Okay yes to everything so far.

I got an excerpt of this book from the publisher so thank you for that!

Can I just say that I love the names, love the whole setting, love the wine red hair like yaaaas.
Can't wait until it comes out and I get to read the whole thing. It's going to be amazing!!
Also in case people don't know this is not a young adult book so for the younger readers around us, please be aware of this and the decision if you want to read it or not.

These first five chapters of ‘Crescent City’ by Sarah J. Maas were already amazing to read. Eventhough there was a lot of information at the beginning. A lot of new words, names and rules in this world of the Fae. As for the Court of Thorns and Roses series, those four books were pretty easy and nice to read. ‘Crescent City’ on the other hand requires a lot more dedication from the reader. There are quite a few characters already in the beginning of the book. Bryce Quinlan is ofcourse one of the most important character you get to know, but Sarah also introduces a few other characters. The information bomb is in between dialogs and thoughts which makes it a little hard to follow sometimes. But when you can put your full attention to the book and really read over and between the lines, the world and the characters both come alive within the first three chapters. After that, the action begins. The werewolves Bryce is involved with, are not only dangerous, they fulfill a pretty important job around savety in the city. Bryce feels a like a castaway when there’s not other person like her near her. But then it becomes clear why this excerpt was just 5 chapters long. Something dreadful and bloody happens and Bryce is apart of it. I’m really curious to find out how this story will continu!

I cannot wait to read the rest of this book. I'm hooked on the imaginative writing style, the clear world building, the fantastic characters, and the plot. March 3rd cannot come fast enough.

From the very first page, I knew this book was going to ruin me. I wasn’t wrong.

The book spills straight into character introductions, we learn about the protagonist’s life—her friends and her family. And we grow fond of all of them. We build slow, loving bonds with the protagonist as well, and the story rushes by before you realize.

To say, I can’t wait to read the rest of the book is the mother of all understatements. Even just an excerpt of the story kept me on my toes and tore through my heart.

Fantastic, just fantastic. I did find myself stumbling over the references pertaining to the world, trying to accumulate them and make sense of them. Perhaps some more exposure to them and I’d fall into the world better.

Four and a half stars!

I just read the excerpt which is part 1 of the book. I am HOOKED! I can’t wait for release day! NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! I’ll add to this review once I get the rest. So far...Love it. Great world and character building.

I am so unbelievably happy I preordered this. This excerpt e ds on such a massive cliffhanger.

Maas has built a very complex world for this series. I'm not usually into urban-type supernatural fantasy, but I am very curious as to where this is heading. Veritably chomping at the bit!

However, I have yet to decide if I like Bryce. I guess I'll find out on March 4th.

**Thank you Netgally and Bloomsbury publishing for the e-ARC excerpt**

I will preface by saying I'm Sarah J Maas trash. Throne of Glass is one of my favourite books, but I'm not a huge fan of ACOMAF and ACOFAS and the issues that I had with ACOFAS are prevalent here.

The main thing is the writing. It felt like I was reading bad fan fiction, and it wasn't really edited. I never noticed this with ACOTAR and TOG, but it was obvious here and in her last novel. There was no sex in this during the first 5 chapters, which is what SJM is know for so I was rather surprised. Especially since this is an adult novel. It's like it wants to be an urban fantasy, and I love Patricia Briggs so I'm hopeful that it can get to that level but I'm apprehensive after that excerpt.

This is obviously about a half fae and I think it will be an interesting world, it seems like a slow build. I definitely prefer this, so feeling a little confused about the world building in the first 5 chapters doesn't bother me. The murder mystery part that it was amping up towards really intrigued me.

1.5/5 stars.
I think this book does has potential, but what I read was really disappointing to me. If you like SJM I recommend it obviously.
I'm hoping this changes when I read the whole book, but this pains me to do.

OmG! Now I can't wait for the whole book of this. It was actually fun. Although I know it is too soon for me to have this in perfect rating. But so far, it was good!

