The House of Earth and Blood is the first book in the new Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas. Bryce Quinlan is a half-human and half-fae living a life of work and partying in Crescent City. Her world crashes when her best friend is murdered by a demon. But as hard as that was, things become more difficult when the demon behind the murder re-emerges two years later. Now Bryce is being roped into the investigation and she is seeking revenge. 

Hunt Athalar is an angel of death. A slave and assassin to the Archangels, Hunt has been recruited to track down the murderer stalking the streets of Crescent City. He doesn’t want to work with Bryce, but if they find who is responsible, Hunt can win his freedom. Together, Bryce and Hunt will face a formidable enemy and risk their hearts along the way. 

So, that is the jacket-cover overview of the book. Now for my thoughts. 

It was good. And it was long. 

Let’s start with the things I liked about the story. I loved the world setting. It was a fun mix of technology and magic. The world was flavoured with ancient Roman/Greek vibes mingling with the modern urban fantasy trend of multiple supernatural races. There were angels and demons, vampires and werewolves. There were temples housing oracles and a goddess called Luna! The environment felt Mediterranean in climate. The city was a mix of ancient stone buildings and modern glass skyscrapers. And it worked. The old-new city was vibrant, the mix of different races was seamless. I loved that Bryce worked for an antiques dealer. The magic played well with the modern technology. It was all integrated and fun. 

The story itself was compelling. There was lots of emotion to be had. Life for Bryce really collapsed when Danika was murdered. The struggles she faced felt believable and tragic. Certainly the twists and turns were gut-wrenching as the story progressed. 

Hunt’s story paralleled Bryce’s, though older and blunted by time. His decisions and their consequences again seemed realistic. His slow change in attitude and the budding hope made for a power shift in the book. 

It was good, but there were things that I didn’t love. I read a lot of Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series, which was young adult. I was expecting something similar in tone and language. House of Earth and Blood was far more adult. There was a great deal of swearing, drugs, alcohol and sex in the book. Between the tone, language and themes, it was a mature story with an adult (over 18 years old) focus. Which was reflected, I suppose, by the age of Bryce also in her early twenties. 

I also found the pacing of the book a challenge. Every time I thought we had reached an endpoint there would be a new twist. The betrayals that happened along the way were epic. My first thought was I didn’t like them, but reflecting later I was impressed with how the actions of a person can seem both good and bad when viewed through different lenses. I think each shocking twist worked, but it did make the progression to the conclusion feel like a string of mini-peaks – more awkward than anything. 

Finally, this is book one in the Crescent City series. I don’t know how many books are going to be in this series, which I assume will focus on the evil Empire. The Empire is evil and change is never easy. But while I liked this book, I worry that this series will become bloated and melodramatic. Is there really more to be done with Bryce and Hunt? Or will Maas take a different approach and follow other related characters. I think the latter holds more hope for a good sequel, but the last teasing scene in the book left me hesitant about the future of Crescent City. 

So, in summary. I loved the world being developed. The story was interesting with strong characters and high emotional impact. This is an adult book that is long. Worth reading. 4.5/5 stars.