I can't believe the book is coming out tomorrow!!! The excerpt was amazing and I cannot wait to read the entire book. I have so many questions, and I need to know more about Bryce and everyone else!!

The beginning of the story establishes a number of strong female characters each with their own identical levels of sarcasm which is something Maas is very good at. I love the sarcasm and dry humour that Maas gives her characters because it makes me smile and laugh. Maas has continued to create and establish a strong presence of characters with individual identities. I love the incorporation of fantastical creatures too, we see a number of ones that are popular but also ones that haven't had much attention in recent years, which is really exciting. Maas continues to celebrate female sexuality and not shame women for enjoying sex. There is plenty of threat and danger within the first few chapters that will leave you wanting to find out the answers. Although this is an adult book there is a lot of swearing and because Maas has a large following from teen readers too and are likely to read this book it seems that perhaps the level of swearing may not be appropriate for younger readers. Also some adults don't like large amounts of swearing either and this may isolate a number of adult readers too. One other issue readers may have is the use of drugs, again this may be inappropriate for some younger readers, and for adults that don't endorse drug usage.

I’ve read the first 5 chapters, and I can’t wait for more! Only 2 days before the official release! Can't wait for my signed book!

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K. for making available an extract via NetGalley of ‘Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood’ by Sarah J. Mass in exchange for an honest review.

From publisher: “A blockbuster modern fantasy set in a divided world where one woman must uncover the truth to seek her revenge.“

Although I have been intending to read one of Sarah J. Maas’ novels for some time, this is the first one that I have read, even though obviously this was just a taster for her March 2020 doorstopper of a novel (816 pages). Yet I found that I wasn’t impressed for a number of reasons.

I certainly have enjoyed urban fantasy for years and here the opening listing of the various Houses suggested that this was going to be a bit of a mashup. Indeed, it quickly emerged that this was a rather clumsy mixture of modern technology with various mythological beings though both divorced from our actual world, something that rather contravenes its description of being ‘urban fantasy’.

There also seemed little rhyme or reason for drawing on such a wide variety of mythologies and then popping in angels and demons (referencing the Fall, an Abrahamic religious concept). Again, it just felt rather haphazard.

Also, right from the opening I felt as if I had just woken up in a strange room and was struggling to figure out where I was, who all these people were, and what on Earth they were going on about. It was a massive info dump rather than an organic introduction to this world. It was not only confusing but felt like both poor world-building as well as a lesson in how not to introduce a large cast of characters. I genuinely felt that I had come in mid-novel rather than the start.

I know the author is a big name, which can lead to editors tiptoeing around their feelings, but I read a lot of fiction across a range of genres and this just felt a very cluttered and weak opening.

In addition, it does seem that when some YA authors transition to adult fiction, the first thing they do is have their characters effing and blinding every chance they get along with risky behaviour in terms of substance abuse, casual sex, and the like. This I expect is meant to convey how edgy this novel is going to be though again it just wasn’t convincing me.

The cliffhanger fifth chapter did redeem it some in setting up the revenge plot, yet before I invest my time and money in this gigantic novel and the series, I will probably scan reviews of the full novel focusing on those that aren’t just praising every word Maas writes.

1.5 stars rounded up to 2.

The concept sounds very interesting, but I’m not sure that I was invested enough to keep on reading such a huge book (at the moment). Especially because we immediately get thrown in the deep with all the new names and information.. we’ll see!!! Maybe someday

I need more.
This has completely hooked my interest for the book. As always Sarah J Maas has enticed me in and will no doubt make me forget everything around me when the full book is released next week

I absolutely loved reading the extract from this book and can’t wait to read the full book when it’s out! The extract really caught my attention and I can’t wait for more

OMG I need the finished copy of this now! It was a bit slow starting, but if there is one thing Maas does well it is world building and I loved all that we learnt in the first few chapters.

I already had this pre-ordered and now I think I'm going to have to clear my TBR in anticipation of its arrival.

