[Book Review] House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

Summary

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she’s going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that’s no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he’s in the Asteri’s dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce’s fate. He’s desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri’s leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Facts

Published: January 2024
Length: 816
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Hardback

Review

After the mother of all cliffhangers that A House of Sky and Breath left us on, I was so eager to read this book. My expectations weren’t super high, I managed to keep myself away from ludicrous theories and just enjoy the book for what it was.

Let’s dive in, I was living for that crossover! I loved that it was Nesta and Azriel representing the ACOTAR world (for the most part). They were the perfect characters to handle Bryce, I don’t think Rhys would have been as patient or as understanding as Nesta was. Bryce gave me strong Aelin vibes throughout this whole book, she has the same reckless/unpredictable traits. I get that she was looking for answers about her home world, but she was hella disrespectful to Az and Nesta for the most part.

I’ve seen lots of people really dig into Ithan for his behavior, but I felt a bit sorry for the guy, all of his choices managed to backfire on him in some unfortunate way, The same goes for Tharion, neither of them caught a break, but it was their own choices that got them into that mess, so my sympathy so only goes so far.

Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxian of course formed a lovely trauma bond due to being tortured together, the things that were done to them were gnarly and a lot gross if I’m being totally honest.

What I didn’t expect was Lydia (the Hind) being the MVP of this book! She really has been through a lot, and I would love to read a novella about her back story. I loved the reveal of where her ancestry comes from even though I’d figured it out beforehand. I feel like there is a lot more to come from her. Her impact on this story was huge.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about the storyline because I’ll be here all day but I will say that it was just a magical read for me, I love Sarah’s writing, and I’ll literally ready anything she writes. It really does transport me into another world.

My Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

About the Author‘s

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog.