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A review by cassidy_rain
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
“The friends they’d made were what mattered in the end. Not the enemies. Through love, all is possible.”
*Possible spoilers if you haven’t read the first books in the series*
Another fun installment in the Crescent City series. The side characters were really the stars of the show this time around, in my opinion. I absolutely love Ruhn and Lidia, both separately and together. The crossover with ACOTAR (and a little bit TOG) is just fabulous. I was never a huge Nesta fan, but her character really shines in this. Hypaxia is incredible! A lot of things tie together really nicely in this one and I love the found family/power of friendship themes throughout.
Some things that were not my fave- this one felt pretty choppy as I read through it. The perspective sometimes changes multiple times in one chapter and feels a bit like whiplash. I hate to say this, because I loved them in the first two books, but I just didn’t really feel the chemistry between Bryce and Hunt in this one. I don’t think there was much development between them. They tell each other they’re so deeply in love but I just didn’t feel it. Also, the story structure is so repetitive to her other novels. This doesn’t typically bother me, but it really lessens the stakes. Nothing was shocking. Insanely powerful FMC must sacrifice herself for the good of all, dies in the process, but inevitably will be brought back to life. Battles won super easily. Where have we seen this before?
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book, I just liked the first two a bit more! At the end of the day, Sarah J Maas creates such great fantasy worlds that I love to get lost in. I’m officially caught up in the universe!
*Possible spoilers if you haven’t read the first books in the series*
Another fun installment in the Crescent City series. The side characters were really the stars of the show this time around, in my opinion. I absolutely love Ruhn and Lidia, both separately and together. The crossover with ACOTAR (and a little bit TOG) is just fabulous. I was never a huge Nesta fan, but her character really shines in this. Hypaxia is incredible! A lot of things tie together really nicely in this one and I love the found family/power of friendship themes throughout.
Some things that were not my fave- this one felt pretty choppy as I read through it. The perspective sometimes changes multiple times in one chapter and feels a bit like whiplash. I hate to say this, because I loved them in the first two books, but I just didn’t really feel the chemistry between Bryce and Hunt in this one. I don’t think there was much development between them. They tell each other they’re so deeply in love but I just didn’t feel it. Also, the story structure is so repetitive to her other novels. This doesn’t typically bother me, but it really lessens the stakes. Nothing was shocking.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book, I just liked the first two a bit more! At the end of the day, Sarah J Maas creates such great fantasy worlds that I love to get lost in. I’m officially caught up in the universe!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Violence