I. NEED. MORE!!
From the first chapter alone, I can already tell this series is going to be my new obsession. I can't wait to read the rest of the book when it comes out in March!!


Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for providing the extract in return for an honest review!

Thank you for the extract that I received in exchange for an honest review.
The first 5 chapters provide with an introduction to a world post the arrival of Vanir - werewolves, fae, angelus and many more, no longer is the world BC and AD but, HE and VE.
We meet Bryce, fae/human and get to know her a bit, her life, friends and a little of her past, and her close knit group of friends and some of the complications of their lives.
It all seems pretty tame until boom! The action seriously kicks in and the reader is really pulled in
“Bryce’s bedroom door was destroyed, the threshold painted in blood. The ballet posters hung in ribbons. And on the bed...”
From this point that’s it time stands still, I can’t do anything, but keep reading until the end of the extract, where I’m left hanging, waiting for the release of this book and desperate to see where Bryce’s story goes next!!!
Only 4 stars because I’ve been left and am desperate to get my hands on this book!
There will be an update to this review!!!

I've been looking forward to this one but honestly felt a little bit overwhelmed by it. There's a LOT of information thrown at you right from the start. That said, I'll be buying it anyway and am intrigued enough in the story to continue reading.

This one piqued my interest despite nearly putting me off with the quantity of information being hurled at me in the first couple of chapters. By the end of chapter 3 I’d ordered a copy from the library... but am definitely not hooked enough to buy a hardback myself! Interesting world building, and from previous books I’m sure this series will be successful.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC teaser sample.

I loved this extract! I am very fond of detailed world-building with lots of action & drama and this book has those elements going for itself from the beginning. Add a flavor of a little mystery & glamour and voila! there's my recipe for an amazing book. The introduction of characters and the set up for the story is interesting and after reading the last chapter of the extract, I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Overall, I felt that the first few chapters of this book captures the chaotic and mesmerizing world of crescent city quite beautifully. SUPER PUMPED!!

I wasn't sure what I'd make of this, and I found it to be slightly too bogged down with information and exposition through dialogue and notes much action as I'd prefer in the first few chapters.

The world is definitely very well detailed, but I found it slightly too detailed at the beginning.

This book will surely please her many fans, but I'm not sure it's for me.

So we can't judge a book with five chapters, but this beginning seems quite good. The universe, at least what we see of it, is very interesting and refreshing (I don't think I have read something like that already), we don't see enough of the characters to "judge" them, the main character was neither good or bad but some of the side characters are intriguing to me. The "bad" point (actually not really bad, but rather disturbing) is the huge amont of information, wich make the reading a bit difficult, so I hope that it get better further in the book.
So at the end of those few chapters I can't wait to see more of the universe and the characters, especially with the cliffhanger a the end !

Want to be excited because the cover is epic but honestly I'm still a bit bitter about the wait for ACOTAR #4. Feel like this should have been released after ACOTAR 4. I heard ACOTAR 4 is out in 2021. I don't know if I want to commit to a new series if a 3 year wait between installments is the new normal for SJM.

I'll probably read it eventually but there will be no waiting with bated breath, pre-ordering and rushing to meet the courier just so I can start reading it 10 mins earlier. Definitely think that the mick has been taken with ACOTAR #4, ACOFAS was published in May 2018 with a ACOTAR #4 teaser at the end, don't think its unreasonable for it to be published within a year or end of 2019 at the latest. I was a loyal SJM reader ever since TOG was published. I own both paperbacks and kindle editions of the whole ACOTAR trilogy so this being published before ACOTAR 4 really is salt in the wound.

And the other thing that's annoying me is lack of paperback. Sure they want to capitalise and maximise profits because SJM is popular but hardbacks are just inconvenient - they're more expensive, heavier and more inconvenient to lug about.
The hardback retails at £16.99 - can I justify over 2 hours earnings? Nope! Kindle book? £10.31!! The margins on that must be wild!!!
Not gonna lie, miss the days when publishers didn't bother with hardbacks except for the super popular authors...

