After two YA fantasy series, Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses , Sarah J Maas makes her début in adult fantasy with the Crescent City series. The first book of the series, House of Earth and Blood (Bloomsbury) was released on March 3.
The 800-page tome, like Maas’s other books, moves at warp speed following the adventures of Bryce Quinlan. The part-fae, part-human Bryce is a party girl, whose world comes crashing down when her best friend is brutally murdered. In uncovering the truth behind her friend’s death, Bryce unearths a bunch of unsavoury truths and monsters. There is also the dishy fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, to keep Bryce company as she plunges into the various circles of hell or hel as the book spells it.
When asked about the pros and cons of writing a series, the 34-year-old author writes in an email, “The pros are getting to know the characters and the world really well and exploring everything to my heart’s content. The cons are having to keep track of all those things!”
Though Bryce like Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass books, is part fae, Sarah says, The House of Earth and Blood does not inhabit the same universe. “It is a brand-new world,” says the Pennsylvania-based author.
In interviews Sarah has said the Throne of Glass series is a retelling of the Cinderella story (what if Cinderella were an assassin). A Court of Thorns and Roses is said to be a re-imaging of Beauty and the Beast. Sarah says House of Earth and Blood isn’t a retelling of any particular story. “Creatures from various mythologies do make their way into this world.”
The title Sarah says, “Relates to the city the book takes place in, and the four houses the people of their world are divided into.” Envisaged as a trilogy, Sarah says, “There definitely might be room for more.”
The switch to adult fantasy Sarah says is because, “The story called to me, with a protagonist that fit into the adult age range.” Sarah picks Bryce as her favourite character in the series. “She was the character who inspired this series, and is very close to my heart. She still keeps surprising me, which is my favourite kind of character to write.”
Computers and cellphones coexist with the fae, angels and nasty demons in Crescent City. “Again, this was just the world that called to me and appeared in my mind. I can’t quite explain where the ideas come from — it often feels like magic. When Bryce and her world popped into my head, this was how it all appeared.”
The climax of House of Earth and Blood has all the ingredients of a blockbuster — hideous demons pouring out the gates of hell, frenimies taking the last stand and Bryce digging into reserves of strength she did not know she had.
“It was easy in the sense that I had been waiting for years to finally be able to write all of these scenes that had been in my head for so long, and I was super excited to finally do so,” Sarah says. “It was difficult to make sure I was keeping track of everyone and what they were doing, since the characters were all in different places and doing different things.”
With fantasy a great favourite on streaming platforms, Sarah says though the series has not yet been optioned, “I am hoping it will be. I think it would work really well as a television show.”
