Starting with House of Earth and Blood, the Crescent City trilogy first debuted in 2020, and it became extremely popular during the pandemic due to the rise of TikTok. Crescent City (CC) is an urban fantasy that follows many characters, so get your notebooks or BooklyApp ready, as you’ll do a lot of note-taking on the characters. Our leading lady is Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae half-human who has never been taken seriously due to her enjoyment of parties and having fun. Follow her adventures as she goes through a tragedy, a murder mystery, and dangerous discoveries that will change her world as she knows it. 😮
Below is a reading guide I made especially for you, similar to my previous ones for the ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series. Please note that there may be some spoilers along the way, although I did my best to keep them to a minimum. 🤭
Reading Guide for Crescent City🌙 🏙
Here’s what I used while reading, but feel free to use what works best for you! ✨
☽ Tabs/Sticky Notes: I used them to mark the places I wanted to remember to return to in the book so that I could write down details in a notebook later.
☽ Highlighter: I read some of House of Flame and Shadow on my Kindle and used the highlight feature to mark important sections of the book I wanted to reference later on.
☽ Notebook: This is for jotting down quick thoughts, whether it’s something about a character or the plot.
☽ Bookly App: I mainly used the different features within the Bookly App during this reread! Especially the Character feature!
Now grab your Bookly App, a snack, and read Crescent City! 🌙🏙
Sarah J. Mass Series Reading Order Recommendation ✅
I recommend reading Sarah J. Mass’s other series before starting this one. 😉 There are a couple of essential things mentioned throughout her previous series before you get into this one, and they won’t make any sense if you start with the Crescent City trilogy first. I read the series in the following order:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Throne of Glass
- Crescent City
After completing the whole series, I have listed below the reading order I recommend:
- ACOTAR #1-4
- TOG Series
- A Court of Silver Flames (ACOTAR #5)
- Crescent City #1-3
I recommend this reading order due to Sarah J. Maas creating a multiverse between all the series. ✨ This reading order makes the most sense to me due to the little hints and reveals throughout. This way, events from A Court of Silver Flames are still fresh in your mind when you read Crescent City.
Crescent City Series Breakdown 📖
- House of Earth and Blood (HOEAB): First book in the trilogy—start here;
- House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB): Second book in the trilogy;
- House of Flame and Shadow (HOFAS): Third book in the trilogy—finish here.
❗Note: Sarah J. Maas has announced that she will write a 4th book in the series. However, the main story is completed, like A Court of Silver Flames is in the ACOTAR series, but it follows a different main character.
Trigger Warnings ⚠️
❗☝️Beware of some mentioned SA, sexism, and extremely graphic violence.
List of Characters 📃
Here is a list of some important characters throughout the series.
Bryce Quinlan: Main viewpoint character. Bryce is half-human, half-fae. 🧚♀️
Danika Fendryr: Bryce’s best friend. She is a wolf shifter and the Alpha of the Pack of Devils.
Juniper Andromeda: Bryce’s friend, a talented dancer and a soloist at the Crescent City Ballet.
Fury Axtar: Bryce’s friend and a resourceful assassin.
Connor Holstrom: A member of the Pack of Devils and Danika’s second.
Ithan Holstrom: A wolf shifter and younger brother to Connor Holstrom. He is a viewpoint character.
Jesiba Roga: A human sorceress who is Bryce’s boss. She is also the Under-King’s second.
Ruhn Danann: A viewpoint character, too. Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae and head of the Fae Aux. He is related to Bryce.
Hunt Athalar: A Fallen Angel forced to work for the Archangel as an assassin due to his rebellion. His nickname is the Umbra Mortis, meaning “Shadow of Death”. He’s also a viewpoint character.
Declan Emmet: A close friend and roommate of Ruhn Danann. He is a talented hacker and computer wiz.
Tristan Flynn: A close friend and roommate of Ruhn Danann. He is a Fae Lord and member of The Aux.
Isaiah Tiberian: A Fallen Angel and commander of the 33rd Legion.
Micah Domitus: Governor of Lunathion and an Archangel.
Shahar: Leader of The Fallen Legion and an old lover of Hunt’s. She was killed by her twin sister Sandriel.
Sandriel: A cruel Archangel suspected of killing her parents to gain power. Her sister Shahar rebelled against her and the Asteri.
Aidas: Known as the Prince of the Chasm. He is the Prince of the 5th layer of Hel. He sometimes appears as a white cat.
Tharion Ketos: A Mer male who works for the River Queen as an investigator. He is a viewpoint character.
Ember Quinlan: Bryce’s human mother. Ember fled from Bryce’s fae father and met Randall, who she will later marry.
Randall Silago: Bryce’s stepfather. He taught Bryce how to defend herself and is who Bryce sees as an actual father.
Celestina: A Governor and an Archangel.
Hypaxia Enador: Queen of the Valbarran Witches, she took over after her mother died. She is a talented healer. Her half-sister is Lidia Cervos.
