First Chaper Analysis: House Of Earth And Blood By Sarah J. Maas

If you want to write a novel that hooks a reader’s interest, you had better write an engaging first chapter. But how exactly do you do that?

Since I’ve already provided resources on how to write a solid set of opening pages and the big mistakes to avoid when writing your opening pages, I thought it would be fun to step back and analyze the first chapter of a popular published novel. 

So, in today’s post, we’re going to look at the first chapter of House Of Earth And Blood By Sarah J. Maas. And we’ll look at the chapter in two different ways:

1. Macro: How does this chapter give readers insight into what the story is about? 
2. Micro: How does each scene advance the plot and character development? 

This way, you’ll be able to see the first chapter from a big-picture lens as well as on the smaller scene level, too. And ideally, you’ll be able to implement some of what you learn into your own first chapter as well.

A special note for listeners of the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast: In the episode that goes along with this blog post, I’m joined by an extra-special guest and the host of the LitMatch podcast, Abigail Perry. If you want to hear our full discussion of this opening chapter, you can tune in on either of our podcasts.

Chapter 1 Summary

Here’s a quick summary of the first chapter before we look at the high-level analysis of each scene within the chapter:

Bryce Quinlan is at work, researching something for her boss (a sorceress named Jesiba Roga) when there’s a knock at the door. Bryce realizes it must be Thursday because her best friend, Danika Fendyr, only visits the gallery on Thursdays. She lets Danika inside and Danika asks Bryce if she can borrow their shower and store her sword while she goes to a meeting. Danika reveals that a human named Phillip Briggs is about to be released from prison and everybody’s in an uprorar about it. Briggs is a terrorist who has been trying to start a revolution that will allow humans to overthrow their magical overloads, and Danika is especially upset about his release because she (and her pack, the Pack of Devils) are the ones who captured him in the first place. Danika tells Bryce that she intends to protest Briggs’s release at the council meeting that afternoon, which is why she needs to shower. Danika goes off to shower and Jesiba calls, reminding Bryce that she has eyes on the gallery at all times.

Now, when analyzing any opening chapter, whether it's from a published novel or a messy first draft, the first thing I look for is a glimpse of the big picture. So, what is this story really about? 

Big Picture Macro Analysis

As writers, we must set expectations at the beginning of our stories and then work to deliver on those expectations throughout the middle and end. In other words, we need to show readers exactly what kind of story they’re in for and then deliver that story scene by scene. 

Let’s take a look at how Sarah J. Maas did this in the very first chapter of House Of Earth And Blood. And to do this, we’re going to use seven questions from Paula Munier’s book, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings. 

1. GENRE: What kind of story is it?

I like to look at genres in two ways—commercial vs. content genres. For this first question, I usually think in terms of the commercial genre. So, where would this novel sit on a shelf in a bookstore? And how does this first chapter set up the readers’ expectations from a commercial genre standpoint?

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas is an adult contemporary Urban Fantasy story. You could also classify this as a Romantasy novel as well. We get clues to each one of these labels in the first chapter—1) Bryce and Danika are adults who both have jobs, 2) they curse and talk about doing drugs and getting tattos, 3) Bryce works at a gallery that specializes in magical artifacts, 4) Danika is a shapeshifter (and we hear of fae and sorcereresses, etc.), and 5) we learn about how the city’s laid out and who rules each part of the city.

2. PLOT: What is the story really about? 

For this question, I like to look at the content genre of the story. So, what is the story really going to be about? House of Earth and Blood is primarily an action story (external genre) with elements of romance and crime (external subgenres). In the very first chapter, we learn Bryce is on the hunt for Luna’s Horn—a magical artifact that her boss, Jesiba, wants to acquire. If you’ve read the book, you know that the hunt for Luna’s Horn plays a bigger role in the plot (and is the reason behind Danika’s murder in an upcoming chapter). Throughout the book, Bryce faces escalating danger as she works ot uncover the person behind Danika’s murder (and as she continues to search for the horn). That being said, there’s also a very strong love story subplot (between Bryce and Hunt) that develops right alongside the central action thread as well. 

Beyond that, there’s also a worldview arc present. At the start of the story, Bryce feels a strong need to prove herself (specifically via finding Luna’s Horn for Jesiba). This needto prove herself is born from her backstory—she’s half-human, and humans are second–class citizens in this world. If you’ve read the whole story, you’ll also know she has a complicated relationship with her father that contibures to this need to prove herself as well. All of that being said, we come out of this first chapter wondering things like—What’s going to happen with Phillip Briggs? Will Bryce find Luna’s Horn? Are Bryce and Danika really in danger? What’s going to happen next? And these are all excellent questions that Sarah J. Maas answers throughout the rest of the book.

3. POV: Who is telling the story?  

This story is told from a limited third-person perspective from Bryce Quinlan’s and Hunt Athalar’s perspective. Using dual POVs is an excellent choice for a story like this because we get to see the romantic relationship develop from both character’s perspectives. It also allows Sarah J. Maas to show us certain events from certain perspectives, setting up (and pulling off) a big twist towards the end of the book. 

