This book, y'all. I've loved Sarah J. Maas since I first read Throne of Glass but this is so far away from that first book! First, I absolutely LOVE how adult it is. There's a lot of cursing -- so beware if you aren't a big fan of f-words. It's more suggestive, playful and serious. She really let her writing loose with this one, and it really worked in her favor.

I saw in another review that someone called this a good friendship story over a good love story, and that is the truest statement to ever be heard. Bryce and Hunt flirt and have an obvious attraction, and that's amazing. But over insta-love, their story focuses on healing together, understanding each other, and really knowing what it means to have a friend that's there for you through everything. It's beautiful. I just shed a tear thinking about it.

The one thing I wish was a little better in House of Earth and Blood is the world building. Which is crazy to say because Maas is so good at it. But the first half of the book, I couldn't really get a solid lay of the land, especially when it came to the distant war they mentioned and all of these cities and territories outside of Crescent City. There was a lot of info dumping in the first few chapters, which made it even more difficult to sort through this world and what was going on. It cleared up more as I read it, but it could have been avoided -- even with just another map. There wasn't a full world map outside of the Crescent City one when there definitely should have been.

Despite any flaws this book may have, I read it in 4 days. Which is pretty fast for me, but I know there's some speed readers who probably read it in 24 hours. I've always thought Maas' books were compulsively readable, but this one takes the trophy. I couldn't put it down. I loved the friendships, the journey, and OH MY GOD THE ENDING. This ending probably takes the trophy too.

You honestly need to prepare yourself for those last 200 pages. I am still a mess. Even though we've only known these characters for one book, I cried through the entire last section. That's how attached I got to all of the people in this story. I already miss them and can't wait to read the next book (for which there is some great foreshadowing).

Absolutely loved. This world is such a different design than any of came across. It just keeps you needing more. Cannot wait for the full book. The writing is in typical Sarah j Mass style. Which I’m loving, as it just flows so easily. I had zero complaints except it was just not enough.

this books is FANTASTIC. i was sucked in from the beginning. i love diving into a new world and this one is so vast and different the possibilities are endless. fallen anges are an obsession of mine so of course i fell in love with hunt from the start. i will recommend this book to everyone because i could not put it down.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/03/22/house-of-earth-and-blood-excerpt-by-sarah-j-maas/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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I wanted to get <strong>House of Earth and Blood</strong> but it turned out to be an excerpt. The  start of a new adult fantasy series, it's the first in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/233335-crescent-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Crescent City</strong></em></a> series.  While this excerpt is only a few chapters, the entire book is 816 pages or 27+ hours on audio.

This is only a very brief introduction to the world and its characters.  Our main character Bryce is the one we learn the most about her history and attitudes. She has friends from her university days. One of them, Danika, is her roommate and there are two others, Fury and Juniper.  Fury is an assassin; Juniper is a dancer which is something Bryce loves.

The world and its groups, politics and types of creatures are barely started here.  Danika and her wolf pack are having a night together.  Bryce goes out on a date.  The action hits fast and hard, with the excerpt ending in a cliffhanger.

I do hope to read this series but my preference with longer fantasy books is to read them on audio.  The narrator is Elizabeth Evans, who also narrates the author's <em><strong>Throne of Glass</strong> </em>series.

Well. Reading this certainly demonstrated a lot of curse words and different characters. So I don't know if Sarah been holding this back from her other books, but it's a lot which is a bit of a turn-off. I hope it gets better when I read the rest of it.

This books was fantastic. I was able to read this excerpt but then the final copy. Sarah J Maas has such an ability to keep you wanting more. Almost 800 pages worth. So I pictured New York City or LA but set in a fantasy world. You have fae, angels, demons, witches, shapeshifters etc. Bryce is the main character and works for an antiquities dealer. When things from her past come back to haunt her she is forced to team up with Hunt to Move on once and for all. This high fantasy is everything you want and more. All the twists and turns have you bound to the pages.

I actually had technical difficulties getting this to download (kindle issues on my end) so I didn’t get to read the excerpt before I got the book. But, I LOVED the book!! I’m planning some art for it now.😊

First off, I want to say the premise of House of Earth and Blood is interesting and I looked forward to reading it! This was a HUGELY anticipated read for me, which is why I was super stoked to read the excerpt. The world is richly complex and intriguing, as well as how the characters interacted with it. But...Maybe it's because I've read Maas a dozen times before, but this story sort of...fell flat for me. The romance is kind of in my face and competes with the main plot. I don't really like the main character much, either. It's hard when you love the world, but can't connect with anyone in it or struggle to overcome the overindulgent nature of a writer's style --one that seems rooted in romance more than anything. I wanted to love this book but sadly couldn't.
And I think that has bothered me more than anything else. If you're a super fan of Maas, then give the book a try. Maybe you'll love it more than me.

Vivid, engaging and enthralling. The first five chapters of this novel had me hooked and I couldn’t put them down!!!

