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A review by emilynied
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
I really liked this book and the ending made it a four star for me! Bryce continued to be a badass and I kinda liked how she and Hunt took a little breather cause I kind of hate when relationships just dive in 100% way too quick (even though I read like 800 pages of them pining over one another and falling in love). So while it seemed kind of random, especially with the end of the last book, I kind of liked the change of pace for their relationship -- and it made the tension so much better and the actually getting together a lot more enjoyable for me to read about.
Like the first book, I don't really think this needed to be so long. I listened to part of it as an audiobook which was nice because I was pretty busy packing but if I had been reading off the page, I think I would have gotten a little exhausted from reading so much of the background..Honestly, looking back, there's a lot of parts to this plot that I probably couldn't explain from memory because there was so much that happened.
I also really loved Ruhn's storyline in this book and his character felt a lot more developed than the last. We got more insight into his goals and fears and his relationship with his dad and friends. The whole night/day thing is kind of cliche but I loved every second of it lol. I kind of knew who it was the whole time because of spoilers but I still enjoyed it and made finding little clues throughout the book pretty exciting.
The side characters, like the last book, made this book really good. The world building continued to work really well and was so in-depth. I feel like I can imagine every neighborhood in Crescent City from downtown to the river.
And I just need to talk about that ending...WOW. That's what made this book a high rating for me because I was on the edge of my seat for the last 100 pages. So, beware, there may be spoilers below this point in the review... The end reminded me of A Court of Wings and Ruin in a way - they sneak into a heavily guarded palace and try to take something, end up discovering so much more and get caught. But this just took it to the next level...I loved the reveal with Lidia (even though I was kind of expecting it because of some spoilers) and the intensity was SO FUN TO READ. The last 20 pages had me SCREAMING. Moments like this are why I read books, so that make this book pretty special for me :) I am so excited to read the next!
Like the first book, I don't really think this needed to be so long. I listened to part of it as an audiobook which was nice because I was pretty busy packing but if I had been reading off the page, I think I would have gotten a little exhausted from reading so much of the background..Honestly, looking back, there's a lot of parts to this plot that I probably couldn't explain from memory because there was so much that happened.
I also really loved Ruhn's storyline in this book and his character felt a lot more developed than the last. We got more insight into his goals and fears and his relationship with his dad and friends. The whole night/day thing is kind of cliche but I loved every second of it lol. I kind of knew who it was the whole time because of spoilers but I still enjoyed it and made finding little clues throughout the book pretty exciting.
The side characters, like the last book, made this book really good. The world building continued to work really well and was so in-depth. I feel like I can imagine every neighborhood in Crescent City from downtown to the river.
And I just need to talk about that ending...WOW. That's what made this book a high rating for me because I was on the edge of my seat for the last 100 pages. So, beware, there may be spoilers below this point in the review... The end reminded me of A Court of Wings and Ruin in a way - they sneak into a heavily guarded palace and try to take something, end up discovering so much more and get caught. But this just took it to the next level...I loved the reveal with Lidia (even though I was kind of expecting it because of some spoilers) and the intensity was SO FUN TO READ. The last 20 pages had me SCREAMING. Moments like this are why I read books, so that make this book pretty special for me :) I am so excited to read the next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence