sarahjmaas – Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Series: Crescent City (#1)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Published: March 3, 2020

ISBN: 1635574048

Pages: 803

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

My Review:

Let me start by saying that I’m a huge Sarah J. Maas fan, and I have been anticipating this book for quite a while. SO… I might be a little biased. Now that I got that off my chest let’s get right to it.

The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city.”

When I started reading this book I felt that there was a LOT of information being thrown at me at once. It felt more like a high fantasy novel than the usual Sarah J. Maas novel. The names of important people, races, and hierarchies were being named too fast for me to process or care. I also did not appreciate not starting the story in the middle of the action from the get go. I guess I got used to it in her other series: Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. But thankfully the action finally picks up around Chapter 5, so if you are a true Maas fan, I urge you to stick around. You will not regret it.

That’s the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow.”
Danika

Maas is the queen of “damaged and insecure on the inside but seemingly confident and badass on the outside” characters, and Bryce and Hunt are no different. I fell in love with Bryce right away, I liked her tenacity and the fact that she never gave up no matter how bleak the situation. I dare say I liked her more than Feyre from the Court of Thorns series, but definitely not more than Aelin from Throne of Glass. My favorite side characters were Rhun and Queen Hypaxia, and I really hope to see more of them in the books to come.

Not that I’m complaining or anything, or maybe I am. This was supposed to be an adult book, but apart from a lot more cursing, there were a LOT more explicit sex scenes in Maas’s other YA/ New Adult books than in this one. With that said, I enjoyed the slow-burn romance between Bryce and Hunt. I liked that it took them most of the book to realize their feelings for one another and that their relationship was not “insta-love.” I do have to admit that at times the sexual tension between them was a bit intolerable, but it was one of the factors that kept me glued to the pages.

I’m really hoping Maas turns this series into one of those where each installment focuses on a different set of characters. I feel like Bryce and Hunt’s story is not completely over, but they could probably stay on the side lines on the books to come. I really want her to expound on the rest of the characters, but somehow I don’t think I will get my wish. I also wish to learn more about the magic system overall, so hopefully she gives us more details on that. Overall, I highly recommend this book to all Fantasy and Sarah J. Maas fans. If you’re not one of her fans yet, then what are you waiting for?

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. However, if you click on my link and end up buying the book Amazon will pay me a small fee. Thank you for supporting a small blog like mine 🙂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking. Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Don’t leave me alone in the darkness. This place where we both exist, yet serve different callings.”
cATWOMAN

Catwoman: Soulstealer was written by Sarah J. Maas, and the audio book was narrated by Julia Whelan. I read it in my down time, and listened to it on my work commute, as well as in the shower and while doing house-work. Honestly, I found myself looking for any possible excuse to listen to this book. This narrator was the best I’ve heard yet, she did all the male and female voices perfectly and even did their accents. The only problem when it comes to audio books for me is the fact that it’s harder for me to save the quotes I like, notice I only have one quote in this review 🙂

I’ve never been much of a fan of Catwoman, but this book made me fall in love with her anti-hero character. Her relationship with her sister was so sweet and pure, their love for each other almost made me cry a few times. Luke’s relationship with his parents, especially his dad, was very refreshing to read. As I mentioned before, good father-son relationships have been hard for me to find in YA/Fantasy books lately. I recently talked about Jesper’s relationship with his dad in Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, and I’m glad these types of healthy supportive relationships are becoming more prevalent.

Maas is a master at keeping her characters’ schemes under wraps until the very end, and once again she does not disappoint. As the story progresses we know Selina is back in Gotham on a secret mission which mostly involves her causing a lot of chaos, but we don’t know what her whole plan is. I have to admit I never anticipated the full scope of her plan. This is book was full of action, fighting scenes, with a little romance and friendship thrown into the mix. I really enjoyed it.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Tag: sarahjmaas

House of Earth and Blood

Catwoman Review