§Synopsis
01The first book in the #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive fantasy series by #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom, and the power of love.
Other books in this series include: House of Sky and Breath House of Flame and Shadow
§Our take
Judge it as a mystery first and a romance second, and it works much better. The murder investigation drives the plot, the romance builds slowly, and the twist near the end pays off a lot of pages.
The adult label is the book's liveliest argument. It reads like a confident move into adult fantasy to some, and like YA with sharper edges to others. Both camps have a point. The swearing and sex are adult, and so is the slavery at the story's center. The spunky heroine and brooding love interest are familiar from YA. What's genuinely new for Maas is the setting: a city of phones, clubs and nightlife, a sharp turn from her medieval-flavored worlds.
§Themes
- Slavery under the glamour
- Hunt is owned, and the party-city sparkle sits on top of enslavement and inequality.
- Grief as engine
- Bryce's loss pushes her into the investigation, and her flawed, snarky surface slowly deepens.
- Freedom as a bargain
- Hunt's deal ties his liberty to solving the case.
- Pop-culture voice
- Slang and modern references run through the magic. Some readers enjoy the tone, others find it lazy or likely to date.
§How it was received
The reviews split the difference: the world is ambitious and immersive, but sometimes murky, with villains that can tip toward cartoonish. Kirkus liked the even mix of mystery, romance and action. It won the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy, a reader-vote prize.
§Read it if
- You want a twisty mystery with a violent, action-filled finale
- You like a snarky, flawed heroine who grows on you over a long book
- You enjoy Charlaine Harris-style urban fantasy, which Publishers Weekly said this will suit
§Skip it if
- Heavy profanity, especially early on, or explicit sex will put you off
- You want a lean start. The first stretch is exposition-heavy, and some readers say the book needed editing.
§Before you start
- Reading experience
- At about 800 pages, it takes its time, especially in the first 200 pages, where the exposition comes thick.
- Reading order
- Book 1 of Crescent City, followed by House of Sky and Breath (2022) and House of Flame and Shadow (2024), with a fourth book announced. It's a separate world from Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses, so start right here.
- Content notes
- Frequent profanity, especially early; Drug and alcohol use; Sexual tension and explicit sexual content; one reviewer says it's not suitable for under-18s; Violence, including a murder mystery and a violent finale; Slavery is a central social theme.
§Common questions
- Do I need to read Maas's other books first?
- No. It's a new series in a separate world, so no prior Maas reading is required. Her fans will recognize the style.
- Is House of Earth and Blood YA or adult?
- It was marketed as Maas's first adult book and has explicit sex, heavy swearing and drug use. Some critics still say the tropes and voice read as YA.
- Is it a romance or a mystery?
- A murder investigation drives the book, with the romance building more slowly alongside it.
§If you liked this
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — Maas's other big series, also romance in a Fae-like society, but this one is modern and urban.
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas — Her earlier series, which Macmillan names as the lead-in to this adult debut.
- Works by Charlaine Harris by Charlaine Harris — Publishers Weekly said Harris admirers will like it, given its urban-fantasy mystery lineage.
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