One of the first things I noticed was the characters. In the first chapter, Maas has been able to establish the personalities of each character. As we know (or hope), by there will be a lot of change for these characters, but the ability to establish such strong personalities for them in less 20 pages is amazing. We already know that Danika doesn't have a care for rules and in fact likes to break them. Lehabah is meek and a little shy, but curious and loyal. And without even meeting Jesiba aside from a single line of dialogue, we know that Jesiba is a no nonsense, straightforward character. Finally, we can tell the Bryce is smart, loyal to her friends, but also independent. Now, I understand this is not a complete picture of our characters and there is more depth to them than this. However, I applaud the effort Maas put into creating her characters and distinguishing them so early on so we can begin to connect with them. I love a good characters, and I love when we can begin rooting for them in the first chapter.

I was also impressed by the world building. Maas was able to establish the world Bryce and her friends live in. From the different houses to the different creatures (werewolves, fire sprite, fae, etc.), we get a sense what of what it would be like to live in the Lunathion. I loved being able to see it through the eyes of someone who works in the more "shady" parts of the city. I feel like this gives the reader a deeper sense of the intricacies of the city instead of shallow view of the city.

I am excited to read the full book. I hope there is going to be an audio-book for this book, because I can already hear how amazing it will be. The characters, world building, and plot of this book are intriguing. I can't say much because I was only able to read 70 pages of this book, but it was enough to get me ready to read the rest of the book. I will be anxiously awaiting to see what Maas does with the story and how the characters will change and grow throughout the book.

Thank you for letting me read an excerpt of House of Earth and Blood.

Sarah J Maas has done it again. What an amazing book so far. The characters are pulling you in from the minute you are read it. Quick pace and full of life in the supernormal world we all love. The main character so far, Bryce is full of sass, spite, fun with an amazing bunch of kick-arse friends.
If i could give this preview 6 stars then I would. It's going to be a long few weeks until i can get to finish the rest of it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing & Sarah J Maas for allowing me to read this excerpt before release. Im yet again in love with another book.

After reading the first few chapters I am seriously questioning if I even want to continue reading this. I’m sure there will be tons of SJM fans who will love this but I don’t think it’s going to be for me. I don’t like the vibe so far going into it and I’m not so much into the wolves/people it makes it feel cheesy. This one just might not be for me and that’s ok.

I need more!!

I just adore Sarah J. Mass writing and so far, all of her novels. "House of Earth and Blood" is an awesome new adventure and I was sad to have only gotten the first 5 chapters but now I'm interested in buying it. Thanks for the great stories Sarah!

Love this excerpt, but I always enjoy Sarah J. Maas's stuff! I can't wait to read the full-length book!

I am dead!!!! I honestly can't wait to read the whole book, I needed it like yesterday! I am very excited that Sarah J. Mass is entering the world of adult fantasy, now she has no restrictions on the characters. She is one of my favorite author's and from this short preview, I already have a feeling that I'm going to love her new work as well. I will say that this is very much a Sarah j mass book, so if you don't like her previous works you may not enjoy this either.

This book was received as an ARC from Bloomsbury USA - Bloomsbury Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Yes, this was only an excerpt but it was worth reading every page that I was given. I am a fan of Sarah J. Maas and her writing style of keeping the reader invested with exciting events leading up to the climax of the story. There are two main characters Bryce and Hunt seeking vengence for the people they love against the people that rule the world. Bryce for a demon and Hunt, a fallen angel who seeks vengence on his demon boss. Bryce and Hunt could not come at a better time and they will stop at nothing to get the job done. I can not wait until this book is released and if it is this good as an excerpt, I can only imagine how the rest of the book will play out. This will definitely be a good choice for our teen book club.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Soooooo many things to learn about in this new world created by Sarah J. Maas but I am 100% ready after reading this excerpt that left me wishing for more new pages ASAP! Thank you netgalley for this sneak peek of the first five chapters!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was an excerpt of the latest novel by Mass and ends in a cliffhanger. There was a lot of information in these first few chapters and I didn't fully understand all of it yet. Lots of world building as usual but a lot more swearing than I'm used to seeing by the author. Good sneak peek.

Thank you for the excerpt! It was so good and made me super excited for the whole book. I can't wait to get my hands on this huge monster of a book!

This is only an excerpt so these are only some thoughts and impressions from the first few chapters, but I wasn't too impressed.
I wasn't too sure what this was about, but after reading the excerpt I have a little bit more of an idea, but there's a lot and it's a bit confusing. I felt kind of like I was thrown into the middle of things and there was info-dumping that made things kind of boring, confusing and hard to follow for me during these first chapters.
I'm not sure if I will try to read or listen to the book when it comes out or not because I'm not sure that this is my type of book.

