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30something_reads 's review for:
House of Earth and Blood
by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
About 50% through, I mentioned that I felt like there was no reason for this book to be 800+ pages. After finishing it, I still stand by that- especially for the first half of the story. I think some additional editing could have condensed some of it down and still got us to where we needed to be.
Despite the massive amount of info dumping, there were A LOT of moments that felt very repetitive. And there were some moments that just felt like SJM was trying too hard to make it an "adult" book and it was cringy at times.
*I ended up switching to the audio book about 60% through and that really helped. I think Maas's writing style actually lends itself better to audio. And the narrator did a wonderful job.*
All of that being said, that last 200 pages carried this book! I loved everything about Part IV: The Ravine. 5 β for this quarter of the book π. I'm absolutely committed to the second book because of it.
The overall themes of loss and grief are my favorite parts of this whole story. Yes, the world building is wild. Yes, the murder/ mystery is good. But the raw pain and suffering that these characters experience and how they process their grief is SO excellent. π€π»
*******
Let's talk about characters- because I think the character are some of the best parts of SJM's story telling.
I'm sure it's going to get me some hate but Bryceβ¦. Uhhh. I don't know. For a character that has SO much going on, so much that SHOULD have made her interesting, the only compelling part about her was her grief and how she handled it. Don't get me wrong, she's sarcastic and funny and talented but otherwise, her powers become the only interesting thing left as she learns to let go of her griefβ¦. So we'll see where that leave her in book 2 π€·π»ββοΈ
There are a lot of very interesting side characters- Danika, Ruhn, Jesiba, Hypaxia, Aribas- all of these characters were more compelling than Bryce. π I
And then there is Hunt. He is perfectly imperfect. He is wonderfully damaged. Bryce's "emotional mirror". He deserves all of the hugs. I will riot if this poor man is not endgame. YOU CANNOT HAVE THEM GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT AND NOT BE TOGETHER ππ
Despite the massive amount of info dumping, there were A LOT of moments that felt very repetitive. And there were some moments that just felt like SJM was trying too hard to make it an "adult" book and it was cringy at times.
*I ended up switching to the audio book about 60% through and that really helped. I think Maas's writing style actually lends itself better to audio. And the narrator did a wonderful job.*
All of that being said, that last 200 pages carried this book! I loved everything about Part IV: The Ravine. 5 β for this quarter of the book π. I'm absolutely committed to the second book because of it.
The overall themes of loss and grief are my favorite parts of this whole story. Yes, the world building is wild. Yes, the murder/ mystery is good. But the raw pain and suffering that these characters experience and how they process their grief is SO excellent. π€π»
*******
Let's talk about characters- because I think the character are some of the best parts of SJM's story telling.
I'm sure it's going to get me some hate but Bryceβ¦. Uhhh. I don't know. For a character that has SO much going on, so much that SHOULD have made her interesting, the only compelling part about her was her grief and how she handled it. Don't get me wrong, she's sarcastic and funny and talented but otherwise, her powers become the only interesting thing left as she learns to let go of her griefβ¦. So we'll see where that leave her in book 2 π€·π»ββοΈ
There are a lot of very interesting side characters- Danika, Ruhn, Jesiba, Hypaxia, Aribas- all of these characters were more compelling than Bryce. π I
And then there is Hunt. He is perfectly imperfect. He is wonderfully damaged. Bryce's "emotional mirror". He deserves all of the hugs. I will riot if this poor man is not endgame. YOU CANNOT HAVE THEM GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT AND NOT BE TOGETHER ππ