House of Earth and Blood – Sarah J. Maas
2/5.
I cannot believe I read 500 pages of mediocre plot for 200 pages of slightly less mediocre plot. Finishing this book was a challenge. It has to be one of the most boring crime investigation books I have ever read.
This is Sarah J. Maas’s first adult fiction novel. I disliked it.
I know Sarah J. Maas is gathering a cult following. I completely understand. I loved the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I read Throne of Glass as it was coming out and loved the first half. Those series are gripping. They lack a diverse cast of characters and some of her plot lines seems to bear a lot of resemblance to each other but they were gripping. I have a lot to say about that, which I will dive into at a later date. For now… The main character of House of Earth and Blood…
Bryce. Quinlan.
You can’t tell, but I just let out the biggest sigh.
Everyone wants to be her. Everyone wants to sleep with her. No man can restrain themselves when the beauty that is Bryce Quinlan walks by on the street. She is too perfect. She is arrogant and self-absorbed. You know who else I would say this about?
Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass.
They are not the same character, but they are very similar. I dislike that they’re similar. It displays a certain lack of creativity from the author. Sure! Sarah J. Maas has likely found her niche and she will stick to it. The swaggering female lead has gotten her this far. But I disagree with it.
At least Bryce is a redhead, not blonde like her other two main characters from other series.
Bryce also adopts the term “alphahole” to refer to “males”. That feels awful and a little hypocritical coming from Maas. How are you going to condemn a character trope you use in every other story? Bryce also does drugs and self-medicates with sex. Part of me wants to say it’s nice to see a main character struggle with an aspect of life that often gets hidden, but it was handled so poorly.
Hunt, the love interest, is just like the rest of the men in her series. A little temperamental, a little abusive, but that’s okay! Because! He has trauma! There is so much I could say about the example that this is setting. It doesn’t matter if he is traumatized. No man should have an excuse for treating a woman like she’s not human, like she’s disposable. Trauma is not an excuse. I don’t approve of the undertones in this particular relationship.
Danika, Bryce’s best friend, is the best character in this series. She’s not a good character, but she’s not a copy/paste version of some hot, sexy, swaggering, female protagonist.
The characters are okay, right? They have no real flaws. They are not personable. I cannot relate to them. That doesn’t bother me that much. I would be able to forgive it if it weren’t for the terrible utilization of third-person omniscient and the awful way drug abuse and violence was handled.
The terrible utilization of third-person omniscient left me confused and reeling for most of the book. It is impossible to connect with characters and a plot if you have to spend time wondering who’s perspective you’re in and what they’re trying to convey. This also creates a buffer between the reader and the world. The worldbuilding was already lackluster. With the added distance from the poorly handled third-person omniscient, it stood no chance. I had a hard time caring about the world.
I can’t forgive the immature way drug abuse and violence was handled. These topics are very complex. They are not as shallow as Sarah J. Maas painted them out to be. I feel as though there wasn’t as much internal conflict as there needed to be in regards to these topics within her characters.
I’m really only giving two stars for the ending. I liked it. Sort of.
I have tried reading the second book. I have tried on numerous occasions over the last few months to pick that book up and read it. I like Sarah J. Maas’s other series. I had such high hopes for this one. I want to give Crescent City a chance but from what I can tell, the second book has too many characters, more shallow decisions, and unnecessary vulgar language. I don’t have the energy to spare for that.
Also, I know about the big spoiler at the end of the second book. I strongly disapprove of it.
I’ll stick with A Court of Thorns and Roses, which is a beautiful story.
2/5
“Memento Mori. Remember that you will die.”
House of Earth and blood, Sarah J. Maas