I was really excited to receive this excerpt. I absolutely love Sarah J Maas' books, and I couldn't wait to read this! While it is a bit of a slow start, you can really see the development starting to shape the world. The reader also starts to see what sort of character development will continue throughout the whole book.

It definitely had it's problems, but man was it good. Those last 200 pages completely made up for the first 200. Literally everything I want to say about this book is a spoiler, so i'll just list the great things about this book; great friendships, excellent depiction of grief, characters that you actually care about, and a surprisingly satisfying ending. Again, it wasn't perfect, but it was SO worth it!

Very interesting! Hoping to get the book and read more! 5 chapters, that’s all I’ve read and I am hooked! Just wow! So much has happened – I’m invested in the characters, already have had my heart shredded just a little bit. The world-building has shown me the city with its various districts and faction controlled areas, rough ideas of the social structure and the types of magical beings populating the world, and some of the history.

I just love the worlds and characters that SJ Maas builds! Love the dialogue and interactions btw the characters too. There were a few tropes that I didn't like but there were enough surprises to make up for it. SJ, you did it again!

I've been struggling to review this five chapter excerpt since it took me a month to read through it. Over a year has passed, and I don't think I will ever do so properly. There are too many words, and my Twitter thread said it all. Frankly, I don't know how this book got published as it stands. These initial chapters displayed everything a writer can possibly do wrong with world-building and character introductions. All of it was non-stop info dumping that kept being put into a blender until everything was mushed together beyond all sense and recognition. Bryce Quinlan was an intolerable character to read, and all of the urban fantasy elements didn't matter since everyone appeared so boringly human and perfect. (I kept reading about shifters, for instance. There's a wolf-shifter, there's a butterfly-shifter. Literally how do you know? How can you tell when everyone looks exactly the same and no one has any distinguishing shifter characteristics?)

I might have forgiven the poorly-written descriptions, the run-on sentences, the slut-shaming, the obsession with partying and fantasy cocaine, and the fact that nothing happened in four and a half chapters (roughly 70 pages) if the murder that finally occurred hadn't been so obvious from chapter two. Who was responsible was also obvious (Micah).

Want a clear example of why I couldn't stand reading this book? Okay. Maas constantly stresses that Bryce is half-Fae, which means her half-human part is looked down on by full-blooded Fae. She spends descriptions upon descriptions commenting on how beautiful and perfect Bryce is, how superior her sight and smell are to humans, but emphasizes how full-blooded Fae can tell that she's a half-breed. They sneer at her as soon as she enters a restaurant. Except they don't. It's all in Bryce's head because no one takes notice of her walking in. Not even the full-blooded Fae female sitting at a table nearby.

This would've been the perfect time for Maas to demonstrate how a true Fae is different in appearance and ability from a half-breed. Instead, all we get is the Fae shredding the table cloth with her nails and being a catty bitch. Absolutely nothing of Bryce's interaction with her delineates the differences between them that Bryce and the narrative are so stuck on. This is one example of thousands on why this book fails on every level, from characterization, to world-building, to logic, to enjoyment. I don't need to read the rest of it to know I'm 100% accurate in that assessment. If you can't establish a solid foundation for your book to grow and build upon, then it does fall over like a house of cards at the slightest breeze.

I don't know how anyone managed to slough through the next 730 pages of this book. I really don't.

I wanted to love this, as I'm a diehard fan of the ACOTAR series, but I just couldn't get over the information overload at the beginning.

So I bought and read the full book, I enjoyed it I truly did but the length of it, my goodness.

The plot crawled along at a snails pace and while I was invested enough in Bryce and her grief and her budding will they won't they (we all know they will) romance I found myself wishing the book was a few hundred pages shorter. The sheer length of it and time between each important piece of the plot was so vast I found myself confused like...wait whats this about a sword? Who was murdered? Oh yeah that's the whole plot they're trying to solve a murder I nearly forgot. Which I suppose isn't the reaction one should have when reading a mystery. Beyond that however the world building and side characters were fantastic and I really wish I could say Ill be reading the next book but honestly Im not sure after how much this one dragged.

I ended up enjoying the audiobook for this much more than I anticipated given my SJM track record and my difficulty getting into the ARC. I appreciate her writing more now that she's leaning into this paranormal romance vibe.

Finally read this excerpt when I had the full book available to roll right on into afterward. I feel like I binged a 200,000 word ACOTAR/TOG college AU cross-over fanfic. Featuring edgy depressed Aelin - I mean Bryce, brooding warriors, enough new terminology to make a sci-fi book blush, and SJM making fun of her staple over-bearing mate trope.

The beginning was a moderate 3 star: too slow and too much info dumping. It didn’t really engage me and hold my interest well. This definitely could have been a 500-600 page book - we really didn’t need all 800 pages. The ending was a 5 star: I’d become really attached to the characters (SJM has a talent at making me love all of her characters, especially the side characters), my nerves were on edge, and the action/high stakes was on point. Overall, it deserves a 4 star rating from me. I can not wait to continue with this series and see where it goes!

This teaser left me wanting so much more! Sarah is a wonderful writer and world builder! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the completed book!

This was not what I was expecting of this book having read Sarah J Maas before. It is definitely a new turn for her but I am interested in reading the entirety of the book.

After reading A Court of Thorns and Roses I fell in love with Maas' writing! The except of her new adult novel (I think it's adult) still gives us all the things we loved about ACOTAR series. Having new characters to get to know and a new world to explore is going to be such an exciting journey!

This first glimpse into the book was great. I love how the author establishes the world within the first couple chapters. Wonderful novel! Sarah J. Maas is my favorite!

Wow. What an incredible start to this world. She really knows how to build a complex world and I cant wait to finish the rest. Thank you so much for writing such beautiful, brilliant and imaginative worlds, Sarah.

House of Earth and Blood is perfect for fans of her previous books, A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury!

Thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read the beginning of this magical world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did feel that the sheer amount of swearing made it sound more juvenile (like Mom and Dad can't hear so I will cuss) but I understand that some people just sound like sailors and so this might appeal to those types of people. The story flowed well though it was slow in some areas and could have probably been cut for the sake of the story being dragged down by it.. All in all, I am excited for the next book.

This is a bloody, raw kind of story with a lot of grit. Realistic, a bit nasty, but well-written. I definitely wanted to keep reading, but then, I'm already a Sarah J. Maas fan.

I love this book and proceeded to read it twice in the month that it came out. SJM outdid herself yet again with this one. Can't wait to see what she does next.

I'm really eager to start reading S.J. Maas's books! I hope this is the year. This excerpt got me really interested! Dispite of that, I cannot rate a book based on an excerpt (hence the random 3 stars). From what I know, I do not doubt this can be a five star read for me. We'll see :)

It's a good start to what seems to be a very immersive story and world. The author can always build a world that you can leap of the page and dive into.