A review by ladylaelae
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

4.0 stars to improve on my rating from the first book, House of Earth and Blood, because this one gripped me even more than the first one did.

With the pains of worldbuilding now behind us from the first book in this series, House of Sky and Breath is able to expand on the world through plot and character story. Bryce ascended to rival my love for SJM's other female protagonists - Aelin and Feyre - while Hunt, the primary male character, ascended entirely past almost all other male protagonists in her books for me, taking the top spot alongside Lucien Vanserra from ACOTAR. 

As I said in my HOEAB review, if you manage your expectations when reading SJM's books and others like them, you will find it much easier to immerse yourself in the world and enjoy it. This book boasts a mountain of tropes: enemies-to-lovers, touch-her-and-die, morally ambiguous characters masking a softer heart inside, the idea of fated mates, and powerful magic and skills being given to main characters. It also boasts a larger cast of side characters that steal the scene when they are in it
(looking at you, Lidia)
, and has an ending that gripped me in iron claws and had me frothing at the mouth for the next installment of the series - now coming early 2024!  

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