Scan barcode
A review by amandasupak
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
1.0
1 star, did not finish 4% (28 pages)
Named characters (so far): 20
I enjoy a nice fantasy book I promise. But the writing in this book is like being dunked in a cold lake with no life preserver. I know lots of people like complicated world building, and I do as well as long as you ease me into it. The book just starts at 60 miles per hour with world building, It's written in a way that seems like I already should have a grasp of what's going on, but instead I just felt confused and frustrated. None of the main characters are human, and they all belong to certain groups that have long and varied histories and conflicts that I'm not privy to at the start of the book. Here is just a taste:
Named characters (so far): 20
I enjoy a nice fantasy book I promise. But the writing in this book is like being dunked in a cold lake with no life preserver. I know lots of people like complicated world building, and I do as well as long as you ease me into it. The book just starts at 60 miles per hour with world building, It's written in a way that seems like I already should have a grasp of what's going on, but instead I just felt confused and frustrated. None of the main characters are human, and they all belong to certain groups that have long and varied histories and conflicts that I'm not privy to at the start of the book. Here is just a taste:
There was little love lost between the six lower Heads in Crescent City, the metropolis formally known as Lunathion. Each Head controlled a specific part of the city: the Prime of the wolves in Moonwood, the Fae Autumn King in Five Roses, the Under-King in the Bone Quarter, the Viper Queen in the Meat Market, the Oracle in the Old Square, and the River Queen—who very rarely made an appearance—representing the House of Many Waters and her Blue Court far beneath the Istros River’s turquoise surface
or
Jutting out of the quartz about four feet off the ground lay the dial pad: a solid-gold block embedded with seven different gems, each for a different quarter of the city, the insignia of each district etched beneath it. Emerald and a rose for Five Roses. Opal and a pair of wings for the CBD. Ruby and a heart for the Old Square. Sapphire and an oak tree for Moonwood. Amethyst and a human hand for Asphodel Meadows. Tiger’s-eye and a serpent for the Meat Market. And onyx—so black it gobbled the light—and a set of skull and crossbones for the Bone Quarter.
My issues with world building like this is that it feels like an info dump. I have no idea if these various facts are important to remember in case they are plot relevant later, or if it's just for flavor. It doesn't feel like I'm being drawn into an interesting world, it feels like I just got assigned homework I need to memorize. And I refuse to read books that don't feel fun.