Y’all, I freaking did it. I did the damn thing, if I must say. And I am SO proud of myself for getting myself here.

What am I talking about?

I finished Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood (Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas, the first book in the Crescent City series.

I thought I wasn’t going to finish this book. I started it in November (?) 2022, maybe even a month earlier than that, and constantly put it down to read lighter romance novels. But with the news of the third book in CC series coming out in January 2024, I knew I had to finish at least one of those books. And let me just tell you, Sarah J. Maas needs to get to the point.

Synopsis:

Sarah J. Maas's bestselling Crescent City series begins with House of Earth and Blood, which follows the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her 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. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.

My Review:

This book does not need to be 799 pages. One can easily sneak at least 100 pages (if not 150) out of this book and I’m pretty sure no one would notice. The book hooked me until page 350. Actually—I was very much enjoying it up until that page (not the specific page, but in that ballpark) and it was on track to being a five star read (much like ACOMAF). However, the pages 350-600 is where I, along with most SJM fans according to bookstagram and Goodreads), found myself slipping from understanding the plot. I felt like SJM kept throwing us different plot points and characters to remember, and also houses and courts to add to the CC universe.

I loved Bryce’s character. I think SJM does a fantastic job of writing strong female main characters—I only know of Bryce and Feyre as I have not read the TOG series but will quickly do so. Bryce was a character I found myself rooting for until the very end, and in the very end, found myself cheering her on and crying when she was crying.

I very much wanted Hunt to be just like Rhysand, but with SJM, the two characters needed to be different. I definitely think Bryce and Hunt are fated mates, and they’re endgame to me, but Feyre and Rhys will always be the best couple in the SJM universe.

Overall, I liked it. I think the general story and plot was intriguing and it led up to the one point that decided everyone’s fate, however, I do think the plot structure could be edited. I did not need to read about several visits to this one place or several of the same conversations repeated and coming to the same conclusions. That all being said, I probably wouldn’t change a thing?

I want to throw this book across the room, but I also low key want to go out and buy the second book and cherish these characters. Honestly, I think that’s what you get with a SJM book.

Rating: 4/5

Shop on Bookshop.org.