🚨THIS IS NOT A DRILL🚨
The book we have all been waiting for from Maas, the first book in the new Crescent City series!! Bryce Quinlan is the strong, smart protagonist I have been NEEDING in my life! I absolutely loved this excerpt, it was beautifully written and Maas painted a gorgeous picture of Bryce’s world. If you are a fantasy buff, or a Maas fan, you’re going to want to pick this one up, and I already can’t wait for the next book in the series! Buckle up kiddos, because from what I have read, this book is DELICIOUS!
*Thank you #netgalley & publishers for my advanced excerpt of this book!*

I loved this so so so so much. Sarah J. Maas is my favorite author of all time and I can hardly wait until March 3.

Based on first 60 pages: epic worldbuilding, inferior lead

***If you can't tolerate swearing, don't read this review. Or this book. You're welcome.***

I would like to thank Sarah J. Maas, Bloomsbury USA, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free excerpt of the first 60 pages (70 including front matter) in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so fucking pissed right now.

First reason I’m pissed—I should have known better than to read an excerpt. Especially of a Maas book. They knew just where to cut us off, those heathens. Now I’m ravenous for more but can’t read the rest of the book for three weeks. I preordered it the moment I finished the excerpt. I haven’t bought a book in months because I’m broke as hell, but by god, I’m getting this one. I just won’t eat for a couple days, I guess.

(Indulgent rant: I would wait for the audiobook, but it’s only available from Audible, who doesn’t share with libraries, the greedy sons of fucking bitches, so that’s not an option for me. That's reason #2 I’m pissed. (I swear to god, if the future ACOTAR audiobooks are exclusive to Audible, I’m going to rain holy fucking hell over the earth. Be a-fucking-fraid. I don’t know what Audible pays these authors for exclusive audio rights; there are only so many firstborn children. The sheer greed and selfishness just about makes my head explode.))

The third reason I’m pissed is more jealousy than anger. It’s not fair that Maas can write this well. Just not bloody fair.

I actually wasn’t planning on reading this new series. I loved ACOTAR, wanted to marry it and have its children. I liked TOG quite a lot, though not as much as ACOTAR. But the blurb for this book simply did not interest me, and I couldn’t afford to buy it for collection purposes, so I was prepared to let it pass by and wait for ACOTAR #4.

Then I was offered a chance to read the first 60 pages, and I caved.

I didn’t like it at first. The first 20 pages is a tidal wave of worldbuilding that crashes over you, utterly overwhelming and disorienting. No way will I ever be able to keep track of all the tiny, irrelevant details thrown at me. You need a set of frickin encyclopedias to go with Maas’ books. Also, Maas has changed her MO a bit, using more of a modern setting than a medieval one. I find that disorienting as well and don’t care for it, though I’ll probably get used to it the more I read. But despite feeling so turned off, I pressed on, committed to reviewing it.

And the characters began to grow on me. Endearing, three-dimensional characters are my kryptonite.

I don’t have a lot of respect for the lead, Bryce, just yet. Well, back up—to begin with, while I know Bryce is a name often used ambiguously, in my life I’ve only known boys named Bryce, so it took me a little while to get used to it referring to a female. For the first couple of chapters I had to keep reminding myself Danika wasn’t the lead, because the name Danika, in my opinion, is stronger and distinctly feminine. It didn’t help that the character Danika had a stronger personality, too, was more powerful and more important, so she easily outshined Bryce. Just another reason the beginning was so disorienting for me.

But the reason I don’t respect Bryce much is because she’s exactly the kind of person I typically disdain—a party animal with little self-respect or maturity who likes to go to clubs, get black-out drunk and so high she suffers the effects for days. On a week night, when she has to work in the morning. She thinks it’s fun, a sentiment I will never in all my life understand.

But I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because there were glimpses of intelligence and vulnerability. I mean, she reads romance novels. I can only assume that this is part of her arc, going from a rather reckless party girl to someone more mature and responsible, and she’ll evolve into a fantastic heroine I can respect. Hopefully. I guess I’ll find out in three weeks.

