House of Earth & Blood (Crescent City #1)
Summary:
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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
This book blew my mind. And while I knew the book was targeted for adults, I will warn there is a proper shift change from the Maas’ other books. In my mind that is not a bad thing, but includes an increase in sexual references. I’m not going to lie; the premise of the book is devastating and you’re sucked right in. Then from there on out, you’re in for an adventure of redemption, exploration, and constantly guessing what’s true and what is not.
There are some ridiculous twists in the book that I was not expecting in the most amazing way possible. I think what I really enjoyed about the book was that many of the tropes that would be easy to fall into are avoided whether referring to angels and demons, love, or how the magic works. Hunt is a great counterpart to Bryce’s sass and seeing them develop is a fantastic unfolding. I have to admit, in some ways some of the side characters were even more endearing to me than the main characters, which was tough in the end. I genuinely cannot wait to see where the series is going to go and I have already spent quite a bit of time hypothesizing with another friend who finished on the same timeline. Gahh!!! Write quickly Sarah!
Warning: Contains explicit violence and sexual content.
Rating: 5 stars!
Who should read it? Any urban fantasy fan and certainly anyone who has loved one of Maas’ books.
Want to read the whole series?
Untitled (Crescent City #2)