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A review by lovelymisanthrope
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
After the cliffhanger ending of "House of Sky and Breath", I was dying to see what happened next in the Crescent City saga.
"House of Flame and Shadow" picks up right where "House of Sky and Breath" left off. Bryce has somehow managed to find herself in an entirely different world, AKA the world of "A Court of Thorns and Roses". She has met Rysand, Nesta, and the rest of the ACOTAR crew, but she has no idea how to return back to her home of Midgard. She knows Hunt is waiting for her, and she is desperate to find the answers to finally stop the Asteri from their reign of terror.
I was so excited to see the Sarah J. Maas worlds collide, but I was honestly a little underwhelmed with the execution. Rysand was in the story maybe twice, which is fine, but I think "House of Sky and Breath" set us up to believe we would be seeing more of him. Bryce's interactions are more centered around Nesta, which again is fine, but she was never my favorite from the series. I think this merging of universes was a great idea in theory, but we needed more to make it satisfying.
I understand Bryce is going through a lot, and she has lost a lot of people she really cared about, but my, oh my, was she insufferable in this book. All of her decisions were questionable, and I think she does not have the backbone to be a leader. She is so critical of Hunt, and treats him horribly throughout most of this book, which blew my mind because he went out of his way to take such good care of her in the pervious book. She either trusts him or she does not, but she cannot have it both ways. She also treats Nesta atrociously and sets her up to maybe be killed...? How can you ask for someone's help and then treat them like that? And then she proceeds to go back and ask Nesta for a huge favor?!? Bryce is by far my least favorite Sarah J. Maas protagonist.
The ending was the biggest let down for me. Sarah J. Maas is clearly an experienced author, but the final scene screamed amateur to me. Everything was far too convenient for the characters and everything just fell into place perfectly. Bryce 1000% should have died based on her actions and opening a black hole, but she is saved at the last second? The story does conclude neatly, and I do not see a need to continue this series.
Will I continue to read from Sarah J. Maas in the future? Yes. Will I continue in this series if more books are added? Probably, but more so out of curiosity for what the hell could be added than my own actual invested interest.
"House of Flame and Shadow" picks up right where "House of Sky and Breath" left off. Bryce has somehow managed to find herself in an entirely different world, AKA the world of "A Court of Thorns and Roses". She has met Rysand, Nesta, and the rest of the ACOTAR crew, but she has no idea how to return back to her home of Midgard. She knows Hunt is waiting for her, and she is desperate to find the answers to finally stop the Asteri from their reign of terror.
I understand Bryce is going through a lot, and she has lost a lot of people she really cared about, but my, oh my, was she insufferable in this book. All of her decisions were questionable, and I think she does not have the backbone to be a leader. She is so critical of Hunt, and treats him horribly throughout most of this book, which blew my mind because he went out of his way to take such good care of her in the pervious book. She either trusts him or she does not, but she cannot have it both ways. She also treats Nesta atrociously and sets her up to maybe be killed...? How can you ask for someone's help and then treat them like that? And then she proceeds to go back and ask Nesta for a huge favor?!? Bryce is by far my least favorite Sarah J. Maas protagonist.
The ending was the biggest let down for me. Sarah J. Maas is clearly an experienced author, but the final scene screamed amateur to me. Everything was far too convenient for the characters and everything just fell into place perfectly. Bryce 1000% should have died based on her actions and opening a black hole, but she is saved at the last second? The story does conclude neatly, and I do not see a need to continue this series.
Will I continue to read from Sarah J. Maas in the future? Yes. Will I continue in this series if more books are added? Probably, but more so out of curiosity for what the hell could be added than my own actual invested interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, Murder, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship