House of Earth and Blood Review

Summary:

Bryce Quinlan had a great life, then it was taken away from her and she was all alone. She is trying to drift through life and when she is asked to partner with a fallen angel to find a murderer in Crescent City.

My Thoughts:

This book was heavy and long, but it was worth every single minute of reading. Sarah J. Maas has done it again and in the best way possible. This first book in her new series is heartbreaking, beautiful, raw, powerful, and amazing.

It was a much different writing style from her other books and set in a very different setting and time period. There was some major cussing in this book setting a much more adult tone than her other books. Some might not like this, but I loved it. I cuss all the time and some cuss words are just necessary sometimes, especially in this book. It also involved lots of drugs and lots of drinking which gave it more of an adult vibe. Yes, I know, usually SJM’s writing is a little more mature for YA, but this book truly has taken her writing over the mature line. This book also was set in the present tense which is very different from her other two series and I really liked that aspect because it portrayed her amazing characters in a more relatable, but still magical setting.

I absolutely loved the book world, every magical creature you can possibly imagine was in this book world and I was so in! I also loved that they all were working together in their own way and I can’t wait to see more of the different aspects they bring in the next installment, which hopefully is soon.

I also LOVE all the characters. First of all, Bryce is everything that Aelin was, but with more cussing. She is just perfect and I love her. I loved finding out all her layers and going through all her struggles with her. We saw her at her best and we saw her at her worst and she is a badass through it all. I can’t even imagine what she went through and I cried every time she did. She is so selfless and she surprises you at every turn of the plot.

Hunt is delicious and brooding and sarcastic and aggressive and everything I want in a man. In the past, I have read about a lot of fallen angels and those stories always kind of fell a little flat for me, but I loved his story. It was a very unique spin on this common idea and I ended up really enjoying it. He also was such a great way for Bryce to come out of her shell and she in kind made him come out of his. I can’t wait to see them together in the sequel and see what happens next with them.

Love is the most prominent power of this book and it was beautiful. Love was portrayed in so many different ways in the book and I thought that was so special. Friendship was a huge area in the book mainly through the relationship between Bryce and Danika. I loved Danika so much and their bond reminded me of my friendship with my best friend. Their ride or die mentality was amazing and I was a sobbing mess whenever they interacted. I loved it.

Family was also a huge part of the book as well especially between Bryce and Ruhn. I just wanted to hug both of them whenever they fought and am so happy that they made their way back to each other. I also loved to see the family dynamic of Bryce’s stepfather versus her real father. Randall is a badass and amazing dad that really stepped up. I loved to see the bond between him and Bryce. Ugh so beautiful!

Overall, this book, yet different from her other series, was an amazing addition to SJM’s work and can’t wait for the next one!