Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - House of Flame and Shadow

Woof. Okay, I've loved SJM for 10 years. But this book was a slog.

Going from how much I loved Crescent City 1, and how I was starting to get annoyed with Bryce and Hunt in book 2, I thought 3 would have a lot of room for redemption. Instead it was almost 1000 pages of self-flagellation from the male characters, and gaslighting and narcissism from Bryce. Internal and external dialogues, infodumping (but not about anything interesting), and more of Bryce being incessantly full of attitude that really grated on my nerves by about halfway through.

I wish the editors had been allowed to do their jobs and cut so many unnecessary POVs and chapters. The characters all acted in toxic ways under the guise of "doing it for love". Meanwhile, what they were doing was just abuse and control. I essentially hate-read this til the end.

I really hope that we get better character arcs and plot for the next ACOTAR book, otherwise I'll be so sad!

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princessrory's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

After the cliffhanger ending of "House of Sky and Breath", I was dying to see what happened next in the Crescent City saga.
"House of Flame and Shadow" picks up right where "House of Sky and Breath" left off. Bryce has somehow managed to find herself in an entirely different world, AKA the world of "A Court of Thorns and Roses". She has met Rysand, Nesta, and the rest of the ACOTAR crew, but she has no idea how to return back to her home of Midgard. She knows Hunt is waiting for her, and she is desperate to find the answers to finally stop the Asteri from their reign of terror.

I was so excited to see the Sarah J. Maas worlds collide, but I was honestly a little underwhelmed with the execution. Rysand was in the story maybe twice, which is fine, but I think "House of Sky and Breath" set us up to believe we would be seeing more of him. Bryce's interactions are more centered around Nesta, which again is fine, but she was never my favorite from the series. I think this merging of universes was a great idea in theory, but we needed more to make it satisfying.
I understand Bryce is going through a lot, and she has lost a lot of people she really cared about, but my, oh my, was she insufferable in this book. All of her decisions were questionable, and I think she does not have the backbone to be a leader. She is so critical of Hunt, and treats him horribly throughout most of this book, which blew my mind because he went out of his way to take such good care of her in the pervious book. She either trusts him or she does not, but she cannot have it both ways. She also treats Nesta atrociously and sets her up to maybe be killed...? How can you ask for someone's help and then treat them like that? And then she proceeds to go back and ask Nesta for a huge favor?!? Bryce is by far my least favorite Sarah J. Maas protagonist.
The ending was the biggest let down for me. Sarah J. Maas is clearly an experienced author, but the final scene screamed amateur to me. Everything was far too convenient for the characters and everything just fell into place perfectly. Bryce 1000% should have died based on her actions and opening a black hole, but she is saved at the last second? The story does conclude neatly, and I do not see a need to continue this series.

Will I continue to read from Sarah J. Maas in the future? Yes. Will I continue in this series if more books are added? Probably, but more so out of curiosity for what the hell could be added than my own actual invested interest.

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savshanae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I have never been so disappointed by an SJM book and it’s RUINING me. If it was any other author, I probably would have DNF’d this book. So many words for so little to happen, the end left me shaking my head, and don’t even get me started on the lack of character consistency!
As one of my friends put it, “it feels like she flew too close to the sun” and I wouldn’t be sad to see this book dropped into the ocean forever.

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cdolbz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.0

I am only giving this book a 3 due to the scene where Bryce see's everyone while she's dead. Lidia truly carried the entire weight of this book. While I was shook Lidia has kids, I didn't find it to be of any importance of this book. Truly, nothing in this book made sense and it was highly disappointing. This was another big let down for me. I can't imagine if/what the next book will consist of. Ethan being prime?? Tharion?? 0 clue. I also felt the cross over was a bit bleh. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was let down. How tf does BRYCE steal from AZ? Also, for Nesta to just give the mask to Bryce? Truly, I wish I never read this book. I know have such a strong distaste for Bryce and I don't think I can bounce back from it. I have so much to SAY, but can't find the words to compose my thoughts. Will update this review when I come down from the anger of disappointment.

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