Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp's Reviews > House of Earth and Blood

|| 4.5 stars ||

I love Hunt, but no one can convince me that this wasn’t actually a true love story about the friendship between Bryce and Danika. Those two loved each other so fiercely; their love could withstand anything and it was one in which each would sacrifice everything for the other. I can honestly say that a lot of the selfless, brave, and tragic things they did for each other genuinely brought tears to my eyes. They are the definition of ride or die, and thus, Danika’s own motto described them best:

Through love, all is possible.

For me, all of this book’s characters really came to life and I truly began to care for them. I could feel their grief, their longing, and their struggle but also their joy, bravery and perserverance (especially when it came to Bryce, of course). I became so invested in all of their feelings and in all of the complex relationships Bryce had with people; I could never, for a second, say that I got bored of it.
I mean, take her relationship with her brother, Ruhn, for example; it really had me in a chokehold from beginning to end and each interaction had me completely in its grip! I just loved all the different kinds of love that Bryce was developing and grieving and slowly understanding; familial, platonic, or romantic; old or new.

In all truth, though, I do understand why some people struggled with this book because of its immense length. Its pacing isn’t always the best and it even drags at times. Nonetheless, I was completely sucked into this murder-mystery story with all its twist and turns, this brutal yet also fantastical world, and, most of all, these complex but loveable characters. Thus, I can’t deny I was fully engaged from beginning to end.

And wow, what a truly fantastic beginning and end it was!! Both had me completely shocked and at the edge of my seat!
I mean, I did not see the course of the first part of this book coming at all, and so when we… lost certain people, I was completely heartbroken and shattered. I had already formed a really strong connection to a lot of those people and to then see them… suffer that fate… Damn. That really hit me unexpectedly and therefore all the more strongly.
But then, of course, the last part of this book was also so strong in the way it truly felt like a culmination and climax of everything that had been building, and it didn’t fail to satisfy in a single regard.

In summary, this book is a big commitment and long journey, but one that’s worth it in my opinion.


'Crescent City' series:
1. House of Earth and Blood - 4.5 stars
2. House of Sky and Breath - 5.0 stars
3. House of Flame and Shadow - 4.0 stars

Other Sarah J. Maas books:
‘Throne of Glass’ series - var. ratings
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ series - var. ratings
Catwoman: Soulstealer - 4.0 stars