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House of Earth and Blood audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

The first Crescent City novel: half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan and the Fallen angel Hunt Athalar in a modern city of magic.

Read vs Listen·Verdict last reviewed 2 November 2026·5 min read

Short answer: for the House of Earth and Blood audiobook vs book choice, we say either works (50% confidence, close call). At just over 800 pages it is a very long book, which favours audio. The print edition has a map, with no PDF for listeners, which favours the page. Reviewers describe several characters carrying the story in one voice, but no source names more than two, so the two sides come out level.

Confidence 50%, which puts it in the close call band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above. Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

What this book actually is

House of Earth and Blood is the first Crescent City novel by Sarah J. Maas, published in 2020. Bryce Quinlan, who is half-Fae and half-human, seeks revenge after a demon-driven murder spree, and the Fallen angel Hunt Athalar is drawn in alongside her (Audible summary). Kirkus calls the series “equal parts mystery, romance, and action drama”.

It is a long book: Locus calls it “probably overlong”, and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books found the opening chapters weighed down with set-up before the story takes hold. It includes violence, the murder of the heroine’s friends, grief and sexual content (Kirkus mentions “the steamy romance”). Who is behind the murders, and how the book ends, is not covered here.

The case for reading it

Reviewers describe several characters carrying the story, Bryce and Hunt among them, and one narrator reads them all. In print it is easier to see whose chapter you are in.

The US hardcover has a map, and no PDF comes with the audiobook. Novel Notions even wished for “an index in place of some of the info-dumping”: on the page it is easier to look back for a name or term.

The case for listening to it

At just over 800 pages this is a very long book, and audio takes it in 27 hours 50 minutes, or about 18 hours 33 minutes at 1.5x.

Audible listeners rate Elizabeth Evans’s performance 4.80 from 3,498 ratings on Audible UK. She also reads the Throne of Glass books and the ACOTAR anniversary recordings, so the voice will be familiar if you have listened to those.

The audiobook in detail

Audible Studios publishes the recording on both stores, read by Elizabeth Evans at 27 hours 50 minutes (3 March 2020). Audible UK lists it twice, with the same narrator, length and publisher; the ratings quoted here come from the listing with more ratings and are a snapshot. Whether the UK and US editions are one recording or two is not confirmed.

GraphicAudio has a full-cast dramatised adaptation in two parts (11 hours 51 minutes and 12 hours 3 minutes, 2024). It is an adaptation rather than a reading of the full text, so it is not scored. No PDF companion is listed.

Who should ignore this verdict

Lean towards audio if a book of this length is easier for you to finish by listening, or you already know Elizabeth Evans from Throne of Glass or ACOTAR. Lean towards print if you want the map to hand and an easier way to keep track of the invented names and terms.

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Series guide

Crescent City: every book in order

Every book in the series, with its verdict, narrator and length on one page.

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House of Sky and Breath

The next book in the series.

Same author

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Same author, also read by Elizabeth Evans.

Different verdict

Fourth Wing

Another romantasy, better on audio.

Start here

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