I am absolutely so excited for this book!! The excerpt left me wanting more, as SJM always does. I love the world  building and character formation already. The cover is beautiful and the premise is exciting ! This book is going to be hefty so set aside the time bc you will not want to do anything else!!!! Thank you Netgalley so much! 5 STARS

Thank you for this excerpt! I am so grateful to be able to sample a chapter before buying the book. I read Throne of Glass years ago so i wasnt sure if this would be for me or not but what i did read i LOVED so i will be purchasing this immediately and devouring it!

If you never read a SJM book then this book will make you fall in love with her works. If you are like me and read every book she has authored then this can go one of two ways. You can either like/ think the book is just "okay," because the characters are very reminscent of other characters in her other books OR you can note all the similarities in her novels and still LOVE it! I fall into the latter category. Does Bryce remind you of Aelin --Yes! Does Hunt remind you of Rowan --Yes! Does Ruhn remind you of Aedion --absolutely! But did that take away from the solid storyline and plot? --Not in my opinion! 
 
SJM did not hold back and I thank her for that! This book was chalk full of action, twists and turns, lots of vulgarity, sexual angst, great lines, touching moments, a sassy heroine, just EVERYTHING you could ask for this book delivered it! Ahhhhhh!!! I just really LOVED this book! SO much! 

I am truly at a loss for words! All I can say is read it, SJM has not disappointed yet, and this book is no exception!

4.5 Crescent Moons!

This was a great taste of what would be to come in the rest of this story. It did take a little while to get used to all the names and places since we were thrown into it in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it I easily wanted more.

This was just a taste of this book and it definitely left me wanting more. I cannot wait to be able to read the whole book. Bryce sounds like an interesting character and I loved the dynamic between her and Danika.

Love everything about this book! This excerpt was a great start but I’m ready to finish the book. The characters are so unique and enjoyable so far. Can’t wait to learn more about them.

I am a long time fan of Sarah Maas. I loved her Throne of Glass series so much I wished it would never end. When I saw that she was once again writing a fantasy series I was overjoyed. 

This is a not to be missed series! Sarah Maas is at it again and jumps right in with the action, gut-wrenching emotional pulls, loveable characters and more. Bryce is a half-human half-fae living in Crescent City. Her best friend and roommate is an alpha female werewolf, Danika who is also high up in the rank of political creatures. In this world where humans are lucky to be citizens, most of them are slaves. Luckily, in Crescent City, most of the slaves are under the radar and blend in with everyone else,  making Crescent City look like a pretty livable place.

 The scene is set after the Human Era (H.E.) and we are now in the V.E., Vanir Era or the era of Fae, werewolves, witches, and all other unnamed creatures. There is as in most worlds, political uprisings, tension, and a war that has raged on for several years forty or so to be precise. The Pangeran conflict, which we currently do not know much about in this short excerpt has not yet reached Crescent City but is currently taking place across the Haldren Sea. 

At this point, all we know is that a known villain or bomber, Briggs is being released and is most likely out for vengence since Danika and her pack are part of the reason he was imprisoned. Briggs wants to bring the Pangeran conflict to Crescent city and Bryce just wants to have a semi-normal life as a Fae half-blood living in a rundown apartment with the head of a werewolf clan, but of course life seldom ever goes as we plan. Events are set into motion that leave Bryce having little to no choice on what to do next and this is where the short excerpt ends leaving the us with a hell of a cliffhanger and waiting ever so patiently to continue reading about Bryce's next steps. 

Sarah Maas never fails to leave the reader on the edge of their seat, heart racing, can't read fast enough kind of stories. This is a great read for lovers of Lord of the Rings, The Magicians, Game of Thrones, Patricia Briggs, and anyone who just cannot get enough of fantasy novels complete with magic, the Fae, Were creatures and more!

3.5 STARS

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this excerpt -- House of Earth and Blood is out March 3, 2020!

Being that this is a brand new fantasy series, the first five chapters include a LOT of exposition and world-building. There are so many magical creatures and political realms to keep straight -- what are Vanir? Where is the Hedron sea? Why are wolf shifters in charge? Who rules the Ataris? Angels? Fae? Sorcerers? Who belongs in which House? How do humans factor into all this?

The first two chapters spent a lot of time with this world-building, and slogged a bit. I was almost tempted to take notes to keep everything straight. Starting about the third or fourth chapter, the present-day action began to ramp up, and by the end of the excerpt, I was DYING for more. I can't wait to get ahold of this book in its entirety (yes, all 800 pages) to see what happens to Bryce and Crescent City.

I've never read S. J. Maas but with this excerpt I'm very positive that i want to catch up with the rest of the book. I found the "protagonist" actually likable so I guess is a good start.

This was an excerpt of the book House of Earth and Blood. Sarah J. Maas has created a world of magic; I loved the variety of characters, shifters, angels, fae, and characters I had no clue about. Humans are pretty much second class as the only ones without magic. 

Bryce is half-fae, half-human, spending days working for an enchantress and nights having a wild time partying. The story starts with Bryce and her roommate, wolf shifter Danika. They have an extremely close friendship formed as friends in college. Life is good, until Bryce returns from a night on the town to find Danika and her pack slaughtered by a demon.

I received this excerpt from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I feel like knocking a star off every 5 star book I've ever rated. Just so this one can sit on its own at the top.

I finished reading this book 60 seconds ago and I'm  so full of emotion right now. The last twenty percent of this book had me crying every 10 minutes. I'm writing this review with mascara stains on my cheeks.
I don't think I've ever read anything so gods-damn perfect in my life.  From the world building to the incredible  secondary characters, who really didnt feel secondary at all.  I know il be able to pick up book 2 (which feels like it's a million years aways from being released) and remember every single person instantly. 

