After falling in love with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (my review), I couldn’t wait to start a new series by Sarah J. Maas. As we were getting close to the publication date of book two, I opted to pick the Crescent City series next and read House of Earth and Blood.

House of Earth and Blood

House of Earth and Blood tells the story of Bryce, a young woman who struggles to get her life back on the rails after the brutal murder of her best friends. However, being a half-fae, half-human with a reputation as a hardcore party girl, this is easier said than done. She had never expected, however, to wind up in the centre of the investigation into the murders, accompanied by a notorious fallen angel. Hunt has his own reasons to try and solve the case: if he succeeds, he might just get back the freedom he lost after the angel rebellion. But in Crescent City, nothing is as it seems and danger lurks everywhere.

Amazing…but way too long

I have to admit, I considered DNFing this book multiple times. The edition I own is printed on bible paper and is 800 pages thick. I love reading, but there are limits…Furthermore, I’m not the biggest fan of world-building. I’m more like a character-driven kind of girl, which is one of the main reasons why I tend to stay away from adult fantasy. And if there’s one thing of which this book has an abundance, it’s world-building…But seeing that I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, I decided not to give up. And indeed, after about 300 page’s, plot starts to make an entrance.

The further I got, the more I started to fall in love with this world and the characters that inhabit it. I have to say, this book thoroughly surprised me with several unexpected turns and WTF-just-happened moments. The final 200 pages were like a rollercoaster of emotions and plot twists. However, I still feel like the author could have probably written the same story in 500 pages, which is why I didn’t give it five gemstones. I’m looking forward to part two, but I’m also dreading it, because it’ll be once again almost 800 pages…Four out of five gemstones:

Age Category: For a mature audience

Representation:  PTSD. LGBTQ+ supporting characters

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for attempted suicide, death of a loved one, mental health problems, misogyny, parental neglect and substance abuse.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Hardcover edition

I would highly recommend getting a hardcover edition. There is no way you can read a paperback of this format and not mess up the spine beyond repair.

Recently, both Fairyloot and Illumicrate have released special editions of the first two books in this series. The Fairyloot one comes in a slipcase, has an exclusive cover with foiling and art on the endpapers, and was digitally signed by the author. The Illumicrate one has a reversable dust jacket, art on the endpapers, foiling on the cover and was digitally signed by the author. I personally do not have a clear preference between the two sets, but the one by Illumicrate is more looked after on the second-hand market and its price is therefor also higher.

Similar to this

Did you also like House of Earth and Blood? Then you are in luck, because part two of the Crescent City series, House of Sky and Breath, will be published on the 15th of February!

If you haven’t done so already, I would highly recommend the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. Book one might not be a literary masterpiece, but the series becomes mind-blowing as of book two. My personal favourite is book four. Check out my review of the first three books and the novella here.

At the beginning of House of Earth and Blood, you get an overview of the different houses and the different beings that belong in them (e.g. vampires, witches, humans, angels, werewolves). This is a quite useful guide and, given the sheer volume of information that you are bombarded with in the first half of the novel, I wouldn’t have minded some more reference sheets. Every time I encounter a world with so many different beings, however, I immediately think of two things: One, the imaginary world I built as a little kid in which I tried to jam every single magical being I could think of; and two, the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. So if this is your type of worlds, definitely check out that series too. It follows a young woman from Bon Temps in a world that is getting used to the presence of Vampires. This book series is suitable for a wide audience (I read them when I was about 16 and my grandmother read them when she was close to her 70s already).

Last but not least, a recommendation for everyone who’s into Princes of Hell. I thought they were one of the most interesting groups in this book, so I look forward to discovering more about them in book two! And what do they remind you of? Why, Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco, of course! Definitely check out my review of this book that’s filled cover to cover with devilish royalty!