Book Review: House of Earth & Blood, Crescent City Series Book #1

House of Earth and Blood is the first book in the adult fantasy series by  New York Times bestselling author Sarah J.Maas. 

 

Synopsis

Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savoring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, a personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir…

My Review

The first few hundred pages were a complete info dump. full of world-building which was confusing and irritating for me at the same time. Sarah J Mass is a best seller author who I assume knows that too much info can let down a reader. I almost gave up reading it, as it was hard to remember each and every detail, I also skipped few pages as well….

However, it is Sarah J Mass who is the Queen of Fantasy Writing, and just as I finished the first half of the book the second half knocked my socks off.

WOW…..BRILLIANT….. *Tears*

There was romance and Friendship and Darkness and Evil and the whole save the world adventure. 

So if you can just bear the first half then the second half will be worth it.

Favorite Quotes

• “Through love, all is possible.” 
• “Remember that you will die, and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer.”
• “Memento Mori. Remember that you will die.”

Favorite Character

I have to say “Lehabah- the Fire Sprite”. I would give anything to have her as my friend.

Interesting Points

• I absolutely think that Hunt is not gonna be the real love interest of Bryce, but let’s wait and see.
• I really didn’t like the whole idea of every magical being living in the same city. It is just not logical, even for a Fantasy Book. Vampires carve human blood no matter what you do a human and a vampire cannot live together without a massacre every now and then.
• The blend of technology and magic is a bit confusing, just as the fashion of the Crescent City.
• And what is up with this whole trash talk. Even if Bryce is a party girl there is no way a single human being (even a half-fae) can talk like that. So the whole trach talk was a bit extra for me
• I seriously think that Hunt’s father is some kind of a Lord or Prince of Hell

 

Madeline Dyer Author of The Untamed Series

Today I have an amazing News, Madeline Dyer, who is a YA Dystopian Author, released her Final Book “Destroyed” of “The Untamed” Series a few days ago, agreed to give me a small interview. I am a Big Fan of her books, and I just couldn’t wait to see where will Seven Sarr’s fate take her.

Madeline Dyer’s Interview

Me: Who or What inspired you to start the Untamed series?

Madeline: The idea for the Untamed series first came to me when I saw the music video for “La La La” by Naughty Boy and Sam Smith. It was the scene where what appears to be a human heart is being sold at a market, and it just got me wondering about what a heart could represent—which emotions—and what would happen if they too could be bought at a market, just like one buys food and clothing. And, thus, the idea for the augmenters, the central point of conflict in the series, was born.

Me: When was the first time you realised that you wanna be a writer?

Madeline: I actually don’t know! I’ve just always wanted to be a writer, and I’ve always been a writer. I was constantly writing stories when I was really little—I used to get in trouble at primary school for this, as I’d be writing my own adventures, often involving fairies or wild ponies, when I should’ve been paying attention to maths or geography.

My first short story was published when I was sixteen, and I signed my first book contract when I was nineteen.

Me: Are there any similarities between you and Seven Sarr?

Madeline: Yes! We’re both shy (or rather, Seven is at the beginning of the series!), and I really loved running and cross-country, just like she does.

Me:Who do you think is perfect to play Seven and Corin?(In a Movie or TV Show)

Madeline: I actually can’t decide! I’ve got such a set idea for what Seven and Corin both look like, and how they behave, that trying to find someone else who looks similar enough to how I see them seems odd and very difficult!

Me: In a world full of Enhanced and Untamed, what will you choose to be?

Madeline: Definitely Untamed. I’d rather keep my humanity and know what it means to have truly natural, organic emotions, than fill myself with addictive, artificial, positive emotions where someone else would essentially be choosing what I feel.

Me: When you are writing your book, are you a messy writer or a completely-organized type of writer?

Madeline: I’d say somewhere in between. I follow a loose plan when drafting, but I don’t plan excessively, and I like to have some freedom so I can explore what I want to—or what the characters want me too. But I never want to veer too far away from my outline as it’s important the structure is right.

Me: Was it hard to say goodbye to your characters?

Madeline: It really was! I think that’s why I found Destroyed (book four in the Untamed series) so difficult to write! I’ve been writing these characters for the last five years, since 2013, so they’ve been with me for a long time.

………

……….Lighting Round……….

Cat or a dog?

Cat

Favorite song?

Such a hard one! Ah, I don’t know! (I panic when I’m put on the spot!)
If you ever have to take any augmenter, which one will it be?

Calmness, if I absolutely had to.

Pet peeve?

When I lend a book to someone and they return it with the spine creased.
One place in the world that you really wanna visit? Iceland.

Thank you so much Madeline ,for giving me time.

There is a Giveaway html code for a complete Untamed series ebook set, if you want to win you must follow it
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Author bio:
Madeline Dyer lives on a farm in the southwest of England, where she hangs out with her Shetland ponies and writes young adult books—sometimes, at the same time. She holds a BA Honors degree in English from the University of Exeter, and several presses have published her fiction. Madeline has a strong love for anything dystopian, ghostly, or paranormal, and she can frequently be found exploring wild places. At least one notebook is known to follow her wherever she goes.

Links to some of her books:

Untamed Series

Untamed Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

Fragmented Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

Divided Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

Destroyed Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

Untamed Standalone Novels

A Dangerous Game Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

She is currently having her Blog Tour do follow her interviews on various other blogs as well.

In Love

“”Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.””

I wanna Go to Terrasen

I prefer Stories that make you forget about the Reality. People often assume that Fairytales are just for kids. However, when you witness the hard brutality of this world,you just wish to be absorbed into a world full of magic. That is what Sarah J Mass has done with her Throne of Glass series.

I absolutely loved reading the Kingdom of Ash. I loved the character Aeidon, he inspired me to hope even when you won’t have any. Aelin on the other hand showed me how one can be so selfless in this world full of selfish people. Yerne, taught me that life will always give you one chance,now it’s your responsibility to use it wisely. Lysandra showed me ,no matter how many mistakes you make, if you will for a better life,you can have it. It was Chaol who showed how you can fulfill the promise of true friendship. Dorian showed me how to slay your inner insecurities. I will always remember Mannon and how she faced the truth, no matter how hard it might be and got the happy ending. If you love someone you follow them to whatever End ,that is what Rowan taught us.

I am going to miss this so much.