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neliadiedenise's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Sexism, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Sexual assault, Classism, Vomit, Body horror, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Death, Excrement, Gore, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My summary: After everything goes terribly wrong in their stand against the Asteri, Hunt, Ruhn and Baxian are now being tortured in the Asteri dungeon and Bryce is—gone. Bryce has found her way to another world and is now desperate to return to Midgard in her quest to save it. Tharion has returned to Lunathion and is fighting for the Viper Queen in her ring, as he promised before everything went sideways with the Asteri and Ophion. Ithan, Flynn, and Declan are trying to get any intel of what’s happening to Bryce, Ruhn and Hunt. When help comes from unexpected places to break Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxian from the clutches of the Asteri, Bryce and Hunt must continue fighting to save their world, but with impossible odds stacked against them.
My thoughts: I loved it. I love the entire Crescent City series. I love ACOTAR too and the blending of the two worlds was the cherry on top. I’m not going to lie, this one took me awhile to get through. There is just SO MUCH packed in here. I loved all of the main characters and the way Sarah J. Maas wove their stories together and switched between the character’s points of view. True to every other book Sarah J. Maas writes, all hell breaks loose in the last hundred or so pages. I know there is supposed to be at least one more Crescent City book, but I’m content with the ending of this one. I feel like the series *could* end here, even though I am excited for the eventual continuation of the series, and for the foreshadowing of what is to come in the ACOTAR series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, War, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Slavery
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
dulcyj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, Death of parent, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery, Vomit, and Blood
Minor: Grief, Sexual content, and Child death
spicyspookypotato's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Cursing, Blood, Death, Violence, Torture, Gore, Confinement, War, and Murder
tinkerbelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i dont like that people are mad about this book, i think it wraps up the trilogy perfectly and i was glad to find that it wasnt all about bryce this time.
really excited to see what else sjm has to offer!!
really excited to see what else sjm has to offer!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gore, Torture, War, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, and Death
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
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.
"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 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, Murder, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
cheseliz's review against another edition
3.0
I will say that this book had a lot more intriguing moments and fun action sequences than the other two. However, there were still way too many characters (who were each referred to by multiple names and titles, making it more confusing at times) and a lot of info dumps that slowed down pacing. Some of the POVs I enjoyed following, but there were a few I could have done without or had brief overviews of their plotlines given to other character POVs. I’m uncertain if this is supposed to be the final book or not… a lot happened, but not everything seems to be tied off, like SJM might have left an opening for another book.
Contains:
-Sexual Content
-Violence
-Torture
-Abuse
-Language
Contains:
-Sexual Content
-Violence
-Torture
-Abuse
-Language
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Sexual content, Murder, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
madmadmaddymad's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The crossover chapters were the best part of this book, and all too soon… it was over.
I lived for the Prythian portion, I suffered through the Crescent City portion. But SJM of course delivered her signature steamy sex and heart-pounding action, so what more could I ask for?
It was en enjoyable book.
I lived for the Prythian portion, I suffered through the Crescent City portion. But SJM of course delivered her signature steamy sex and heart-pounding action, so what more could I ask for?
It was en enjoyable book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, and Violence
aloveh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, War, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Violence, Self harm, Genocide, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Sexual violence, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Addiction
cha_len_novels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Through love, all is possible.”
― Sarah J. Maas, House of Flame and Shadow
Through power ups, and parasites, info dumping and plot twists, dead and undead, mech suits and demons, love and possibilities; we have come to the end. Lets be honest, Sarah. J Maas owns my soul at this point. I wouldn't say this book checked all the boxes but I enjoyed it nonetheless. You had to have a certain understanding of how the MC characters were being portrayed ( without comparing them to other Maas MCs) to really enjoy this book. A few plots did feel unnecessary. Going off ACOTARs style the fourth book may be following our secondary characters and answer some unfinished business/debts/plot holes .
P.S Day+ Night are carried this book for me 💕.
― Sarah J. Maas, House of Flame and Shadow
Through power ups, and parasites, info dumping and plot twists, dead and undead, mech suits and demons, love and possibilities; we have come to the end. Lets be honest, Sarah. J Maas owns my soul at this point. I wouldn't say this book checked all the boxes but I enjoyed it nonetheless. You had to have a certain understanding of how the MC characters were being portrayed ( without comparing them to other Maas MCs) to really enjoy this book. A few plots did feel unnecessary. Going off ACOTARs style the fourth book may be following our secondary characters and answer some unfinished business/debts/plot holes .
P.S Day+ Night are carried this book for me 💕.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, War, Sexual content, Misogyny, Violence, and Emotional abuse