Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - House of Flame and Shadow

I was really looking forward to reading this book and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The fast scene switches really kept you on your toes but there were times where I just wanted to skip POV’s (sorry Tharion). I definitely should’ve reread the previous books as well as the ACOTAR series because there were a lot of names and terms I didn’t remember and I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the story more.

After the ending of the last book I was really excited to see Rhys interact with Bryce but he was in like two pages so I was a little disappointed especially given that Nesta isn’t really my favorite character. Also I think this was the first time that I truly understood why people are scared of him. I’m dying laughing thinking about the Inner Circle standing around the phone trying to figure out how it works. Plus am I the only one that found Bryce and Azriel’s scenes kinda… shippable?

I loved seeing Ithan discover his powers and become Prime even though his life felt like a bit of a dumpster fire and when Connor appeared I teared up. I still don’t understand how I ended up getting so attached to a character that was dead for the entire series. I’m sad that this is the last time we’ll see him but it felt like a fitting ending.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I was really hoping Cormac would end up being alive somehow.

Are we not going to see Aelin at all? I was so sure the TOG characters would've made an appearance. I hope we get to see all three words interact at some point.

The ending did feel a bit… not anticlimactic… maybe a bit “easy” in a way and less high stakes than the last one. It also felt very much like an ending so I was really confused about whether there would even be a next book but apparently there will be.

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pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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readwithde's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Action. Adventure. Romance. Mystery. Lore. Sacrifice. Character Growth. Secrets. Meaningful Choices. This book had it all.

This book read like the end of a trilogy, despite the fact that there are four houses (and supposedly a fourth book coming). Most of the main characters had their story arcs conclude, and there are only a few loose ends.

Along with the obvious: How will Midgard be ruled now? Will technology survive? But these seem like simple worldbuilding questions, not future books or series of content.

Bryce and Hunt became less vital and important to me; the background characters became much more important. I love that the story focused on so many different paths and choices, all culminating in the final conflict of the book.

All that to say, it was good. I liked it. But I wanted more, and I'm not sure when or if that will happen.

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abrataydabra's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I am truly at a loss for words. I feel like I waited so long for this book, even though it really wasn’t THAT long, and it did not fall short of my expectations at all. Definitely thought things would go differently but everything still wrapped up beautifully. I lived for the TOG references, the ACOTAR appearances were not fulfilling at first but came through in the end. Took me a while but… I guess Tharion is okay, but I still liked his POV the least.

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memreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you made it to book 3 of the series and had a good time, I have a hard time feeling like you won't enjoy this one!

Less sex than prior books, which I appreciated as the story remained more plot and character focused.

It was fun reeling through the different characters and their progression through the story.

I found myself giggling, cheering, tearing up, and even hugging the physical book toward the end of the story.

Elizabeth Evans delivered another delightful performance of SJMs work. I cannot wait to see what spin off stories of side characters arise next from Midgard.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

House of Flame and Shadow was a fun read! I had a good time while I was reading it. However, it definitely has some issues.

I won’t get into specifics, as this is a spoiler free review, but if you want to know more of my thoughts I’m happy to share them!

Things I Loved
- Bryce and Hunt really carried this book (with a couple of small exceptions)
- the focus on emotional intimacy in the romantic relationships was a nice change of pace
- people actually shared their plans with other characters! Whoop whoop!
- there was an action sequence in the first half that had really good stakes, really good tension/pacing, and kept me on the edge of my seat
- a lot of the plot pieces that were put into place in book one had a satisfying conclusion
- the crossover was done well!
- Lidia Cervos. IYKYK

Things I Wish Were Different
- miss Sarah Janet really loves to end her books the same way. It made the stakes of the last sequence feel a lot lower that they were supposed to
- there are some characters that behave in ways that I CANNOT comprehend
- Tharion and Ithan’s POVs (but especially Tharion’s) felt really unnecessary. I sincerely believe that Tharion would have been better as a non-POV character, though I do understand that she was going for a person from each of the major races
- there was a little too much space, and it felt kinda thrown in without being well developed into the story/world building
- this is personal thing but I’m SO TIRED of mates. They’re rare, but also everyone has one. Are they rare of not?

Will I read more from SJM? Probably, yeah. Will it be as highly anticipated in the future? Probably not.

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hapalyn's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Everything about this was what I wanted!!! I was hoping for more Bryce x Hunt dynamics but with so many side characters there was no time to cover that. I'm hoping that some day in the future, Sarah J. Maas will write some awesome novellas or future books detailing some of the side characters more.

Such a fast read, yet it felt like so long at the same time.

As for the ACOTAR crossover, I feel satisfied with how it was handled. There wasn't enough involvement there to make the series too intertwined. I almost feel like Crescent City is just the backstory for all of the lore in ACOTAR. I think it gives ACOTAR more depth, but readers who don't care to read all of CC can still read ACOTAR and be satisfied. Lots of Nesta, which was awesome because she's my favorite. I am excited to see where the ACOTAR series goes after reading this book.

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beckyremillard's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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