Page 12 - SEPT2023

Page 12
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NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM September 2023
Book of the Month:
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
By BRittany amalfi
It has been a while since I’ve reviewed a fantasy book for you all. I’m happy to say that I’ve finished a particularly spectac- ular one that I absolutely could not put down. Over the past few months, I’ve strayed away from the fantasy genre and have dove into the more quick thriller reads to bump up my reading list for the year, but it was time I opened a book that brought me to a magical world. It’s been a
while; I was overdue!
House of Earth and Blood
by one of my favorite authors, Sarah J. Maas, gallows the story of the fierce and funny Bryce Quinlan. A half-human, half- fae girl living in the infamous “Crescent City” that is filled to the brim with magical and mythical creatures. I’m talking fairies, sprites, werewolves, an- gels, witches, and most impor- tantly, demons. Of course, you can imagine those pesky de- mons causing some problems in the bustling city, but hey, every good story needs a high-stakes conflict.
After Bryce’s best friend, Danika, and her pack of wolves are massacred by an unknown sinister force, Bryce becomes a shell of a human with nothing to live for. But when mysteri- ous murders start happening
by Sarah J. Maas
all over the city, murders that match the brutality of Danika and her pack, she is ready to solve this case and get justice for her friends.
Cue the dark and mysterious Hunt Athalar. The “Umbra Mortis” is what he’s called, which means “Shadow of Death,” and well, that he cer- tainly is. When Hunt is assigned to watch over Bryce as she tries to solve these brutal murders, the pair form an unlikely bond as they both have a lot to gain from this investigation. Every- one knows that Crescent City has some dark undertones, but as Bryce and Hunt peel back layers of what is unfolding, they soon learn that the darkness that has been looming in the city is much more sinister than they could have ever imagined.
I don’t think I can put this
lightly. House of Earth and Blood was an absolute whirl- wind. The beginning of the book started off a tad slow, but it quickly took a turn once we realized the characters had a lot to lose. Bryce Quinlan is easily one of my new favorite protag- onists, with her witty sense of humor and fierce personality. I quickly realized that she was not a girl to be messed with, es- pecially as she put on the party girl front to throw the city off. As I quickly learned that there was more than met the eye with Bryce, so did Hunt Athalar. The more time they spent together, the more he realized that Bryce was more than some insignif- icant party girl just looking to ignore her problems. She was someone with a dedicated heart and a fiery spirit.
Seeing Hunt and Bryce’s relationship unfold through- out the book really drove the whole plot forward. And noth- ing could have prepared me for those explosive last 100 pages. I was positively hooked as I kept turning each page, needing to
know what was going to hap- pen. Sarah J. Maas did an excel- lent job building up to the end of the book, where everything came together as we finally learned some answers.
A good adult fantasy book can be hard to come by, but this one certainly fits the mold of a captivating read. Filled with fleshed-out characters, vivid descriptions, and banter mixed with pain, House of Earth and Blood has everything an enter- taining book should have.
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