New York Times #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas explores a new world of magical creatures with her most recent series “Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood” (HOEAB).

Crescent City is the definition of a melting pot of magical creatures.

Bryce Quinlan, half-fae and half-human, was considered “trash” and “invisible” to the majority of Crescent City. Quinlan, party girl extraordinaire, loved her life despite all the hateful words. That is until her friends were brutally murdered by a demon from a different realm — or at least that’s what she thought. 

For two years, she got no information about what happened to her friends until the murders started up again. Hunt Athalar, the Shadow of Death and warrior-angel in Crescent City, was sent to protect Quinlan and team up with her since she was connected to each victim but clearly not a suspect, since she had no magical powers herself.

With the investigation in full force, the duo run into various magical creatures and artifacts that help and hinder along the way. From working with the Viper Queen, who runs the black market of the city, to chatting with a demon who is the Prince of the Chasm, Aidas. 

Will the truth come out? Is Hunt someone she can trust and get close to? Who else is out to get Bryce?

Sarah J. Maas has done it again. “Crescent City” is her newest series with two books currently published (“House of Earth and Blood” and “House of Sky and Breath”) with more on the way.

This book is at a good pace and keeps the reader interested. It gets wild at the end and is impossible to put down. This is not unusual with Maas’s other books. It is nice to see different types of characters in this series compared to her others. 

Bryce is a mid-sized woman, which is very different from her petite female protagonists in her other two series. While being mid-sized is not a big deal, it is great to see the different body types. Maas does not make her size a big deal within the book either. She mentions it casually but does not make it Bryce’s whole personality.

While Bryce and Hunt are the main characters, there are plenty of side characters that keep the laughs and plot going. Ruhn Danaan (Crowned Prince of the Valbaran Fae), Lehabah (fire sprite), Fury Axtar and Juniper Andromeda (friends of Bryce) are some of the main secondary characters that are involved with the drama of HOEAB. 

This book is a mix of emotions. It is lighthearted with witty banter and irreverent comments. It also has deeper themes regarding broken families, prejudices, slavery, etc. Many readers can relate to this book.

“Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood” is available at Target, Barnes and Noble and on Amazon. 

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