I am SJM trash and will love anything she writes regardless of flaws. This is no exception.
SJM’s incredible world building is what draws me in and her relationships and romances are what keep me reading.

I received an excerpt copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I’ve previously devoured Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series as well as her Throne of Glass series. These were YA fantasy stories and I absolutely loved them.

From what I've just read, House of Earth and Blood is still fantasy, but just not aiming for the YA market.

Our hero, Bryce Quinlan is half-fae. She's got an okay life: working with her other supernatural colleagues to pay the bills and hanging out with her friends. Her room mate however seems to be living her full life, saving the world. And Bryce seems to be quite envious of this, but she keeps trucking along.

At least until she comes home late one night to find her world turned upside down and she sets off to find out who's responsible. <no spoilers>

I struggled at the beginning to get into this. But Sarah J Maas' books are like that sometimes. They're not the kind of book you can pick up and half-read while you're splitting your attention with something else. They're too complex and too detailed for that.
By chapter 3 however, I was hooked.

Had I been reading the full book, I doubt I could have put it down. And this is why I'm in two minds about reading the whole book. I can't bear not to know what happened, but can I live without sleep for a couple of days until I finish the book?

My sister has finished the whole book and messaged me her ringing endorsement: that it was SOOOOOO GOOOOOD (her spelling and capitals).

I hate excerpts (but wasn't paying attention this time). Why? Because they often leave you hanging. I thoroughly enjoyed the few chapters I read and would have welcomed the rest of the book. I really liked Bryce. She's not a stereotype. She's a partier, irreverent when she drinks but serious about her work and her magic.

If the book had continued on at in the same vein it may well have earned one of my rare 5-star reviews.

TW: a lot of depression, drugs, parental abuse of children etc. Basically don't read if you aren't in a good place.

"House of Earth and Blood" is easily the most devastating book SJM has written (and I've read Kingdom of Ash). I cried a lot but it was somewhat of a cathartic experience. I loved it and I very much don't enjoy when books have sad things. I felt so seen by many of the interactions in the book-- and it navigates parental abuse so well.

The story is so intriguing that I had to read it much slower than a lot of the books I read and it was well worth it. The acronyms and world building can get a bit confusing but nothing too strenuous and if you don't remember specific acronyms it doesn't really hinder your reading experience.

Bryce's relationships with everyone she interacts with is different and feels real. I was so engaged with the story and made my mom read it too (she also loved it and was devastated-- it was her second SJM book after Catwoman).

I highly recommend this but I also think maybe if you're feeling really triggered or stressed that maybe wait to read it.

This was a great sample! It offered enough information to cover basic world building and character development. It ended on a HUGE cliffhanger and I can’t wait to finish the story! The beginning was a little confusing but I’m sure it will become clearer as the story goes on.

I absolutely loved this except. Once again, Sarah J. Maas has blown me away with her intricate world building, dynamic characters, and masterful storytelling. The details are so vivid, you feel like you’re watching the scenes play out as a movie.

I can’t wait to read the rest of this book, then re-read it, then read the next book in the series (and repeat this process for every subsequent book). SJM’s writing has incredible re-read value and from this except, I can tell this series will be no exception.

I read this little clip and then I got the book and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed! This book was so good.

This excerpt definitely made me want to read the rest of the book. I feel like it will be another hot book from this author and I'm so excited to continue reading it!

Wow, I absolutely loved these first five chapters!! I felt instantly drawn in by the world-building and can’t wait to learn more about Bryce! The ending made me so eager to continue on to find out what happens next! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this excerpt. I will post a full review to my Goodreads when I complete the book.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas is a wonderful start to a brand new series writen by a brand new author for me to read. I can not wait to read the next book in this series and I highly recommend this story to all.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGallery

I received an e-ARC excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

I admit, I wasn't able to get to this excerpt until the book came out due to classes, so this is pretty late. I'm currently halfway through the book (way past the provided excerpt) so I'm going to review for what I've read.

I've read all of Maas's books aside from the Assassin's Blade novella and loved all of them, and this is the first time the character felt really, truly organic. Bryce has numerous hobbies outside of her main gig, ones that aren't related to the plot at all and it really helps to round out her character!

I'm conflicted in terms of the romance in this book because I feel like the two of them could easily just be friends & each other's support in terms of "this person sees me, respects me, and accepts me" without it turning romantic. On the other hand, they both deserve partners who fully sees, respects, and accepts them.

I will admit, I love guessing the identity of the mystery villain in books like these, and once again I guessed correctly! I was a bit disappointed, though, because there wasn't really a list of possible suspects to choose from aside from the already listed characters, and it was too obvious who it wasn't going to be.

I feel Bryce could be a little more sympathetic to the humans of Pangera(?), considering how her mother is treated. Even Hunt, an angel, has more sympathy/empathy for them. In Bryce's perspective, the treatment of the Pangera humans is mentioned rather neutrally (ie: 'they're treated awfully' compared to Hunt's 'they're treated horrifically. the thought made him shudder').