All Things Halloween Review - House of Earth and Blood

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, # 1)

By: Sarah J Maas

Publication: March 3rd 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing

648 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Source: Borrowed from the e-Library

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Goodreads description--Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savouring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...

I picked up House of Earth and Blood twice before, and I had the hardest time getting into the story. Bryce and Danica start off the book as party girls. I don't support drug use. Clubbing has never been on my agenda. Relating to these characters was difficult. People said to keep pressing on, but sheesh...at 800+ pages, you have to press on a LONG time before action picks up. So much of this book is world building. And world-building takes a long time. Thankfully, I got this on audio from the library. I can tell you that is the only way I made it through this story. That being said, I can see myself re-reading this book and actually reading it instead of listening to it. Now that I know what happens, I think I could dive deeper into it. But I just had to experience it in as quick of a method as possible to begin with.

So much happens! The gist is that a pack of wolves is slaughtered. Bryce is friends with all of these wolves. One was her best friend. And one was a guy she was dancing around the idea of dating. Bryce is a shell of herself for about two years after it happened. But then someone else in the city is murdered in the same way. And Bryce is enlisted to help backtrack her friend's last steps in the week leading up to her death to see if she can help find who the real killer is.

Hunt is an angel who was part of the rebellion that failed. As such, he's now a slave. The city's governor, Micah--an archangel--owns him and uses him to assassinate his enemies. Hunt hates being a slave, but he's offered a deal that will bring his debt to next to nothing. All he has to do is solve the murder of Bryce's friend and who is doing the killings now. Hunt was a police officer of sorts who was part of the investigation into the original murder. He and his superior, Isaiah, were first on the scene.

Hunt and Bryce start out antagonistic. They aren't really enemies to lovers, but they don't fully get along at first. It takes a while for each one to see beneath the surface level that the other is trying to portray. Of course, they grow closer as they work together. But can each of them really be trusted, or are they both keeping secrets?

The biggest side character is Rhune, Bryce's half-brother. Bryce is half human, half fae. Rhune is all fae and in line to the throne. Their father is the Autumn King. However, Bryce hasn't been claimed--both because she's only half fae and because she has little magic. There are also witches, sprites, chimeras, and other species. Rhune and Bryce used to be closer, but they have drifted apart from each other after a fight of sorts. Both hate their father. The Autumn King has specific designs and plans for Rhune as his successor. But Rhune's fortune told him that his path isn't what his father hopes it will be. Rhune is keeping that fortune a secret.

Honestly, there is so so much that happens, and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Not to mention that I won't really know what all pieces will connect until I continue the series. But Sarah J Maas is a master of plot and weaving all of the little pieces into bigger details over the long haul. I will definitely continue the series. Since I listened to this on audio, I don't have any quotes to share with you.

House of Earth and Blood gets 4.5 Stars. Language and some spice is present, but I think more innuendo is used than actual scenes in this book as the relationships are so new. Poor Bryce has been through so much. Have you read House of Earth and Blood? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.