Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood

Book #1 in Crescent City series

By Sarah J Maas

799 pages

Adult Fantasy 

Hardback

Library 

This is the last of the books I checked out right before Spring Break.

I was expecting full fantasy like no technology setting. But there are cars, and cell phones, and coffee machines, and art galleries. There are police who are wolves and wraith and fae. There are dancers who are fauns. All of the fantasy creatures are in here. You want mermaids? Got them. Shape-shifting people? Done. Assassins? Yes. (Okay, not a fantasy creature, but still...)

There is a LOT happening in this book - drugs, murder, politics, family drama, ancient mystical heirlooms, sex, magic, bureaucracy, failed rebellion, slavery, those things at the park you shout in and have someone listen at the other end...

I love this picture, but I'm also like What does this have to do with the book? She's neat though. 

This is the city! I love a map.

All of the houses came up in the course of this book. The protagonist is half human, so maybe that's why the book is called House of Earth and Blood? The other main characters are primarily from Sky & Breath. Which us the name of the next book. Which I have put on hold at the library. 

First page.

Author info.

It was super readable. Plot was convoluted in a good way. Characters interesting ans complex.

Shatter Me

Shatter Me

By Tahereh Mafi

YA Fantasy 

Hardback 

329 pages (& a novella)

She's 17, has been in an institution for years, and could accidentally kill you by touching you. 

I've been hearing about this series for a long time. 

I like the voice and the strikeouts. 

I have a tote bag with this line on it. Fun surprise. 

I love this line. 

I had forgotten that this was the book that this cool coaster was based on. 

author info

Honestly, I feel pretty meh about the book. It was fine. 

Late night edit: I just realized that I kept trying to make her Rogue. Like, from X-Men.

Perfect Ruin

Perfect Ruin

By Lauren DeStefano 

YA Fantasy 

Hardback

256 pages

Spring Break School Library Haul

I didn't realize it was the first in a series when I picked it up. 

Sky people. On a little floating island. And then there's a murder. 

It was an interesting read, but I'm not going to hunt down the others. 

She also wrote Glass Spare, which I got in an Owlcrate a long time ago, and remember liking a lot. But apparently I never blogged it! Ah well. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 

By V.E. Schwab

Fantasy

Hardback

442 pages

Finished this book today; 4th book of Spring Break. 

Should really work on my dissertation, but would really rather read instead. 

It's a Faustian style deal - immortality, life & time & freedom - but the bargin isn't as pleasant in practice. 

Each section of the book has little prefaces, but they are mostly art descriptions. 

first page

This story spans 300ish years.

Author info.

I'm going to be honest here, I keep forgetting how much I like this author's work. I've read a bunch if it and keep forgetting that they are all from the same person. 

The Rules of Magic

The Rules of Magic

By Alice Hoffman

Hardback

Fantasy 

366 pages

This is the prequel to Practical Magic

I remember not liking the book Practical Magic becuase I had watched the movie first (without even realizing there was a book) and I loved the movie so much. The book was very different. 

I'm guessing that the continuity aligns with the novel Practical Magic. My brain keeps wanting it to line up with the movie though, and there are some large differences. 

But it was a good book, for all that, and did make me cry at the end.

author info

Reader, I Murdered Him

Reader, I Murdered Him 

By Betsy Cornwell

A Jane Eyre Spinoff

Fiction

Hardback

283 pages 

LGBTQIA+

Trigger Warning: sequel assault 

This book was really engaging and a quick read. Like, I read it just now, between the previous blog post this morning and right now. 

It follows the daughter of the novel Jane Eyre, who I barely remember because I think she was kind of a nothing, throw-away character. 

The book is both funny and sad, and horrific at the same time. 

I really enjoyed the voice, the personal and conversational feel.

Also, the occasional callbacks to the famous novel are well done.

Author info.

Da Vinci's Tiger

Da Vinci's Tiger

By L.M. Elliott

YA Historical Fiction 

Hardback

275 pages

Owlcrate book (2015)

I have not had this book sitting around since 2015. I bought it on a whim several months ths ago when I was buying some other items from the Owlcrate shop. This was from their December 2015 box, which preceded my subscription. 

It's a thoroughly researched Historical Fiction book, written for a YA audience. 

author info

This in the painting (and historical person) it's based around.

Painting info

I did enjoy this book, but didn't like feel compelled to puck it up like I often do with books. 

The characters were interesting, the politics weren't overwhelming, and the setting felt realistic. 

Overall it was good, just not really my thing. 

I think I'll let this one go to the used book store. 

books I've read at school lately

So I have read several books at school over the past few weeks. 

5th Wave:

Graveyard Book

Until We Meet Again 

This one was lent to me by a student.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/23277959

I was pleasantly surprised by this book!

Code Talker

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/175395

I don't usually get very into historical or war books, but this was very good.