Seems impossible for me to add my weak words to a review and give justice to a book that read like a 'Game of Thrones' novel. I'm in awe of Sarah J maas once again.  This book is the one I was waiting for. ❤️

Sarah J. Maas did not skimp on her writing magic with this one. She immediately drew in the reader with her lush details and characters. I was unsure exactly what was going on in the first chapter, but I very quickly only wanted more. Ms. Maas has proved her storytelling is rich and well worth the wait. I cannot wait to get my hands on this amazing series!

The great thing about this book is that is really does FEEL like SJM in an adult world. The beginning was admittedly a bit hard to get through, just because this world is SO BIG and there's so much information given to us all at once. The different houses and places are a bit confusing to keep in mind while reading. That said, I really do like Bryce. She's a bitch and honestly, that's my kind of girl. She's sexy and she knows it and she really doesn't care if you have an opinion on it. My only gripe is that I feel like SJM does her a bit of disservice by mentioning every other paragraph how skin tight whatever she's wearing it. It's cool SJM, we'll just assume whatever she's wearing is skin tight. 

The plot is interesting, I love the addition of the angels, and I'm going to read the heck out of this series. Would recommend!

Thank you for the chance to read an excerpt of House of Earth and Blood. I heard this is the author's first foray into adult/urban fantasy. After reading the first few chapters, I think that basically equates to lots of swearing and descriptions of sex, drugs, and partying. It felt like the book was a teenager who drinks to excess, just because they can. There was a lot of world-building info to take in as well, but it is a new series so that's to be expected. 

House of Earth and Blood went from one of my most anticipated reads for 2020, to "I'll just wait for it to be available to borrow from the library,' but then I got to the end of the excerpt and well, I had to go out and buy a copy for myself.

Wow, I've never been a huge fan of Sarah J Maas. But this book has been all over, and after this excerpt I absolutely HAVE to read it finished!
Angels, Demons and a sizzling romance, alongside such decadent writing, yes please!!

This review is based on an excerpt I received free of charge through NetGalley. This is also the first time I have read this author. I found the first few pages a little difficult to follow but once many of the characters had been introduced the story really flowed. There are lot of descriptions of violent scenes. If you don’t like that kind of thing, this book is probably not for you. Since I was reading an incomplete copy, I was greatly disappointed it ended just as I was getting to the part where I didn’t want to put it down. I am looking forward to reading the complete book.

Update 03/09/20:  I read the entire book and need to amend my rating.  Things drastically improve after the 5th chapter.  I am glad that I decided to read my pre-ordered copy instead of divesting myself of it at the first opportunity.  My excerpt rating was 2.5, but the book in its entirety deserves a 1.5 star bump.  Bryce fully obliterated her vapid shell and emerged as a fiery-haired heroine.  She and Hunt traverse a harrowing path, finding solace together, and I fervently hope Sarah J. Maas will not mercilessly tear them asunder.  The book resolved cleanly, with no tortuous cliffhanger,  but it offered a promise of more adventures for our intrepid pair.   

I just finished the first five chapters of Maas’ House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City and I am underwhelmed.  It seems I am in the minority here, given the multitude of five-star reviews it received, but I find this first attempt at “Adult” Fantasy uninspired.  The initial chapters are littered with info dumps and lackluster characters that only succeed in evoking apathy.  Bryce, the protagonist of the story, is especially off-putting.  I assume at some point in the tale she will become the heroine, but at this point, she is a mess.  I do not mind flawed characters, but there has to be something at the core of them that inspires.  Despite this fact, which is certainly problematic, I find myself interested in continuing the story.  The stopping point of the excerpt dangles a tantalizing development that I would like to explore.  I sincerely hope, however, that it will be worth my time, money, and effort.  

***An excerpt of the novel was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas is so fantastic. This Excerpt had me dying for more. I am so happy to be back in one of the worlds that Maas has created. The elements of her books are just so fantastic. Of course she hooked me immediately.

I enjoyed reading this excerpt. I am a huge fan of SJM. This book starts with a large amount of character and world building , so it took a while to grab my attention. However, I am now about half way through the actual book, and it has hooked me.

This is obviously not the entire book but based on the first 5 chapters I can at least speak about certain aspects of this book.

First of all the world building. I loved how we get so much information in the first chapter. I am aware a lot of people don't like info-dumping but I did actually understand everything and could keep up. However towards chapter three is was really a lot and given that this book is the first in a series and 800 pages long I assume (or better to say I hope) it will be more explained. I still wish it would feel more organic. But what I did understood I actually really enjoyed. A different timeline as ours, various creatures and houses. It is an intruiging concept. 

Now onto the things that did not work for me that well. The main character is 23 years old and therefore exactly my age. I had a hard time imagining her to be 23 she seemed foolish and quite stupid for the situation she is in and the world she was born into. Also I have nothing against sex and substance abuse as an aspect of a story however the drugs had no point whatsoever and the character for the most part seems oversexualised especially the main character. 

The very start of this was promising and I do really like Bryces best friend and roommate. The werewolf pack that is also a part of this friend group sounds super fun and I would read more about them. But sadly this book is about the main character Bryce and I was eyerolling since chapter 3 about a lot of things she said and did. 

If you are a fan of SJM I am sure you will love this book but sadly for me it would be a lot of overlooking flaws instead of an enjoyable read. However I do own Throne of Glass and ACOTAR by her and will give those a shot now to see if I enjoy these maybe.