House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)

Author: Sarah J Maas
Pages: 803
Overall: 4.8/5
Setting: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 4.5/5
Cheers Factor: 5/5
Pairing: Light it Up

This drink will make you want to light it up both on the dance floor, in the club and then light it up alone so you can cry when you read this book. That’s not even me spoiling it because my friend who NEVER cries while reading sobbed at the end of this book and I sobbed when I read it and then when I listened to the audio book a week later.

"Danika had died, and she was alone, and Bryce couldn't breath."

Ingredients
-2 oz tequila
-3-4 cubes of watermelon
-½ oz watermelon cranberry juice 
-1 oz lime juice
-prosecco
-lime slices
-ice

Instructions
-Put watermelon and watermelon cranberry juice in a blender and blend thoroughly
-Strain into stirring glass and add tequila and lemon juice and ice
-Prepare wine glass with ice and garnish with optional lime slices
-Stir thoroughly and strain into wine glass
-Top with prosecco
-Enjoy responsibly


"Her goal was to protect you. Always. Even from yourself."

---

Take a shot: Bryce Quinlan despite being half human half fae has the perfect life full of working hard and partying harder. Well had a perfect life until a demon murdered her closest friends and she was left to pick up the pieces two years later when it seems the demon may be killing again. In true Sarah J Maas style we get to see Bryce try to put the pieces together with more than one pieces of arm candy winged and not.


"Let someone in, give them the power to hurt you, and they do exactly that, in the end."


Setting
I love the way that Crescent City really feels like the real world. I love the old buildings with the new feel. I like the inclusion of modern technology like “electricity” the internet, cell phones and everything in between. It makes this novel a really interesting one she has written given her settings are normally far less real world and find themselves wholly rooted in fantasy, but truly I loved the new vibe.

Characters
GODS SPARE ME HUNT ATHALAR. Now I know it’s an SJM book so I’m trying to not get too attached to Hunt Athalar, but I think he has to be end game. Sarah otherwise would seem a bit cliche given her previous two series and the main love interest switches that happen so often. But seriously I think if a winged angel sat by me on the couch with a backward hat and wanted to watch football/soccer (sunball is never explained but I’m leaning toward the former), I think I would fizzle into a puddle. I also love the adult language. This book feels very mature and it’s meant to be that way and I appreciate it given I can’t tell you how much I wanted Aelin to be able to curse in ToG. Now we get Bryce and Hunt who get to do it with reckless abandon and it feels very comparable to ACOSF with the character maturity which is great.

Plots and Themes
This is the only part I had a slight gripe about. The beginning is very interesting. The ending is incredible and I will not lie I UGLY cried. But the middle, while good, just felt a little long at points. Like I loved the sexual tension build up and the true relationship building between our love interests. It was actually one of my favorite parts of the book, but this circumstance to me felt like the plot warranted a more phsyical relationship than we got given the nature of how the relationship develops and we did not get that sadly.

Overall
I’ve read this book then subsequently bought the audio book to listen to it the week after. I cried at the same points, was anxious and nervous at the same points and that’s a sign. I truly think this is one of my favorite books by Maas and cannot wait for the rest of the series to unfold. I think she’s so talented and love the way that she reveals new information that it truly feels like a shock to the reader. I am forever in awe of the entirety of this woman’s work and this book was no exception. I even like the slow burn even though I like a good sexy time moment I found myself respecting it the more I think about it.

Too Strong - The book is a little long at some parts and feels a little like it should move on, but it’s not that deterring.
Reasons to Raise a Glass - HUNT. FUCKING. ATHALAR. He’s the new loml for book boyfriends and I now want a man obsessed with sunball to wear a backwards hat on my couch, Murder mystery, loss and death with purpose, great depression and PTSD traits and characteristics present with characters ina  respectful, meaningful and realistic way


"Momento Mori. Remember that you will die."


Warning spoilers ahead if you read more. Proceed at your own risk.

"Kindly fly the fuck off."


I BAWLED like a little bitch boy while reading this book and subsequently listening to the audio book. I’m actually in love with this series and am glad I waited to read it until book two came out. I would have been upset had I read it back in 2020 when I bought it around it’s release. 
Danika’s death right up front was a real sucker punch because I honestly didn’t see it coming. I did not read what this book was about from like a dust jacket or anything and I’m glad I didn’t. However, the deaths all felt so meaningful. Lehabah’s death really killed me though I was really sad about it. Like heartbroken sad over it. Uncontrollably sobbing over it. However, I haven’t felt that for a book in a really long time so I’m grateful to have had that happen again. 
I also just have to give Sarah credit for all her characters she introduces. Like I loved Ruhn, Lehabah, Hunt, Isaiah, Flynn, Declan, Danika, Connor, Fury, Juniper and even the nastier ones like Micah. Sarah has a real way of writing ensemble casts into her novels and it’s incredible to read. It is making me feel very ToG vibes with the cast of characters we have been introduced to and I feel they are all going to have their journey’s separately throughout the series as they have been introduced from the get go and this series is written in the same perspective as ToG.


"Only that friendly voice on the other end of the line kept Bryce from walking right off the roof."