dragonaion 's review for:

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I was surprised and disappointed to find this to be a modern fantasy after reading Mass' other two series (fae, angels, demons, dryads, and merfolk attending university with smart phones, emails, and nightclubs), but had faith in her work and kept reading. Even as she fell into "telling and not showing" with her world and characters, I kept reading. It took until around page 200, but then I couldn't put the book down. The next day, tearing to the end and devouring the words on the page, I found myself crying with pride, hope, and adoration for the characters and the world they saved. This is why I had faith in Maas and I'm delighted to have her work on my shelves. 
*Through love, all is possible*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Pregnancy