House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas: FAQ

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Fanart of Bryce and Hunt from House of Earth and Blood

House of Earth and Blood is a bestselling fantasy book by Sarah J. Maas. The book was first published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing.

In this article, you will find some frequently asked questions about this book. I have tried to answer them as best and honestly as possible.

I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some of the questions you may have about this book!

Summary

Bryce Quinlan is half-fae, half-human.

She lives in Midgard with her best friend Danika, a wolf shifter.

When Bryce arrives home after a night of partying, she finds Danika brutally murdered along with her entire pack.

Bryce barely escapes from the demon who murdered her friends. She tries to go on with her life, but she has trouble finding peace.

The archangel Micah gets a hold of Bryce and her with his personal assassin, Hunt Athalar.

He wants them to find the demon and bring back what he stole.

At first, Bryce doesn’t want to be involved in this.

Instead, she only wants to find revenge for her friend.

But eventually, Bryce and Hunt find a way to deal with each other and their own personal losses.

Together with Hunt, Bryce soon finds out that there is much more going on than only an escaped demon.

And they can’t seem to trust anyone anymore.

Is House of Earth and Blood YA or NA?

It is more a New Adult (NA) fantasy book.

In general, the language used is more mature.

Plus, there are a few moments when the story gets particularly spicy.

It isn’t as spicy as some of Maas’s work, but it’s still more than would be in a Young Adult book.

Is there any romance?

Fanart of Bryce and Hunt from House of Earth and Blood
Fanart of Bryce and Hunt from House of Earth and Blood

The complete story isn’t a real romance.

There is a bit of romance between some of the characters.

In particular, there is tension between Bryce and Hunt throughout the entire book.

But romance isn’t a big part of the story.

On the plus side, love is a subject that is of great importance to this story.

Is House of Earth and Blood a series or standalone?

Sarah Maas explained that Crescent City will be a series.

However, she hasn’t yet revealed how many books the series will contain as of the date of this article.

That said, House of Earth and Blood is book one in this series.

The second book will be released in February 2022 and is called House of Sky and Breath.

Trigger warnings

Below you will find a list of some of the content trigger warnings of this book. This is to make you aware of what you can expect when picking this book up. With this in mind, please take note of the next warnings:

  • Attempted suicide
  • Blood
  • Death (loved one)
  • Depression
  • Discrimination
  • Gore
  • Guilt
  • Misogyny
  • Near death experiences
  • Parental neglect
  • PTSD
  • Racism (fantasy)
  • Sexism
  • Slavery
  • Slut-shaming
  • Substance abuse
  • Violence

What houses are there?

These are the four houses in Midgard:

  • Earth and Blood
  • Sky and Breath
  • Flame and Shadow
  • Many Rivers

Hierarchy

The people in charge are the Asterii. They are a group of god-like beings. The Asterii rule over the non-humans. And the non-humans themselves are higher in the hierarchy than the humans.

The non-human species all belong to their own houses.

For example, vampires and sorceresses belong to the Shadow and Flame.

Wolves, shifters, and Faun belong to the Earth and Blood.

Fae and Angels belong to the Sky and Breath.

And the House of Many Rivers holds the River spirits like Mer, Nymphs, and Kelpies.

The Drop

There is a special light needed to fuel the energy source.

This pure, undiluted light appears when a ‘Vanir’ makes the Drop.

This is a raw and unfiltered kind of magic. The magic is captured and bottled.

It is necessary for each citizen to do the ritual of the Drop. The government requires every Vanir to do so.

This happens in a sterile room where it is easier for the government to monitor and bottle the energy.

During the Drop, one falls into its own power.

But once you reach the bottom of this power, the mortal body expires.

The person doing the Drop then only has a limited time to race back up. If this isn’t done in time, the brain will shut down. And that person will be truly dead.

Who is Hunt’s father?

It isn’t revealed in this book who his father is.

After all, Hunt himself doesn’t know who his father is. And his mother raised him on her own.

There are a few fan speculations about who his father is.

The most common one is a demon or the king of Hell. However, we may find out more in the next book.

Enemies to lovers

This book is a true example of a good enemies to lovers trope.

Bryce and Hunt have to work together. They don’t like each other. And Bryce even treats Hunt very poorly considering the situation they are in.

But during the story, they get to know each other better. And at the moments where they have to trust each other, they learn to do so.

You can really feel the relationship change during the book. And it is a slow burn, but a lovely one. Because you want Bryce and Hunt to get together. So it’s quite a treat when it finally happens.

Is House of Earth and Blood a sad story?

For me, there were a few moments where I had tears in my eyes.

Near the end, when Bryce takes the Drop, I actually cried.

For this reason, I think there are a few sad moments in the book.

But not everyone will be affected by this in the same way.

“Light it up.”

This quote is a reference to an interesting part in the book as seen below.

“Bryce’s face crumpled as she lurched to her feet, sprinting to the Gate.
She didn’t care how it was possible as Danika said again, “Light it up.”
Then Bryce was laughing and sobbing as she screamed, “LIGHT IT UP, DANIKA! LIGHT IT UP, LIGHT IT UP, LIGHT IT UP!”
Bryce slammed her palm onto the bronze disk of the Gate.
And soul to soul with the friend whom she had not forgotten, the friend who had not forgotten her, even in death, Bryce made the Drop.”

Epilogue explained

[SPOILER CONTENT BELOW]

In the epilogue, we witness a conversation between Jesiba Roga and Aidas, Prince of the Chasm.

Aidas is in his cat form.

From this conversation, we get a small explanation about who Bryce and Hunt really are.

While Aidas and Jesiba Roga seem to know who Hunt’s father is, his name isn’t mentioned.

Also, it seems that Aidas knows more about Bryce than he lets on.

Bryce apparently has the light of Theia in her.

But most of all, this conversation shows us that there is still much to find out about these characters and that we are in for an adventure in the subsequent books.

Books to read if you like House of Earth and Blood

Of course, there are more books by Sarah J. Maas you can read. But there are also a lot of books by other authors that I think you will like if you enjoyed this one. Here are a few of them:

  • From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout – This is a lush fantasy book and the first in a series with great characters and an enemies to lovers romance. The writing style also is very similar. And if you like the books by Sarah J. Maas, you will probably love these as well.
  • The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – This is another true enemies to lovers series. The book is set In the world of the fae. And it has a strong female lead.
  • Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – This is a story about a strong family bond. But it also also features witches, demons, and a lot of pastry. In short, what is there not to love about this book?!

House of Earth and Blood: Conclusion

House of Earth and Blood is the first book in the Crescent City series.

This series contains some strong language and sexual scenes.

But it also features amazing characters and a story that will take hold of you and won’t let go.

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions about this book.

And if there are still more things you would like to know about this book or series, let me know in the comments below!

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