Book: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (reread)
Read From: 29th January - 5th February 2022
Rating: 5/5 stars
Summary: When a demon murders Bryce Quinlan’s closest friends, she is left 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 alongside Hunt Athalar, enslaved Fallen angel, where she is determined to avenge their deaths. As Bryce and Hunt dig deeper into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear.
I absolutely adored this book the first time around but I definitely loved and appreciated it a lot more on a reread. It made the heavy worldbuilding in the first 200 pages seem a lot less dense and there were so many little details I’d either overlooked during the first reading or had completely forgotten about that made this experience a lot greater. And then there were the last 150 pages... I knew what was coming and I prepared myself as much as I could but SOMEHOW despite that, I managed to sob even more than the first time I read it.
This book is the fantasy lovers dream - there are so many different creatures and fantastical elements piled into this urban setting and instead of being overwhelming, it was incredibly interesting. There is everything ranging from Fae, vampires, werewolves, Mer, witches, angels, wraiths, sprites, demons, sorcerers... if you’ve seen anything in a fantasy book it will likely be in this book (or mentioned, at the very least).
Within this assortment of magical beings is a huge cast of characters that ranges across the board - each and every one of them loveable in their own way. Of course it’s hard not to love Bryce and Hunt (especially as both of them begin to come out of their shell) but even the minor/side characters play a huge role and are incredibly well developed. Aside from the obvious (Danika and Ruhn), I’m genuinely struggling to pick a favourite because they all had so many amazing qualities.
The plot is relatively slow-moving but it definitely doesn’t seem that way because there is always something going on. Whilst it does explode in the last 150/200 pages (you will actually find yourself reading this in a single sitting), there was not one point I felt bored over the course of all 800 pages. The side-plots managed to link together extremely well and whilst I’m super excited for the sequel (I will be reading it as soon as it’s delivered on release day), I’m glad that pretty much everything was tied up and that there wasn’t a major cliff-hanger because that means the second book could go anywhere and I’m so ready.
I could not be more excited for the release of a sequel and I can already tell that this series is going to be incredible - especially if its future books are as good as House of Earth and Blood. Even if you’re not a huge fantasy reader, I would still recommend this all the same - just keep in mind that the initial 200 pages are the most intense part of the book (and all of that worldbuilding DOES pay off, I promise)! This is definitely a book I can see myself revisiting forever, both a blessing and a curse because I don’t think I’ll ever not be broken by it!