I read the first five chapters of 'House of Earth and Blood' and now I can't read anymore!

Book Review: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J.Maas
Genre: Romance and Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: 3rd March, 2020

Maas hysteria! It's a thing. If you're part of the YA (Young Adult) bookish community then you know about it. You've uttered the words; "I will not be afraid" with Aelin in the Throne of Glass series and you know all about the importance of 'wing span' from A Court of Mist and Fury.

Now, Maas joins other YA alumna Leigh Bardugo in her first foray into adult fiction. And I am definitely here for it!

House of Earth and Blood is the first book in the Crescent City series.

"Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. Every night is a party and Bryce is going to savour all the pleasures Lunathion – also known as Crescent City – has to offer. But then a brutal murder shakes the very foundations of the city, and brings Bryce's world crashing down.
Two years later, Bryce still haunts the city's most notorious nightclubs – but seeking only oblivion now. Then the murderer attacks again. And when an infamous Fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, is assigned to watch her every footstep, Bryce knows she can't forget any longer.
As Bryce and Hunt fight to unravel the mystery, and their own dark pasts, the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the deepest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir ..."
- Bloomsbury.com

Why have I only read the first five chapters? Well, because that's all we were given on netgalley.com. Trust me, if I had the whole thing I would have read it all!

I was hooked!

Maas' world building is subtle, and the hints spark a fantastical world that you need to know more about. Juxtaposed with this fantasy is a contemporary realism; mobile phones, four inch heals and pizza parties, that invites you into Bryce's life in Crescent City.

By far my favourite thing was (as a Maas fan) the familiarity of her character building. The relationships and dynamics between the characters was like being back amongst friends. Think Rhys, Cassian and Azriel and you get a glimpse of the new 'wolf pack' and their camaraderie.

However, in true Maas style, all is not as it seems; everything you thought you knew comes 'crashing down'. After just five chapters I can tell already that this series is going to rip us apart and put us back together again. I for one can't wait!

What a strong start to a new series! I am intrigued by this new world SJM has created and can't wait to read more! However, there is an information overload within the first chapters and I was extremely confused with the world-building and characters. Hopefully, the book will take some time to explain the world and lore.
But overall, can't wait for the book to come out and will definitely purchase a copy for myself!

What a tease!!! I should have expected that cliffhanger but I'm just dying. What a great start! I had loved SJM's previous series and I love how much broader this world is for this new series. I really enjoyed getting to see all the differently otherworldly creatures. i just want more! I thought i couldn't get more excited than I already was about this book but somehow, I am!!

As this was only an excerpt I can’t really give a full review buuuuut the first couple chapters were a lot of information that went over my head. It seemed like too much too fast. Chapters 3ish-5 were more fast paced and interesting. Very similar writing style to her other books but more cursing.

The rest of this book needs to come out fast! Sarah J. Maas has done it again!

I was drawn in immediately and couldn't put this down. My heart was on edge as I was turning page for page wondering what was going to happen next.

These 5 Chapter preview was so much and not enough, I already love the characters and need more!

What a perfect way to set the stage. Bring it on!

I have been looking forward t a new SJM series forever. She's such an exceptional storyteller with characters you cannot help but fall in love with. These first five chapters of House of Earth and Blood was such a tease, but in a good way. I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. Bryce seems like such an interesting character along with Danika. I love the world that they live in and SJM breaks down how everything and everyone is grouped pretty well. It was easy to follow once I was hooked onto the story.

Overall, this excerpt just made me even more excited to read House of Earth and Blood. It's definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year!

This five chapter sampler of Crescent City has me excited for what the rest of the book will bring. It's full of potential and I hope and have faith that SJM will deliver. The World building is intense that I got a little lost and found the need to have an hierarchy table at hand to keep whose who straight. But I'm sure once I'm more familiar with the world, things will flow a little smoother. Cannot wait for 3/3.

I can't do a full review since this was just an excerpt, but I would like to start out by saying that I've only read a few SJM books. Overall, I found in House of Earth and Blood that the writing style is very similar to her other books, except the world is more complex and the characters cuss a lot.

I spent the better part of this excerpt extremely confused, and I honestly didn't know what was happening half the time. Her writing style is also generally just really flouncy, and there is no reason to use so many adjectives. I'm not ure why, but I wonder if overall, I just don't like her writing! It's really hard, because people keep raving about this book, and I just can't get into it. I want to know where we are, but I didn't learn about the characters in the first chapter, and I was more ocnfused then anything.

I might try the audiobook once the book has released, but releasing an excerpt that didn't seem to explain much about the world just made me more confused.

These few chapters definitely hooked me. I am intrigued by the world, and the characters are engaging and vibrant. The action is already off to a blazing start, and the friendships are relatable and organic.