Saying all that I did read an excerpt and it was good...just not good enough for me to overcome my bitterness and frustration (for now anyway)

The first chapter is a straight up, long ass info-dump. I actually put down the book for a day or two and had thought about DNFing the extract at just that. It comes off as an entire chapter full of only names, places, types of creatures, which pack they belong to, which house they belong in, and all this yadda yadda. It was boring, I didn’t care for it, and I didn’t really retain much of that information because there was way too much. As it spans out in the rest of the chapters, I did find figuring out the structures of all the creatures a little bit difficult and whether this is something that becomes easier to remember or if an info-graphic becomes released – I’d greatly appreciate it.

However, half way through the second chapter the book really starts to leave all that heavy listing of god knows what and we finally start getting somewhere. It was during this that I really started to finally become a little emerged within the story and began to enjoy it. We have this cool female main character, Bryce, who just seems like a total badass despite the fact most of the society looks down on her because she’s half Fae. Her best friend is leader of this killer wolf pack, she has another friend who is an assassin, and another who is a faun Ballerina.

Sarah J Maas has once again included her own made up ways of swearing, this time referencing “Hel”. (I would say take a drink everytime it’s mentioned, but your liver would be broke by the middle of the second chapter) And we also have incredibly hot guys, with one of my favourite moments when Bryce is in her kitchen and looks at her Hottest Bachelors of Crescent City: Clothing Optional Calendar.

And then that ending. I swear I need answers and I need them stat. For someone who halfway through the first chapter decided I wasn’t going to buy this book – I need it in my hands right now. As always, Maas decides to just rip your entire heart out and create scenes that will just tear you up. Oh, and I still haven’t forgiven her for those scenes (to name a few) with; Nehemiah, the end of Empire of Storms, Rhysand, the Suriel, The Thirteen. And now this.

Overall, I’m still utter trash for SJM and her works. I need to order this immediately, and I’ll be reading as soon as I can get my hands on it. I’m really interested to see where the rest of the book goes and how things develop. Whilst I’m not too keen on the urban fantasy aspect of it, I’ve still enjoyed what I read so far.

"Read one and you read them all."
Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read this extract in return for my honest opinion.

Firstly: I have to say I am not huge fan of Sarah J Maas, anymore. I read Throne of Glass series and I loved it at the beginning. By the time I was done with Kingdom of Ash I rolled my eyes on every second sentence. Maybe I overdosed on Sarah J Maas and that is why I decided not to read the Courts although I spoke about it a lot with fellow book readers.
Nevertheless, when I heard that she is working on the new series I was curious. I would not want to read the full book (because I expected not to like it) so this extract was perfect peek into the story without committing to the 816 pages. And I made a wise decision...

This book is classic Sarah J Maas. Lots and lots of irrelevant information is thrown at the reader without having any impact for the story. The characters repeat themselves, they just have different names. The main character of The House of Earth and Blood is... yes, you guessed right, half-fae. Her best friend has long white braid and is ruthless, brave commander of a unit of (not witches) what seems like shapeshifters. She also has long metallic nails (I have a Deja vu).

I personally also didn't like the way this book combines modern technology such as internet and motorbikes, cameras and phones with magic.... I am a type of a person who likes one or the other... (Electricity doesn't work at Hogwarts because there is too much magic in the air. Everyone knows that.)
Don't get me wrong, this could be great series if there weren’t two almost the same ones written by this author already or if it was cut down to 300 pages. Preferably without telling me what kind of nails the character has unless it is important for the future development of the story. And if it is... then we are back to "we already read this in the previous series".

I recommend this book to the true and loyal fans of Sarah J Mass or to those who have never read any other of her series yet.

A very lite easy read

Not a deep fantasy novel but a fun fantasy novel

The main characters are shallow And do let down some of the story.

the world building and so on are very good overall a fun easy read

I am so excited for this, though I'm still dealing with all the fucking swearing that's going on, that's taking some getting used to!