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anastashamarie 's review for:
House of Earth and Blood
by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Urban fantasy is usually hit-or-miss for me, but this one hit all the right spots.
SJM builds a complex and fascinating world in the Crescent City series. Because of this, there is a pretty big info-dump in the first few chapters of this book detailing the history of the city, its people, and the social and political hierarchies. I wouldn't say the world building is any more complex than any other fantasy series, but it did make the first few chapters drag on for me. ⚠️ WARNING: AVOID THE FAN WIKI AND SUBREDDITS IF YOU'RE STILL READING. They are both filled with unmarked spoilers. If you do want to look up a guide for any of the background lore, I found a mostly spoiler-free guide that I'll gladly message you. ⚠️ Aside from the initial mountain of information, the world only added to the story overall, and the sociopolitical context became much easier to follow as the story went on.
Along with the info dump, I didn't initially relate well to the FMC, Bryce, and her "party girl" attitude. I didn't dislike her by any means--she's fiery, intelligent, and complex--but she didn't initially resonate with me on a personal level. As the story progresses, though all this changes. After the first 100-200 pages, I couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with the banter and sass that Bryce's character natural brought to the story, and the chemistry between her and the romantic lead had me giggly. I also fell in love with the portrayals of friendship and family, as I'm finding is characteristic of SJM's books. Some of the friendship scenes, especially toward the end, quite literally had me sobbing.
I also thought the murder mystery of this plot was nicely done. All the clues (and red herrings) tied together nicely in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fantasy readers who also enjoy crime shows: think Criminal Minds meets the Mortal Instruments. Very enjoyable read and I'm already looking forward to the next one.
SJM builds a complex and fascinating world in the Crescent City series. Because of this, there is a pretty big info-dump in the first few chapters of this book detailing the history of the city, its people, and the social and political hierarchies. I wouldn't say the world building is any more complex than any other fantasy series, but it did make the first few chapters drag on for me. ⚠️ WARNING: AVOID THE FAN WIKI AND SUBREDDITS IF YOU'RE STILL READING. They are both filled with unmarked spoilers. If you do want to look up a guide for any of the background lore, I found a mostly spoiler-free guide that I'll gladly message you. ⚠️ Aside from the initial mountain of information, the world only added to the story overall, and the sociopolitical context became much easier to follow as the story went on.
Along with the info dump, I didn't initially relate well to the FMC, Bryce, and her "party girl" attitude. I didn't dislike her by any means--she's fiery, intelligent, and complex--but she didn't initially resonate with me on a personal level. As the story progresses, though all this changes. After the first 100-200 pages, I couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with the banter and sass that Bryce's character natural brought to the story, and the chemistry between her and the romantic lead had me giggly. I also fell in love with the portrayals of friendship and family, as I'm finding is characteristic of SJM's books. Some of the friendship scenes, especially toward the end, quite literally had me sobbing.
I also thought the murder mystery of this plot was nicely done. All the clues (and red herrings) tied together nicely in the end, providing a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fantasy readers who also enjoy crime shows: think Criminal Minds meets the Mortal Instruments. Very enjoyable read and I'm already looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Vomit