"The scent of her still lingered on the sidewalk, lilac and nutmeg and something he couldn’t quite place — like the gleam of the first stars at nightfall."
Let me
preface this review by stating that Sarah J. Maas'
House of Earth and Blood almost ended up in my
DNF pile. I literally
struggled for the first
200 pages or so, disliking the characters and feeling overall
underwhelmed; and then everything started to fall into place and I
could not put it downo , so pleasepleaseplease let this be a sign to you to
keep on. Maas' first books focus a lot on
world-building in the beginning, but the payoff is
incredible - and so worth sticking around.
Just saying.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life. Sure, as a
half-Fae half-human she wasn't
always accepted by either species, not to mention the fact that her
powerful Fae father has never wanted
anything to do with her; but there were some who thought the world of her - specifically, her BFF
Danika. Danika...the
yin to Bryce's yang - two
party girls navigating the world of
hook-ups and screw-ups. The singular oddity being Danika's role as
leader of the pack - and we're not talking about the
Regina George type of leader; rather, we're talking
full-fledged werewolf pack leader. And yes, you read that right.
On a night when Bryce decides to
ditch her bestie for an evening of
drugs, drinking, and overall debauchery, however, indescribable tragedy occurs in the form of a
demon who savagely murders all of the people Bryce cares most about, leaving her alone - a
mere shell of herself. The accused being behind bars is a
small consolation to her loss; but two years later, when the murders begin again, Bryce is back in the spotlight. This time, acting as the literal heartbeat of the investigation - and at the end of the day,
she will do anything to avenge the deaths of her friends. That includes working side by side with an
intolerable Fallen Angel.
Hunt Athalar, the
Fallen Angel in question, is notorious for his
prior bad behavior. Currently serving a slavery sentence to the very Archangels he once attempted to overthrow, Hunt is known for his strength and brutality {thus the reason he was so good at his job as assassin}. Now, Hunt is willing to say yes to
any job that will shorten his slavery punishment - and if that means working side by side with Bryce to find the murderer, so be it. But as the two begin digging deep into the gritty underbelly of
Crescent City, it soon becomes clear that a
dark power is at work, placing
everyone they love in grave danger. And surprisingly enough, one of the things they love most is none other than...
each other. Whether they'll be able to save Crescent City and its residents forever as they know it to see if the spark between them can survive, however, depends on how much they're both willing to risk.
Y'all, when I say that I didn't like
Bryce at the beginning of this book,
I am not lying. I found her to be immature and obnoxious; but seeing her growth from beginning to end was
insane. I'm not sure if it was
Hunt's presence in her life, or simply going through everything she went through, that changed her; but,
in the end, I loved her, and I loved Hunt, and I loved Bryce and Hunt together, and I loved the fact that they essentially became the
Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson of the supernatural world. Their personalities just
vibed in all of the best ways, and I could not resist their chemistry. And then when you toss in the bad Fae Prince that is
Ruhn Danaan? NGL...
literally dying.
This right here is what
incredible urban romantasy looks like. It doesn't matter if you weren't a fan of
A Court of Thorns and Roses or
Throne of Glass...you absolutely
must try
Crescent City on for size because
it. is. amazing. I literally cannot wait to spiral into
House of Sky and Breath, because if it is
anything like its predecessor, you know it is a literal
chef's kiss. Thank you for this gem, Ms. Maas!
Star Rating: *****
xx