Cormac Donnall: Crown Prince of the Avallen Fae. He is Bryce and Ruhn’s cousin.
Lidia Cervos: She’s a viewpoint character named the Hind, a spy and interrogator who works for The Asteri. Her half-sister is Hypaxia; they share a mother. She is.
The Asteri: the god-like rulers of Midgard, believed to have the power of a star.
- Rigelus: the head of the Asteri
- Sirius: named after the brightest star in the night sky. She was killed by Apollion in the First Wars.
- Octartis: named after the South Star
- Polaris: named after the North Star
- Hesperus: named after the Evening Star
- Austrus: one of the 7 Asteri; the origin of their name is unknown
- Eosphoros: named after the Morning Star
Apollion: known also as The Star-Eater or The Prince of The Pit. He is most notable for killing one of the 7 Asteri. Leaving six left on Midgard.
The Autumn King: Ruler of the Valbaran Fae. Ruhn Danaan’s father.
Baxian Argos: Also known as the Hellhound. He worked with Sandriel as part of her trial. He is an angel with the ability to shift into a hellhound.
Setting 🏙
Midgard: The planet where the main story is set.
Valbara: A continent on Midgard where Lunathion is located.
Lunathion, also known as Crescent City, is the main setting for House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath. It is a large city made up of seven sections, each ruled by a different Head. Luna is the patron goddess of Lunathion.
- Central Business District: Ruled by the Governor, is above the six other Heads. Also called CBD.
- Moonwood: Ruled by the Prime of the Wolves.
- Five Roses: Also known as FiRo. Ruled by the Autumn King, a Valbarran Fae.
- Bone Quarter: Ruled by the Under-King.
- Meat Market: Ruled by the Viper Queen, a snake Shifter.
- Old Square: Ruled by the Oracle.
- Blue Court: Ruled by the River Queen, located in the Istros River.
- Asphodel Meadows: Where humans in Lunathion live, they have no Head.
The Comitium: The headquarters for the Governor of Lunathion, where the barracks for the 33rd Legion are located.
Griffin Antiquities: This is where Bryce works for Jesiba. It has many books and artifacts that may need to be added legally.
Istros River: The river that flows through Lunathion in a crescent shape, thus giving the city the nickname Crescent City. Where the House of Many Waters is located and where members of the Blue Court live.
Nidaros: a town about 7 hours from Lunathion, where Bryce grew up.
Pangera: A continent on Midgard where the Eternal City is located.
Eternal City: A city in Pangera from where the Asteri and Imperial Senate rule.
Crystal Palace: Where the Asteri live and rule from. Located in the Eternal City.
Avallen: A sacred Fae island. Due to the mists surrounding this island, people mostly rule themselves. Not even the Asteri can pierce through the mists. The place where the Avallen Fae lives.
Hel: A planet ruled by the 7 Demon Princes. The Northern Rift, a portal to Hel, can be accessed. Pelias sealed it in the first wars. Now, due to cracks, demons can escape into Midgard.
Fae Homeworld: Where the Fae originated from before coming to Midgard. Its actual name is unknown.
The Gates: 7 gates in each of the different sections of Lunathion.
Timeline 🌌
Events from HOEAB Part 2-HOFAS all occur within the same year.🤞
- House of Earth and Blood: 2-year time jump between Part 1 and Part 2. The rest of the events of the book occur in a couple of months.
- House of Sky and Breath: It starts three months after the end of HOEAB and ends a few months later.
- House of Flame and Shadow: This also occurs over a few months.
Significant Events 📋
The Crossing: occurred when Fae left their world and arrived in Midgard. This event triggered the First Wars.
The First Wars of Midgard occurred when Queen Theia and Prince Pelias started a war against the humans of Midgard. Many humans were enslaved or killed. Humans have been enslaved and mistreated since these wars, which occurred 15,000 years before the present day. In the final battle, Apollion and Pelias faced off. Pelias used the Horn to banish Apollion and all the demons working with him back to Hel, sealing off the Northern Rift.
17003 A.E (Asteri Era): end of the First Wars. H.E (Human Era) calendar ends, and the V.E (Vanir Era) calendar begins.
33 V.E: when the Imperial Senate separated Vanir into the 4 Houses of Midgard.
Battle of Mount Hermon: occurred in 14,835 V.E., where The Fallen Legion was defeated. The Fallen were then killed or enslaved. The enslaved Fallen were marked by a halo tattooed on their brows.
Human Uprising: began in 14,993 V.E, when humans rebelled against the Asteri. The conflict is still ongoing in Pangera.
Politics ⚖️
Houses: House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, House of Flame and Shadow, House of Many Waters.
- House of Earth and Blood: contains shifters, humans, witches, and animals
- House of Sky and Breath: contains malakim, fae, elementals, and sprites (although sprites got kicked out due to their participation in the Fall).
- House of Flame and Shadow: contains daemonaki, reapers, wraiths, vampyrs, draki, dragons, and necromancers.
