The first book in Sarah J Maas' Crescent City series, this book takes place in Crescent City on the planet of Midgard. Populated by all types of vanir: witches, shifters, sprites, vampyres, etc. and humans alike. This is not the first that I've read by Sarah J. Maas, some of which I really enjoyed and some I did not. This book took me a little while to really engage with, but once I did it was a wild ride. The end was incredibly stressful for me. I've been told the second book is better, so I'm very excited to get to it. Be aware, this book talks a lot about slavery, violence (including gun violence), war, drug use, murder, classism, and addiction. They also have minor descriptions of animal cruelty, a suicide attempt, and abandonment.
Bryce Quinlan is a half fae, half human female living the young single life with her best friend, a wolf shifter named Danika. They are renting an apartment together and enjoying life in the city. Until Bryce comes home and finds Danika dead. The case is closed and the perpetrator off the street. Until two years later when a crop identical murders start and Bryce finds herself working with an angel to figure out what happened then and what is happening now, reevaluating her life and friendship with Danika while she's at it.
I enjoyed this book. It took be until just before the halfway point to really feel interested, but I enjoyed the whole thing. By the end, I was frantically messaging people who've already read the story just so I didn't have to be the only person experiencing it. I didn't particularly like any of the characters at the beginning, although they grew on me by the end, and I loved the snark most of the characters have. The writing was good and the dialogue felt realistic. I'm very excited to move on to the next in the series.
I'm giving House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas 4 out of 5 stars. Spice level is a frustrating 2 out of 5.
See all of Sarah J Maas' work at https://sarahjmaas.com/
Pairs well with a date with your best friend and smoked salmon mousse.
If you're looking for a summary before you book on to the next book in the series, check our Crescent City summaries!
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