At least a fourth of either book added nothing to the plot, the character development, or the world building. The main issue is that it took such immense paper to get there. Readers are thrown into a magical, elaborate fantasy world full of lore and intricate histories. To be fair, the two are not without plot.

Not that they didn’t have their uses: I fought many manners of insects in the courtyard, I used one as a door stopper and I even used one as a stand for my phone. These novels definitely make the reader look impressive from afar, and hauling one– let alone two– of these around our campus was a trial by fire. The mystery of their world may continue to unfold before their very eyes. Bryce and Hunt are trying to get over the traumatic events that transpired in the past year, but they keep getting caught up in more trouble than they bargained for. House of Sky and Breath takes place a few months after the end of the first novel. With the help of infamous vigilante Hunt Athalar, Bryce might just unravel a secret much bigger than their case. A year later, Bryce Quinlan is recruited to help local authorities dig deeper into the case of her friend’s death.

House of Earth and Blood follows a mourning half-fae-half-woman after the tragic events that result in the mysterious murder of her closest friends. Both novels push an astonishing 800 pages, and boast a map and remarkable cover art. So far the Crescent City series is composed of ‘House of Earth and Blood’(Published early 2020) and ‘House of Sky and Breath’ (Published early 2022). Maas is back and woker than ever– or at least, she’s trying to be.

Crescent city book