Scan barcode
A review by gretchenplz
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was SO ready to say nice things about this book. And then the last 200 pages happened.
The award for the most random and inexplicable "third-act breakup" goes to this book. Like... what is the actual hell just happened? No warning. No hinting. Just made up. Randomly. Out of nowhere. Absolutely absurd.
And then *POOF* magically erased like it never happened. Surely there was SOME other way to move forward the plot without THAT taking place???
All the other twists were painfully obvious, which is why I am so insulted by this one in particular. There was a better way to move the plot forward the same amount without it. But that might have cut 100 pages from the book. And God knows SJM can't possibly put out a book shorter than 800 pages these days.
Also… did SJM panic at JLA’s popularity and decide that she needed to come up with a similarly convoluted power hierarchy/structure?! There was no need!!!
And please don't get me started on the "sudden onset powers!"
That's just SJM being SJM.
I could go on about recycled characters/personalities, but I won't. I'm sure you noticed. Bryce is at least not blonde, so the self-insert is a TAD less obvious. Because she's sooooo not like other girls!!!
I will be waiting for Hunt's complete personality transplant in Book Two and for Bryce to end up with... One of her brother's buddies? Conner's brother? Idk, but I'm sure it will happen.
The ending making me emotional is not enough to erase my memory of all the bullshit. But that just seems to be how SJM's books go. One day she will change her formula and I will fall over in shock. But today is not that day.
Big fan of the demon cat, though!
The award for the most random and inexplicable "third-act breakup" goes to this book. Like... what is the actual hell just happened? No warning. No hinting. Just made up. Randomly. Out of nowhere. Absolutely absurd.
And then *POOF* magically erased like it never happened. Surely there was SOME other way to move forward the plot without THAT taking place???
All the other twists were painfully obvious, which is why I am so insulted by this one in particular. There was a better way to move the plot forward the same amount without it. But that might have cut 100 pages from the book. And God knows SJM can't possibly put out a book shorter than 800 pages these days.
Also… did SJM panic at JLA’s popularity and decide that she needed to come up with a similarly convoluted power hierarchy/structure?! There was no need!!!
And please don't get me started on the "sudden onset powers!"
I could go on about recycled characters/personalities, but I won't. I'm sure you noticed. Bryce is at least not blonde, so the self-insert is a TAD less obvious. Because she's sooooo not like other girls!!!
I will be waiting for Hunt's complete personality transplant in Book Two and for Bryce to end up with... One of her brother's buddies? Conner's brother? Idk, but I'm sure it will happen.
The ending making me emotional is not enough to erase my memory of all the bullshit. But that just seems to be how SJM's books go. One day she will change her formula and I will fall over in shock. But today is not that day.
Big fan of the demon cat, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt