Renowned fantasy author Sarah J. Maas released the third installment in her bestselling “Crescent City” series, “House of Flame and Shadow.” Fans of Maas have been anxiously waiting for book three after a heart wrenching cliffhanger from the second book, “House of Sky and Breath.” “House of Flame and Shadow” sparked conversations on BookTok for predictions of the awaited novel, pushing fans to the edge of their seats.
As an avid reader of everything Maas, her new book was one that I was anxiously waiting for. With her relatable and colorful characters, complex worldbuilding and warm found family themes, the series will have you jumping right into the story to join in on the action. Gut-wrenching scenes and chemistry that meets no bounds will have you coming back to this book for more.
Maas’s new novel is a multiple point-of-view novel that switches perspective every chapter. Multiple stories are all thrown at you at once, giving you a look into all the different lives of the characters and how they interact with each other. The points of view are from all of our loyal friends: Hunt, Bryce, Tharion, Ithan, Lidia, Ruhn and more. All the characters take you on a journey of suspense, mystery, romance and blindsides that will have you falling into the story and never wanting to come out.
The book starts off right from the end of the second book with Bryce waking up in another world outside of her own. Bryce, now alone and lost, is left to figure out why she was sent there and how she must get home. With unrest in Midgard and her mate back home and in danger, Bryce will do anything to get back there and save those she loves.
Hunt is once again back in the position he was before he met the love of his life and mate. With their mission failed, Hunt, Ruhn and Baxian must pay the price for their defiance of the Asteri, locked up in the Asteri’s dungeon and sanctioned to torture. