I managed to read the whole book and it was absolutely incredible and I'm already dying for a reread! The characters are impossible to stop thinking about, and this book pushed me to binge her other two series. If you love a fantasy driven by suspense, twists, and romance then prepare yourself for a wild ride!

I’ve read the excerpt and I’m still on the fence with what to think. I loved the ACOTAR series but this is clearly very different. I’m not sure about the language and the character interactions. It all seems very juvenile. But I’m anxious to see more of where this leads and I’m intrigued by the urban fantasy genre.

I cannot wait to read this rest of this! Sarah J. Maas always has the best books. I look forward to reading the rest of this book.

This excerpt was so much more than I imagined it would be. In true Maas fashion, the first 5 chapters were jam-packed and left me dying to know what happens next. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I became so connected to the characters in such a short time. By the end of chapter 5 there were already so many mysteries to be solved and I needed to keep reading! Loved it! Definitely would recommend for mature audiences.

Starting slowly but then getting faster and faster this book had me hooked from the first sentences. Early on we get enough information about the protagonists and the world they live in, making it easy to get started.
The reader soon gets a feeling where the story is headed, though I never expected the turn the last chapter of this excerpt would take. After this really, really mean cliffhanger I just want to know, how the tale continues and yes, the suspense is killing me!

There is so much world building in the beginning of the book it became very confusing for me to read at first. I got more into it around 150 pgs in and then I couldn't stop reading. Sarah J Maas writing is amazing and I'm sure this is to be another knockout series.

An enchanting start to Maas’s entrance into the world of Adult novels. Bryce and Hunt are beautifully developed characters that have you wanting both of their happinesses. Bryce reminds me a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the matter that she is allowed to be strong AND feminine at the same time. A lot of books these days focus on one or the other and seldom unite them. Bryce shows you can like cute dresses but kick butt at the same time. Loved the character development and can’t wait for more.

Sarah J Maas does it again.

And by it I mean a book you can't put down filled to the brim with the most amazing characters and plot twists imaginable.

I absolutely adored the character development and relationships in this story. It makes me so happy that SJM always includes amazing friendships, family ties and of course romantic interests to create the most wholesome family to follow and watch grow.

The plot twists completely blind-sided me and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

As someone who loved her previous novels (or at least the early books in each series) I was ecstatic to hear Sarah J Maas was writing something new for a slightly older audience. However, it instead just feels like it’s written for an audience that thinks they’re too old for the “young adult” label. Throwing in a complexly unnecessary “godsdamed” to every fifth sentence, this novel felt like it was written by and for an edgy teenager that constantly feels the need to reassure you of what an edgy badass they are. 

The preview chapters throw you into the world of crime, drugs and shape shifting wolves but instead of actually showing you how apparently badass these characters are, you’re just told they’re tough and strong and feared instead. It gets pretty old pretty quickly. it just seems like an edgy, modern day skin thrown onto the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

The book did start to pick up right before the end of the advance chapters so maybe Maas is throwing out her old scripts at that point and just faked me out with the love triangle set up and the seemingly unassuming heroine who discovers she has special abilities. But I’m not confident enough to purchase it and find out.

this excerpt was suck tease. I can't wait to read the whole book. I don't usually watch these of kinds of things but I truly enjoyed it.

I was disappointed with this excerpt. It didn't compel me to want to read the rest of the book. She spent so much time describing every detail. I felt she used too many adjectives. There was not a lot of action or dialogue until the last chapter of the excerpt. I've read all of the authors other books and enjoyed them. I'll pass on this one.

I've never really given feedback on an excerpt before, but let's say I'm hooked. Though I was already of fan of Sarah J Maas, so I don't know how helpful that is. I will definitely be buying this book based on what I have read so far.

After finishing the book, i am absolutely blown out the water once again by sarah j maas. I had no doubt whatsoever and she pulled off a magnificent adult read. Straight away you are propelled into this world she has created and straight in to gut wrenching story telling. Plenty of twists and turns, romance to die for and kick ass leads 5* for me.

If there's one thing Sarah J. Mass excels at is creating a wholly original world that strangely feels both foreign and familiar. We get dropped into a world where mythological beings and magic are as common as TV and pizza and it reads like something you could walk outside and experience right now.
I immediately empathized with main character, Bryce, and I'm so in on her mission of revenge.
This feels like the beginning of another fantastic series by a master storyteller.

Maas' newest book seems to address some of the complaints leveled at her in the past, as this one has more diversity and doesn't take place in a generic medieval fantasy world. Instead, House of Earth and Blood takes place in a fantasy kitchen sink of sorts, with humans, demons, angels, fairies, and all sorts of other species living in harmony in a world filled with Norse mythology references. Bryce, a half-human and half-fae woman, spends most of her time partying and lives in an apartment with her friend Danika and Danika's pack of wolf-shifters. Bryce also has two other friends, but they have less baring on the story than Danika does. Most of this excerpt is devoted to describing the city and its history, while the main story takes a backseat; the first plot thread comes at the fifth chapter of this five-chapter excerpt.
Unfortunately, while I was on board with the world at first, the descriptions quickly became info-dumps, with information being presented to the reader with no indication for why that information was relevant. Bryce's exploits, when the plot deigned to focus on them, consisted of her worrying about her date, going to said date, and then breaking up with her boyfriend. It doesn't feel like we're organically exploring this fantasy world, and being stuck with Bryce is frustrating when there are clearly other things going on. Not helping this is the lack of personality for every character, as all of them felt one-note. Bryce is like Celaena from Throne of Glass--she cares more about romance than anything else, is vain, and wants to protect her friends--while Danika is spunky with a fierce side for anyone who hurts her friends. They sound similar, but they were both bland, so there wasn't an issue of their personalities blending together.
The other big problem for me was the writing. I remembered like the author's Throne of Glass series for its smooth writing; there is nothing of the sort here. There's copious amounts of swearing, making the book feel immature, while the writing as a whole felt clunky. This needed a few more revisions to make the prose flow better.
Overall, I was disappointed. I set my expectations low but was unhappy with the result anyway. Readers who liked Maas' previous works for the romance aspects will like this one; readers who want an adult fantasy in the vein of Sanderson will be unimpressed.

