House of Earth and Blood

Book

Title: House of Earth and Blood

Series: Crescent City

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: Paperback

Information

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Tropes: Grumpy x Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn Romance, & Found Family

Chapters: 97 + Epilogue

Pages: 799

Start Date: 06/29/2026

Finish Date/DNF: 09/06/2026

Reading Time: 17 hours & 30 minutes

Ratings

Overall: 3/5

Spice: 1/5

Plot: 4/5

Banter: 4/5

Thrill: 3/5

Characters: 5/5

World-Building: 5/5

Ending: 4/5

Favorites

Favorite Character(s): Bryce, Hunt & Danika

Favorite Quote(s): N/A

Favorite Scene(s): N/A

Notes

Similar to ACOTAR, the first of the series is a hard pill to swallow. For me, it took forever to finish because the claws did not sink in until well into the 3rd quarter. The characters and world-building are absolutely detailed, just as it was in the ACOTAR series. Definitely a major slow burn with only one truly spicy scene.

The ending does not end on much of a cliffhanger, if one could even say it ended on one at all, but my interest is truly piqued as to what else the Crescent City series has to offer. Despite the difficult first book, I believe it will be a similar ride to ACOTAR. That the rest of the series is worth the struggle.