As promised, here is my somewhat late but still relevant review of Sarah J. Mass’ first adult novel, House of Earth and Blood (Book #1 of ‘Crescent City’). I intended to write this and have it posted long before the publication date since I was gifted with an ARC, but I think it’s taken me this long because I’ve been trying to dissect my feelings regarding the book. I guess it won’t be what many people are expecting, and maybe it’ll be exactly what some are expecting, but that is the beauty of a predominantly YA author branching out to the adult genre (as recently seen with Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House). But maybe you haven’t yet decided to read this novel, regardless of whether or not you’re already a Maas fan, so here is a little synopsis that might reveal more than just the cover slip.
The story follows Bryce Quinlan, an oddities antique dealer by day and wild partier by night. Her close knit group of friends indulge in the finest things their town has to offer, but after one evening of excessive drinking and drug use, Bryce’s life comes to a chilling pause when the people she loves are brutally murdered by an unknown demon. The only evidence left to go by are the last texts and voice messages exchanged between the friends, leaving Bryce ashamed and isolated. When the investigation takes a drastic turn, Bryce slowly emerges from her catatonic state to seek revenge and get answers.
Enslaved to the Archangels he once tried to overthrow, fallen angel Hunt Athalar is assigned to aid in the investigation with Bryce, while also keeping tabs on her and reporting back to his masters. In return, Hunt will be granted early freedom from his enslavement. As they dig deeper, awful secrets are revealed that threaten to harm everyone they care for, including the unacknowledged feelings Hunt and Bryce begin to develop for one another. With every newfound clue that is unfurled, the paranoia grows as the investigation becomes more and more unbearable with the tragic reality just slightly out of reach for fear of betrayal and denial. The ending will leaved you more shocked than the beginning slaughter scenes.
While I truly enjoyed this book, I also think it’s very important to note that there should be a trigger warning for mentions of drug abuse and suicide. These are not uncommon to the plot, and are often brought up frequently, so everyone please tread carefully! Frankly, a lot of people might suspect that Maas will use this chance to further develop the explicit sexual scenes she often writes (and that I very much enjoy), but I found that the sex scenes were few and far between in comparison to the mentions of drugs and self harm. That, to me, is likely why this is rated as an adult novel, not necessarily due to the romance.
I have mixed feelings about this story because I was prepared to be blown away, and it fell a bit short for me. There were aspects that I really wanted to know more about, and characters who I was very drawn to (like Aidas, the Prince of the Chasm), but they were only prominent on a few pages in this very large book. And because this book is quite large, I though that perhaps there would be many smaller plots within the grand scheme of events, but unfortunately it was the same plot drawn out over many chapters without much action ever happening. I suppose it was set up that way for suspense, but I found myself getting bored here and there, which has never happened to me before with a Maas book.
Another thing I noticed and still don’t know how I feel about is the fact that many of these characters greatly resemble other Maas characters from her prior stories. I could draw so many parallels between the books, but this one read a bit too close for comfort. On one hand, I love the characters in her other stories, but I also wasn’t prepared to read about them years into the future out of context. The story, while unique in plot, bore very similar settings and characteristics to the author’s other works, so much so that it almost came off paradoxical.
I suppose that sounds cynical on my part, especially because I still enjoyed this story. I guess what I’m really saying is that while I liked it, it definitely didn’t rise to the occasion as I had hoped it might. There is mention of an Autumn King throughout, and I won’t say more for fear of spoilers, but I’m greatly intrigued by him and what his affiliation with Bryce might lead to in the second book. Other than that, the writing style is very much the same from other Maas books, and this one certainly begins with a hook. However, you might just have to push through in the initial half of the book to get to the more tantalizing stuff in the later half.
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads Review Link.
Anthology of V. 