4. CHARACTER: Which character should they care about most?

As readers, it’s easy to relate to Bryce who a) loves her friends, and b) wants to do a good job at work. These are universal characteristics that make us empathize with Bryce and sink into her perspective. We root for her to find Luna’s Horn and succeed in proving herself to Jesiba. That being said, I’d argue that readers probably care most about Danika coming out of this first chapter. Like Bryce, we’ve just learned that Phillip Briggs is about to be released—and if he is released, the streets of Crescent City are about to get a lot more dangerous (for both characters, but especially Danika who patrols the city and is responsible for Briggs’s imprisonment). Because Bryce is so worried about Danika, we are too.

5. SETTING: Where and when does the story take place? 

This story takes place in Lunathion (aka Crescent City) on the planet Midgard. The first chapter takes place in Griffin Antiquities where Bryce works. We also hear about some key places within the city—the Heart Gate, the Old Square, the Bone Quarter, Asphodel Meadows, the Viper Queen’s Den, Moonwood, etc. Although we don’t learn a lot about each micro-location, they are mentioned. This gives readers the impression that Bryce’s world is big—and we trust that Sarah J. Maas will show us these places in the future.

On a related note, this story is a great example of a steep learning curve. A learning curve describes how long it takes for readers to get up to speed on the nuances of the story world. Because this is an adult Fantasy novel, a steep learning curve is appropriate (but not necessary). 

Related: 5 Worldbuilding Tips For Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers

6. EMOTION: How should readers feel about what’s happening?

Most opening chapters play work to evoke feelings of curiosity and concern in readers. The first chapter of House of Earth and Blood leans a little more towards the concern side of the emotional spectrum. Coming out of this chapter, we’re very concerned for Danika (and Bryce) given Phillip Briggs’ upcoming release—especially when Bryce blows off plans with her mom to prevent her from coming into the city because of Phillip Briggs being back on the streets. We read forward to find out what happens and we hope Bryce and Danika remain safe.

7. STAKES: Why should readers care what happens next? 

This opening chapter does a great job setting up what’s at stake on multiple levels. If Bryce doesn’t find Luna’s Horn, Jesiba will likely be disappointed (or worse) and Bryce will feel like a failure. If Phillip Briggs hurts (or kills) Danika, Bryce will lose her best friend. These are all personal stakes—and they’re stakes that the average reader can understand. Beyond that, there are public (yet local) stakes within Crescent City itself. The opening chapter tells us that the inhabitants of Crescent City are divided into different quarters, and that within each group of humans, fae, shifters, etc. there’s a clear hierarchy of whose in charge. Beyond that, there are worldwide stakes—the Vanir have oppressed the humans and now the humans are rebelling. We learn all of this in the first chapter, but Sarah J. Maas doen’t bombard us with a ton of information. Instead, she sets up the bigger stakes, grounds us in Bryce’s world, and kicks the plot into gear with the threat of Phillip Briggs’s release. We can’t help but read forward to find out what’s going to happen next.

Micro Scene Structure Analysis

Now, let’s examine the structure of each scene in this chapter to see how and why everything works. To do this, we’ll use the scene structure I laid out in this article. If you’re a fan of Shawn Coyne's The Story Grid, you will recognize this structure.

Chapters #1-2: Bryce’s POV

In this scene (which spans two chapters), Bryce’s goal is to research (and hopefully find) a clue about where Luna’s Horn might be. Now, let’s look at the conflict that gets in Bryce’s way as she pursues this goal: 

1. Inciting Incident: Danika tells Bryce that Briggs is getting released. (CH 1)
2. Turning Point: Danika points out that searching for Luna’s Horn is dangerous (especially with Briggs’s release) and suggests that Bryce pretend to look for it until Jesiba finds another shiny object for her to hunt down. (CH 2)
3. Crisis: Should Bryce heed her friend’s warning about looking for Luna’s Horn, especially now that Briggs is loose? Or should she continue to search for Luna’s Horn, given its importance to her boss and career? (CH 2)
4. Climax: Bryce doesn’t agree to quit her search. (CH 2)
5. Resolution: Bryce and Danika visit the Heart Gate and part ways. (CH 2)

So, what has changed in this scene?

This scene revolves around two really important things—Bryce’s pursuit of Luna’s Horn and Phillip Briggs’s release. Both Bryce’s goal (to find the horn) and Briggs’s release signal to the reader that danger’s coming one way or another. Readers are led to believe that Danika wants Bryce to give up the search for Luna’s Horn because it’s a dangerous mission (especially given Briggs’s release). However, if you’ve read the book, you know that Danika knows that Bryce is already in possession of Luna’s Horn—and that if anyone finds out, Bryce will be in a whole lot of danger. So, either way you look at this opening chapter, it definitely does its job!

Final Thoughts

So, can you see how this scene moves the plot of the story forward and impacts the characters involved? And how, ultimately, this first chapter does everything that a first chapter should do?

I encourage you to look at your first chapter through this macro and micro lens to make sure that you’re delivering enough of the big picture to your readers. This is also a fantastic exercise to do with the opening chapter of your favorite novels, too. 

Want to hear Abigail K. Perry and I break down other popular stories? Click here to check out past scene analysis episodes, or click here to find recordings of our past book club meetings where we dissect popular stories to find out how and why they work.