A sizeable excerpt consisting of the first five chapters, introducing us to the world and the characters just before the main plot kicks off. The writing is lush and descriptive but doesn't get bogged down in description, with a really intriguing world and set up and interesting characters. I'm looking forward to reading the whole book.

Wow. This was something else. What a wild ride.

House of Earth & Blood is the new beginning to Sarah J Maas's Crescent City series and it packs a punch. This novel also marks Maas's official jump into the adult fantasy world. In HoEaB, we follow Bryce Quinlan, a half-human half-fae girl who had her world obliterated when her best friends were horribly murdered. Two years later, the archangel who rules Crescent City demands Bryce find the murderer along with Hunt Athalar, a fallen angel who serves as Micah's slave in his aerial legion and as his personal assassin.

A lot of people have mentioned that there is constant info-dumping through the book. But for me, I never had that vibe. I constantly wanted to know more about this complicated world and the characters' lives in it. Each character has such a complex personality and backstory it made for a really compelling read. While, there were several characters who had minor similarities to other characters Maas has written, this was a brand new world for me.

The plot is this simmering mystery that never seems to give Bryce or Hunt a break. It does give them ample time to annoy the hell out of each other, which they do. This was the slow burn of my dreams. I loved how stupid and silly they could be with each other and the pictures they would snap of each other, oh my god MY HEART. At first, I didn't think I'd love them, but oh how I did.

Bryce's friendship and love of her best friend, Danika Fendyr, permeates the story. Everything Bryce has done and does can be linked to Danika and how much she loves her. I really loved Bryce for how much she cared about Danika. I think there needs to be more friendships like this in all fantasy series. And more of the friendship between Bryce and Lehabah, because I am SOBBING.

There are so many characters in this story and I have no idea how to pick a favorite. All of the relationships that are built, broken and repaired throughout this story melted my heart and none more than Bryce and Ruhn's relationship. Bryce is the illegitimate daughter of the autumn King and has such a complicated history with her half-brother Ruhn. They pretend their cousins to everyone else. But oh my god, this sibling relationship made me so happy. I wanted them to work out their issues and face them so badly. I was not disappointed by the end and I better get to see some happy Ruhn and Bryce scenes in the future!!

Overall, this was phenomenal. I can't wait for the next installment and I need ALL the fanart right now!

An epic start to a brand new Sarah J Maas series! This book has everything you’d want in adult fantasy plus more - mystery, a roller coaster of emotions, romance, adult language, unbreakable friendships, politics, and an intricate world filled with so many creatures.

A found the two main themes in this book - justice and friendship, while often found in many adult fantasy novels, were executed like no other series I’ve read, and set a high bar for other writers. These drew you in, kept you hooked and laid a strong foundation for this series.

SJM once again, created a strong, intriguing, vulnerable group of main and secondary characters for this new series. Almost every new character that was introduced, found their way in my heart through unguarded or heroic moments, and I found myself wanting to veer off the main story to follow them for chapters at a time. My two favorite characters in fact, were secondary to the plot. Our leading lady, Bryce Quinlan, is unapologetic, authentic, resilient, witty, intelligent, sexy, and a fighter. I think she is SJM strongest female character yet, which is saying something if you’ve read her other series.

Every author handles world building differently. For such an involved series, I’m not surprised the first third of the novel is heavily focused in outlining what is going on in the world, key histories, and main players. This part of the book was so dense however. I constantly felt I was being quizzed, but hadn’t studied for the test. I felt it was impossible to absorb all the names, key locations, battles, political alliances, etc. I am looking forward to doing a reread however, because I know I’ll be connecting more dots. By the end of the novel, the heavy first third to this book proved itself to be a necessary step for understanding the repercussions of key events at the end and setting up the next books.

This is just an excerpt of House of Earth and Blood, but it definitely provides a clear sense of what Sarah J. Maas's new series opener will be like. As with any new series, particularly fantasy, there is a lot of world building which needs to be accomplished. And this excerpt definitely is setting up new characters and locations different from what readers may know from the author's previous series.

I found the protagonist interesting and I'm eager to continue reading in order to see her develop and to see how the plot unfolds.

I was grateful that the publisher allowed this sneak-peek, as it gave me a good sense of what to expect from this book, particularly as this is the author's first book geared primarily for an adult audience. I have decided to purchase this personally as a result, and have encouraged the high school library I work with that it likely will be an adequate purchase for older readers based on content.

This book has been recommended to me by so many people, I decided that I just had to try this excerpt! I really enjoyed it and will definitely be purchasing a copy of the book. I can't wait to keep reading!