn what's really been going on, i think most of it she just wanted the story to go to certain settings or explore certain relationships and found a convenient explanation for why the criminal really led them to go those places after the fact.
Where she does shine though, is writing characters and their interpersonal relationships. I won't say that was perfect in these books either, although i do think it was a lot better than the ACOTAR series. I didn't expect to be as emotionally involved as i was throughout the climax of the story. Which is maybe a knock against the overall quality of the book that i didn't even realize i cared until it was too late.
The pacing of the book was a little slow for me, it's mainly following one macguffin to another and another and another in the hopes of finding a criminal. Although i do think SJM does a decent job of explaining all that when we finally learn what's really been going on, i think most of it she just wanted the story to go to certain settings or explore certain relationships and found a convenient explanation for why the criminal really led them to go those places after the fact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
shethatreadstok's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“My friends are with me and I am not afraid.”
Such an incredible introduction to modern fantasy. The worldbuilding is heavy in the first four chapters but it is essential. By chapter five, I was hooked. So much character development and unique attributes were woven into the story beautifully. Thcaptivating story of a young woman finding life again after tragically losing her best friend and found family.
Bryce Quinlan is an immaculate MFC who continued to grow along with holding that sarcastic characteristic. And Hunt? So much depth and understanding. I absolutely adore the two! Emotions ran high as I eagerly flipped through the pages, my heart racing with anticipation. But suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes as the story took an unexpected turn. Definitely will reread Crescent City just to see what other hidden gems lay within the pages. So many parallels to ACOTAR and TOG, it's incredible. First Five Star read of 2024!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Slavery, and Drug use