House of Earth and Blood – Maas – Albédo

Crescent City

I read

Bryce, a half-fae, half-human young woman, has a perfect life: she works the day at an antique dealer who sells magical artifacts and parties the night away with her friends, savoring every pleasure Lunathion – better known as Crescent City. But one day, a terrible murder will shake the foundations of the city, as well as the world of Bryce.
Two years later, her work looks like a dead end and she plunges into oblivion by skimming the most famous clubs. But when the killer strikes again, Bryce finds herself drawn into the investigation and must team up with Hunt, a mysterious fallen angel whose dark past haunts her every step. The latter is the personal assassin of the archangels and he must protect the young woman, even if he has little interest in her.

Maas enjoys a good reputation in Young Adult literature and some success. This saga was announced as much more mature and thus intended for an adult audience. Never mind, I had to discover for myself a person with so much talent. I liked the summary of this urban fantasy, the sober cover as well, and I have no aversion to this part of the fantasy.

Unfortunately, my enchantment quickly waned and I did not find that the promise was kept, especially since I had read some rather enthusiastic feedback.

It is not the urban universe that is at the origin of this conclusion, nor the bias of presenting us with a hybrid young woman, because this characteristic becomes one of the markers of the genre. The story is well constructed and Maas shows ambition. However, the excitement was leaking and the reading was scrolling without real emotional investment…

The observation was simple: I never felt the characters in danger, nor involved in their fight. Many of them are introduced throughout the novel and they end without any real flavor, depth or individual temperament. They’re just names, a parade of interchangeable soldiers. Ah, but they are powerful!!

Moreover, Maas does not respect the golden rule of writing: ” show, don’t tell“. So we owe it to who better-better dialogues that explain to us the details of this, the pros of that, and the stuff. The feeling of attending briefings continues throughout the 800 pages….

I do not wish to be too bitter with her, because, I repeat, the novel demonstrates a certain ambition as well as the will to dissociate itself from the label Young Adult. We can see this with these protagonists plagued with more mature considerations, a more complex choice of narration and the non-linear plot. Maas chooses to explore the psyches of his characters by sharing their thoughts and reflections with us using the multiple point of view process. Yes, there is ambition, I tell you. Unfortunately, we are not witnessing remarkable mastery.

What I appreciate in Kay, for example, is his mastery of the timing of multiple points of view. No doubt I went to too good a school because, here Maas makes the effort in this delicate art, only, they are too many and not always judicious. I asked myself many times, but what does that bring here? apart from a form of repetition. »

And, there is a romance… I’m not going to talk about it because, you know how fond of it I am…

The book suffers from too much length and repetition, as well as ectoplasmic characters. The novel can be read, sometimes with eyes that turn to the sky with a sigh, but it has no crippling flaws. nevertheless, it will not remain in my memory…

This book is for you if:

• you like urban fantasy
• you are looking for a novel that comes out of YA without totally switching
• A page turner

I advise against it if:

• you don’t like romance
• You prefer shorter

Other reviews:

Tachan’s Balbla –

A little boost for your beloved elf:

Want to support the blog? You can do it through the link below (no extra cost!). This helps me finance the hosting of the site without advertising and to organize contests with novels to give away.