House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)

Bryce Quinlan is a 23-year-old human-Fae “half-breed” who works in a magical art gallery owned by the sorceress Jesiba Roga. The gallery deals in pricey antiques, but its real treasure lies in a basement vault of forbidden magical books. This library is guarded by a fire sprite named Lehabah, who keeps the books from wandering off on their own. She is sometimes aided by Bryce’s pet chimera, Syrinx.

Bryce and her associates live on the planet of Midgard. Fifteen thousand years earlier, the planet was taken over by beings who found a way to enter the dimension that had previously only contained humans and their animals. Since that time, humans have been relegated to second-class status and deprived of most civil rights.

The new overlords of Midgard are the Asteri, semi-divine beings who rule remotely. Beneath them are the magical Vanir, who divide the realm into four houses sorted by species and an individual’s choice of allegiance to a specific house. The House of Earth and Blood contains shifters, witches, and humans. The House of Sky and Breath includes angels, Fae, and elementals. The House of Many Waters contains river entities of various kinds. The House of Flame and Shadow includes demons, reapers, wraiths, and many unnamed dark forces.