House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I decided not to put the synopsis of this book with this review because I feel like it gives too much away and spoils so points in the book. 

First of all, can we all just look at the eye candy that is this book cover?! This has got to be hands down my favorite cover of all time! 

I don't think that anyone should be surprised by my rating and review of House of Earth and Blood because I LOVE Sarah J. Maas! She has got to be one of my all time favorite authors! I understand that she is not for everyone and that she gets a lot of hate but I'm not ashamed to say that I love her books. I went into this book expecting to love it and I did. There was a moment where I doubted this mainly due to the main character. 

So, let's dive into the main character, Bryce, first. I hated her in the beginning of the book. I thought that she seemed obnoxious, self absorbed, and a party girl. I couldn't relate to her at all. I was praying that she would become tolerable as the book progressed because I couldn't understand what Maas was doing. Thankfully, she grows tremendously as the story unfolds and becomes more likable though at times she is still a jerk. I loved the rest of the characters. They were interesting and Maas was able to represent many different groups of creatures including angels, shape-shifters, humans, merfolk, and faeries. I loved having the variety!

I noticed that a lot of people said that the book was extremely slow and that nothing happened until the last 200 pages. While that may be somewhat true, there is a lot that happens during the whole story up until that point. We get to know the characters and the tension builds regarding the mystery of who is committing the murders. While there were parts that were slower paced, I still enjoyed the dialogue between the characters and getting to know the vast world that is Crescent City. I think that I would describe this book as fantasy thriller which may be why it is throwing some people for a loop. It's not the author's typical type of story with the exception of the romance element which you would find in all of Maas's books. I devoured the last 300 pages because that is when the crap hits the fan and the majority of the reveals happen but I loved the entire thing. I have no doubt that the next book in the series will be even better and I heard that Maas intends to include different parts of the world that she created. If you tend to love Sarah J. Maas books then I think you are in for a treat!