Now, behold the power of Maas—despite disliking the lead, despite feeling overwhelmed, despite being tempted to quit, I was sucked in. I can only credit the characters, because I didn’t start enjoying the story until the Pack of Devils was introduced. I really enjoyed their group dynamic, which was similar to the dynamic of the Court of Dreams, which is in large part why I loved ACOTAR so much. You can feel the unconditional love and respect for one another under all the teasing banter and playful insults. I barely knew the Pack of Devils, but I already adored them.

And when they were horribly, brutally, gut-wrenchingly slain, I was reduced to a puddle of tears and grief. And rage.

And NO, that’s not a spoiler. It’s in the blurb. “—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone.” Plus, bold, arrogant statements early on such as “…they’d done everything together. Just the two of them, as it always would be” were like blowing raspberries at the playground bully. Begging for a world of hurt.

So them’s my thoughts. Nutshell: the epic worldbuilding is remarkable, though that doesn’t mean I appreciate it, and I hope the lead will earn my respect going forward.

Oh, one nitpick—why on earth do they have a fire sprite guarding a library of old, priceless books? There has to be a reason that makes sense, because Maas isn’t stupid.

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I requested an excerpt because I have zero patience and was dying to get my hands on the book, now I have even less patience and am still dying to get the book. I won't say much because I would hate to spoil, but prepare yourself for a strongwilled, determined, and confident main character. This us officially my most anticipated release of 2020 and Sarah J Mass has knocked it out of the park with this excerpt.

I can’t wait until March! I really love Sarah J mass books and this one is good so far. I’m glad Netgalley gave us access to already a few pages but now I’m stuck so here goes to waiting a few more weeks.

This book sounds fantastic! March 1st cannot get here any faster. The story keeps getting better. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I enjoyed this excerpt a lot, it really worked to get me interested in the book. The only negative I found was the immense amount of info-dumping. It got to be A LOT there for a while. I understand it's introducing you to the world and the lore but it was a large amount in a short amount of time. Getting past that I think it will be a great read.

Everything you love about Sara J. Maas amped up to the next level. I love that she's leaning away from her YA tendencies and starting to delve into more mature topics/writing style. Read this excerpt and I am thoroughly excited for the release of this book!

I received an excerpt of the first 5 chapters from NetGalley, and all I can say is WOW. . . Crescent City brings you all that you love about Sarah J Maas, with an adult level of debauchery. (after Rhysand and Feyre I didn't think SJM could get more debauchery into a novel LOL)

I am left with a strong desire for revenge, and can't wait to be able to read the full book! Having been my first experience reading an excerpt, I must say I don't think I'll do it again! I am in agony not being able to find out what happens next! 

The world building, and various species descriptions are perfection. A fully immersive experience, that I couldn't get enough of. If you've read any Sarah J. Maas books I don't have to explain to you how amazing the world is. Her skills grow with each series she releases and I'm so excited to dive into this new one.

Expect a full review as soon as I get my hands on the full novel!

I've just finished reading the first 5 chapters of House of Earth and Blood in a sampler available on Netgalley. And you can pretty much tell how the book is going to go save for the plot. The men are just extremely alpha and the women are very alpha except for our lead, Bryce.

But if that was a flaw with Maas' YA books, it's a trope of NA books which House of Earth and Blood is. It's definitely not adult fantasy but rather NA fantasy. Bryce is twenty-three years old although she seems at first to be much older. But all that changes when she goes out to a party with her best friends.

And, I don't know how twenty-three year olds party in the US, but, Bryce and her friends not only drink but also consume copious amounts of drugs. Which I felt needed to come with a trigger warning. And it seems so unnecessarily hedonistic.

But this is all just the exposition and character introduction in the first five chapters. Once the plot hits after Chapter 5, I think it will get better.

But still expect an alpha male, referring to characters as "male" & "female", a rather confusing worldbuilding and strange euphemisms for the male appendage. I can't wait for March!

Beautifully written and dying for the rest of this book! The world building is wonderful, the characters are amazing and have three weeks to actually continue reading this amazingness!! Love it already and can't wait to dig in more to this book!! Absolutely lovely!

I ordered a personalized signed copy of House and Earth and Blood from Sarah's virtual signing 😍 I will be doing a fully fledged review after receiving and reading the book 💖 I love anything that belongs to her though ❤❤❤❤