House of Earth and Blood

 I have finally read the legendary Sarah J. Maas, an author who single-handedly has probably made a reader out of many who wouldn't have if it wasn't for her, and for that, I can commend her if nothing else.

To start, some things I liked about the novel: action-packed and fast, it has the twists of an easy read, which just feels like the pages fly by. The ending is hectic while leaving room for the series to grow. I especially love the twist right at the beginning of the novel, which hits way before you're ready for it, too, and it definitely surprised me. Overall, the novel is pretty progressive too; it's the perfect mirror for a younger generation to absolutely eat up. I can understand for a multitude of reasons why this book is so famous despite its length. The romance was also quite good at points. To be this acclaimed, I would hope you have the slow burn down pat.

Now, some problems I had with it: the plot and world-building feel almost secondary to the endless horny banter that's interspaced throughout the novel. All of the major characters are hot as hell and incredibly feared and good at fighting. Oh, and absolutely everybody is horny the entire novel. Am I going after romantasy in general with this comment? Probably. I wouldn't know, I don't read it typically. But what I will say is that it had me rolling my eyes quite a lot. Does Bryce really have to have literally everything in the entire world want to rail her? The banter was at times entertaining, but also felt a little bit too YA for a book that is marketed as adult. With how big a novel it is, I felt more could have been done with the plot part of the story.

Primarily read because: Part of over 1 million ratings challenge.