- House of Many Waters: contains river-spirits, mer, water beasts, nymphs, kelpies, and nokks.
Auxiliary: The Aux, for short. It is a police force within Lunathion. Each section of the city has its auxiliary members.
Imperial Senate: Senate government that rules Midgard.
Archangels: Powerful Malakim who were made governors by the Asteri and ruled over different parts of the Republic. Each archangel has a triarii, a personal guard made up of the strongest angels.
Heads of the City: Individuals of power who rule over the different segments of Lunathion.
Ophion: the human rebel organization, along with some Vanir.
Races/Species 👾
Malakim: Also known as Angels, they belong to the House of Sky and Breath.
Asteri: The god-like beings who rule Midgard.
Vanir: supernatural beings that come in many different sorts.
Fae: the Avallen and the Valbarran Fae and the two main groups. It is still unknown where they originated before arriving in Midgard. The Starborn Fae are the Fae that originated from the Fae’s original homeworld.
Mer: Vanir, who has long fish-like tails covered in scales. They are not unlike mermaids.
Human: ordinary humans who first lived on Midgard before the Vanir or Fae. They can sometimes have powers due to the mixing of Vanir and Fae in their bloodlines.
Demon: originating from Hel and can take many different forms. Some are more animalistic while others rule Hel itself.
Witches: Vanir, who appear human but have many different abilities. The Valbarran Witches are notable ones.
Faun: Vanir, a combination of humans and goats or deer. They are similar to Satyr’s in Greek mythology.
Shifters: Vanir, with the ability to shift into different animals, such as birds, lions, leopards, deer, etc.
Mythology/Folklore🪆
Throughout Crescent City, there are several allusions to various pantheons. I also noticed the addition of several allusions to the Bible. The Fallen Angels could refer to Lucifer and his battle against God. Sarah J. Maas is known for pulling from different mythologies, such as Roman, Eastern European, Greek, Norse, and Celtic.
Here is a list of notable deities in Crescent City:
Gods/Goddesses of Midgard:
- Cthona: The goddess of the Earth, and the mate of Solas. She presides over the House of Earth and Blood.
- Solas: The god of the sun, his mate is Cthona. He presides over the House of Sky and Breath.
- Luna: The goddess of the moon. She is the patron goddess of Lunathion and the sister of Solas.
- Ogenas: The goddess of the ocean. She is the sister of Cthona and presides over the House of Many Waters.
- Urd: A goddess and weaver of fate and destiny. To some, she is not a goddess but a force.
Demon Princes of Hel: Not all demon princes’ names are known to the reader. Throughout the series, 3 out of 7 they’re revealed.
- Thanatos: rules over The Ravine, the 4th layer of Hel.
- Aidas: rules over The Chasm, the 5th layer of Hel.
- Apollion: rules over The Pit, Hel’s 7th and deepest layer.
Magic ✨
Here is a list of different types of magic mentioned throughout Crescent City.
Elemental Magic: the ability to control fire, ice, wind, earth, and water. Not necessarily the ability to control all.
Shape Shifting: the ability to shift into different people/animals.
Telepathy: the ability to control and/or speak in someone’s mind.
Shadows: the ability to manipulate and control shadows.
Teleportation: the ability to move from one location to another.
Enchantments: the ability to cast spells.
Starlight: the ability to wield starlight.
Firstlight: raw unfiltered magic. It comes from Vanir when they make the Drop.
Healing: the ability to heal quickly or heal others.
Strength: Vanir have exceptional strength before and after the Drop.
Immortality: After the Drop, Vanir become immortal and are much harder to kill.
Necromancy: the ability to talk to the dead.
Resurrection: the ability to bring the dead back to life.
Magic Objects 🪄
Luna’s Horn: a relic that belongs to the Fae. It’s thought to have lost its powers after Prince Pelias used it in the First Wars. It resembles a Cornucopia.
Starsword: made from Iridium. It can only be wielded by Starborn Fae. Ruhn Danaan withdrew it from a rock during his Ordeal.
Archesian Amulet: provides the wearer with considerable protection against magic.
Bookly infographics 📱💙
House of Earth and Blood (HOEAB)
House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB)
House of Flame and Shadow (HOFAS)
And here you go, folks! My reading guide for Crescent City. I personally rated this trilogy an average of ⭐4/5 stars. I really did like books, but urban fantasy isn’t really my go-to. However, it was a lot of fun to dive back into the Maas Multiverse and get some answers to my questions. I hope you enjoyed reading all the reading guides I made for you about the Maas Multiverse. I hope to see you soon! 🤩
This reading guide was written by our Bookly Pro Reader, The Rose Post 💙
Looking for some more reading guides to up your series game? 📖💪
If you’re keen on finding more tips & tricks for diving into the other Sarah J. Mass series, check out our other reading guides for the ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series. While you’re at it, don’t forget to keep track of your notes while reading, and make sure you don’t miss out on any timeline, setting, or character detail in the story. 😌
And also…
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