Review 'House of Earth and Blood' by Sarah. J. Maas

Sarah has done it again and damn what a wild ride that was. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I shook. I might have thrown the book.

If you know me, then you know that Maas is one of my favorite authors. So why did it take me so long to pick up this book?

First of all, I let myself be influenced by what other people said about Crescent City, especially the beginning. I was told that there was a lot of information thrown at you and that it wasn't easy to understand it all. Knowing that, along with the quarantine and my deteriorating mental health, I feared my mind wasn't awake enough to handle all the information and understand it. I feared it would somehow make me love the book less and I did not want that to happen.

Second, I heard about the inclusion of modern technology like phones, etc. and I admit I was hesitant whether I would enjoy that modern aspect.

Essentially, part of me was scared that I would not love this book as much as I love her Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Turns out I had nothing to fear because I loved this book from beginning to end.

As a 23-year old, I still thoroughly enjoy YA literature. But there is something satisfying about reading an adult fantasy book about characters around your age. It's that next level of relatability that I sometimes miss in YA books, which is why I instantly fell in love with the characters and felt like I was part of their friend group.

The main characters might be considered adults according to their age, but that did not stop a single one from acting like a child. And that might have been my favorite part of the whole book because if that isn't a whole mood, then I don't know what is.

Bryce instantly became my spirit animal. I loved her outgoing character and her inner strength. She doesn't care about what other people think of her and does whatever she likes, regardless of others' opinions. I can only strive to create a strong inner goddess as she has.

I loved Danika instantly. She's the best friend everyone needs in their life. I enjoyed reading every detail about her and Bryce's friendship and how deeply it was rooted. I am not ashamed to admit that I bawled my eyes out during all those emotional scenes throughout the book, and that part of me still hoped she might miraculously come back. But alas, it wouldn't be Maas angst if she did.

Ruhn holds my entire heart. He's a soft cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all costs and I will fight anyone who dares to harm him.

Hunt's backstory really had me by the throat. I tried not to imagine the details of his suffering he's had to endure because that's a rabbit hole I do not want to get stuck in. Initially, I was hesitant to ship him with Bryce because past Maas experiences have taught me never to get too attached to the first real ship. But they were just too adorable I couldn't resist and I am now fully on board. I loved their silly banter and how they slowly opened up to each other and built that bridge of trust.

Though Aidas didn't appear in too many scenes I instantly loved his character! There is a lot of mystery around him that I cannot wait to explore in the next books because I am positive he's going to do some epic things.

I can't talk about Lehabah without tearing up. I love her so much, and her sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Tharion is like the surf babe best friend every girl needs! He's laid-back and flirty and a perfect combination of fuck-me hot and sweet gentleman.

Also, did anyone else want to throttle the whole pack of wolves for treating Bryce like that? Probably not just me, but damn my hand was itching to smack some petty bitches.

The world was fascinating. As mentioned above, I was hesitant about the modern technology inserted in a fantasy world but ended up loving it! Especially the phones (because of all those cute as hell pictures), and the cameras (because weren't they just the best thing during those last 200 pages) The city itself occasionally gave me some sci-fi vibes, especially when the other planets were mentioned. I hope we'll get to see more outside the walls of Crescent City in the sequels. And hopefully, we'll get more maps too so that I can visually see where all those other places are located.

Let's talk plot! Did anyone else get major mystery/Cluedo vibes, or was that just me? I tried so hard to figure out who was behind the murders and every time I thought I had it, Sarah did a 180 by inserting a crazy plot twist and I was back to square one. But looking back on it, I wouldn't have figured it out in any way because nothing prepared me for the real deal. To say that I was shooketh is an understatement.

I'm not going to lie, I loved Micah in the first half of the book. He really had me with his mysterious air around him, and I found myself secretly hoping he was a good guy disguised as a bad guy. Boy, was I wrong. Trust me, I got plenty laughed at by my friends when I told them I shipped Micah with Bryce at some point. I feel I will never be able to live this down. But he turned out to be a slick and great villain, and I was sad to see him go. But damn if that vacuum scene wasn't iconic.

And then that ending. I was warned about it. But still, I was not prepared for THAT!! I'm pretty sure I was chanting holy shit at some point during those last 200 pages. Even now, my mind is still processing everything that went down. There are few books out there who succeeded in giving an extended, drawn-out, intense ending like that without it getting boring in between. But Queen Maas succeeded.

House of Blood and Earth was the perfect blend of excellent character development, dazzling romance, and heart-stopping action. I can't recommend this book enough, as well as all of Maas's other works.

I honestly can't think of a single thing I disliked about this book. Unless you count the long wait for the sequel because that is going to KILL me!!