A review by elthechameleon
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was messy. I really hope this isn’t the end of the stories from Midgard because all of this felt far too rushed. It would have made much more sense if this was the penultimate book because everything felt far too easy, almost like a character collecting all the awards before easily conquering a final boss in an OG platformer video game. 

There were no stakes. 

I loved the way the book ended and started, but a lot of plotlines didn’t need to exist or continue, and the characters made some choices throughout the journey that felt really at odds with who I thought they were. It feels like SJM wanted a clear exit from Lunathion and easily transition back to ACOTAR, which is sad because I had really started to love it.

Also, why have a crossover at all if it’s so small and doesn’t actually lead to them teaming up in any meaningful way?


I wanted and hoped for better with this book. I felt like I read 16 books in the Maasverse only to be let down by odd choices, fast pacing, weird focus on troubled characters (Ithan), and inappropriate flirting during fight scenes (Ruhn). 
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