House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1), Sarah J Maas, ISBN: 9781526610126
IF you want nothing more than to lose yourself in more than 800 pages of pure wonder – then look no further than the first tantalising book in the Crescent City universe, House of Earth and Blood. Bryce Quinlan, a known party animal, is content with her mundane existence until her world is turned on its axis after a drug-fuelled, raucous night out. She returns home to find her closest friends slaughtered. This sets in motion a few of the intricate sub plots as well as the larger arching theme that will throw you the hardest curveball before the end.
The author subtly introduces the topic of mental illness through her deep and intricate cast, helping to shed light on what many people today truly face on a daily basis. The book deals with grief, anxiety, depression and loss. It also embraces the topic of love in all of its forms, from friendship, family and pets to partners.
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Maas does not shy away from information dumps in the opening chapters as she builds a detailed world around a plethora of colourful characters. While this introduction is quite overwhelming to new and old readers, it is definitely worth pushing through.
The first action scene, which isn’t too far in, will make your jaw drop. These scenes are dotted throughout the book and only increase in their appearance as the final chapters loom.
If there was something I wish could be dropped from the book, and make it more accessible to a larger audience, it would have to be the detailed sex scenes. Aside from a larger final word count, they add little else to the storyline.
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