Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood

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Title: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City # 1)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hardcover, 816 pages

Published March 3rd 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Synopsis

Bound by blood.

Tempted by desire.

Unleashed by destiny.

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 #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

Source: Goodreads

"There are worse fates than death, you know."

House of Earth and Blood is the latest and a first Adult book by Sarah J. Maas. I'm such a big fan of ACOTAR and TOG series, so knowing a new book that comes from her is auto-buy for me. Personally, I find it difficult to differentiate an Adult and Young Adult books, what I'm only certain is the age difference. To be honest, the first 100 pages did not interest me. It filled me up with too many curse words that I don't find necessary at all. I was even close enough on putting it down and stop reading it. But thankfully, as I moved on with the pages it became engaging to me.

Crescent City invites readers to different Houses. Each 'house' represents Fae, Angel, Vampyr, Werewolf, Witches, and other creatures. The designation of them also sets them to their standing to Crescent City and how they should handle the law and order. The world-building and the houses are fascinating and a page-turner already.

One of the key things here is Bryce and Danika's friendship. The bond they shared on CCU together with Danika's wolf pack is a wonderful sight. They don't hold anything to each other. Every one of them shared what they have and help each other. Since Bryce is a half-fae and half-human, she was discriminated against by her Fae heritage, it was Danika who was her only friend who accepts her fully. So when Danika and her wolf pack was murdered, it crushed Bryce's world. The whole thing that kept her together ended in a bloody and gruesome murder. I felt Bryce's world shut down and at the same time her determination to seek justice and solve the murder.

"He was a stain against the brightness. A shadow standing against the sun."

Hunt Athalar's entrance to this book was quite a mystery. What I know at first is his rebellion which resulted in him being a slave and became Shadow of Death. But as soon as I saw Bryce and Hunt's teamwork to solve every piece of the puzzle, I got to see a man who dreamed and fought for a world for equality and his undying love to the woman who undeniably believes in him. Knowing Hunt's side of his past was beautiful to read. Seeing Hunt and Bryce unfolds their true nature and feelings to each other was extraordinary.

"Let someone in, give them the power to hurt you, and they'd do exactly that, in the end."

The plot was incredibly unpredictable. There were a lot of points that made this book exceptional. It's not just because of solving the murder, it was seeing how these characters were able to discover the things that they've been hiding all along was also an integral part to destroy and save the world altogether. House of Earth and Blood is one hell of a ride! I was pulled in to this exciting world, interesting characters and the friendship and love that marked this book is breathtaking.