Scan barcode
A review by hollyhc_
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
Editing my review from 4 to 5 because even though this book was lacking in some places, it made me feel so many emotions and cry so much. I rate on vibes and how a book made me feel. Yes, there’s a lot going on but I was on a rollercoaster and loving every minute of it.
May contain some slight spoilers for the book.
There is so much I would like to say but I really don't want to spoil anything for those who have not finished the book yet.
I wanted to take some time to process after finishing. I'll be the first to admit that it would take a lot for me to not adore anything written by Sarah J Maas. I've seen some people say they didn't enjoy the pacing of Part 2 but I really didn't mind. Things still moved quite quickly in my opinion and it helped to keep track of all the storylines that are going on.
The introduction of new female POVs was welcomed and I adore Lidia Cervos. I have the biggest soft spot for morally grey women.
It did feel like too much was going on at times. I personally really enjoy the huge lore dumps and thoroughly enjoyed the nods to the other series.
Bryce and Ithan were both frustrating at times to me. I understand there was a huge burden upon Bryce's shoulders but she was very dismissive of Hunt's trauma.
In previous books, Sarah has handled multiple POVs better than in this instance. The jumping between different scenes within chapters threw things off at times and I would have preferred to finish one moment instead of moving between them.
Regarding the ACOTAR sections:
It's a hope of mine that perhaps seeing Nesta through the eyes of strangers will allow some readers to give her a bit more grace. I will happily die on my hill defending her. Some of her scenes really hurt my heart. Cannot wait to see how things progress in ACOTAR5. In terms of Az, I'm really looking forward to exploring more of his past. It's pretty clear at this point his POV will be one explored in the next ACOTAR novel.
The balance of ACOTAR scenes and CC felt right to me and I feel that anymore time spent in Velaris would have taken away from the fact that this is a CC novel.
To summarise, I didn't know a moment of peace. This was anxiety filled and I sobbed in numerous places. It really broke my heart and healed it all over again.
May contain some slight spoilers for the book.
There is so much I would like to say but I really don't want to spoil anything for those who have not finished the book yet.
I wanted to take some time to process after finishing. I'll be the first to admit that it would take a lot for me to not adore anything written by Sarah J Maas. I've seen some people say they didn't enjoy the pacing of Part 2 but I really didn't mind. Things still moved quite quickly in my opinion and it helped to keep track of all the storylines that are going on.
The introduction of new female POVs was welcomed and I adore Lidia Cervos. I have the biggest soft spot for morally grey women.
It did feel like too much was going on at times. I personally really enjoy the huge lore dumps and thoroughly enjoyed the nods to the other series.
Bryce and Ithan were both frustrating at times to me. I understand there was a huge burden upon Bryce's shoulders but she was very dismissive of Hunt's trauma.
In previous books, Sarah has handled multiple POVs better than in this instance. The jumping between different scenes within chapters threw things off at times and I would have preferred to finish one moment instead of moving between them.
Regarding the ACOTAR sections:
It's a hope of mine that perhaps seeing Nesta through the eyes of strangers will allow some readers to give her a bit more grace. I will happily die on my hill defending her. Some of her scenes really hurt my heart. Cannot wait to see how things progress in ACOTAR5. In terms of Az, I'm really looking forward to exploring more of his past. It's pretty clear at this point his POV will be one explored in the next ACOTAR novel.
The balance of ACOTAR scenes and CC felt right to me and I feel that anymore time spent in Velaris would have taken away from the fact that this is a CC novel.
To summarise, I didn't know a moment of peace. This was anxiety filled and I sobbed in numerous places. It really broke my heart and healed it all over again.