House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) in On The Same Page

Apr 13, 2024 Cassidy rated it it was amazing

“That’s the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious.”

What a rollercoaster this book was! (I’m an adrenaline junkie, I loved it). I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous to start this series because I knew it wasn’t going to be like ACOTAR or TOG, but I really ended up loving it! In my mind the fantasy genre screams “medieval” to me so I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the modern aspects. Ah “That’s the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious.”

What a rollercoaster this book was! (I’m an adrenaline junkie, I loved it). I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous to start this series because I knew it wasn’t going to be like ACOTAR or TOG, but I really ended up loving it! In my mind the fantasy genre screams “medieval” to me so I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the modern aspects. Ahem. Drugs. Guns. Cell phones. But it worked surprisingly well! No need to fear. Just goes to show what an amazing storyteller SJM is. (I also don’t care that her stories and characters have similar structure…. I like it, it works for me no matter how many times I read it).

Crescent City is really a true crime/murder mystery/thriller meets magic and fantasy. And what a great combo it is. It was very easy for me to visualize the city and setting (I imagine it being kind of like Rome, lol). I felt completely immersed into the story from start to finish. The first chapter was a lot of info dump, but after that I found it fairly easy to follow. There’s a lot of phrases that get repeated (I’ve read a lot of SJM books so I know this is pretty typical at this point, but can we please come up with a bit more variety?).

I loved the characters! Bryce is sassy and sexy and selfless like you would not believe. Hunt is broody and rough around the edges, but a big softie deep down. The tension is so good. Danika and the wolves stole my heart from the very beginning. Ruhn Danaan…. Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae… nuff said; can’t wait to see more of his character in the future books. Lehabah and Syrinx. 🥹

“Bryce was a ghost for a long time, Hunt. She pretended she wasn’t, but she was…. You brought her back to life.”

I had a great time with this and excited to see where the series goes!

Tropes:
• enemies to friends to lovers
• found family

Content warnings: torture, violence, classism, slavery, gun violence, injury/injury detail, drug use/abuse, alcohol use/abuse, sexual content ...more

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Dec 15, 2023 Preslee Lynn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romantasy, fiction

I read this after reading Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series, and I was so surprised at how different the voice was! Crescent City is a totally different vibe than ACOTAR, and the ability to shift voice like that is amazing. I loved this series better than ACOTAR due to the modernization of it. Super excited for the third book coming out!! ...more

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Jan 05, 2024 . . rated it liked it

"House of Earth and Blood" by Sarah J. Maas is a captivating urban fantasy that intertwines magic, mystery, and romance into a spellbinding narrative. As the first book in the Crescent City series, it sets the stage for a richly detailed world filled with intriguing characters and intricate plotlines.

Bryce Quinlan, the protagonist, is a strong FMC whose journey through grief, revenge, and self-discovery is both heart-wrenching and empowering. The world-building is exquisite, blending modern-day ...more

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Jan 17, 2024 Mel Clay rated it it was amazing

WHY IS THIS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST TIME?! A reread in prep for HOFAS and it hit me even harder this time. The easter eggs that were planted and I never realised! Literally insane!

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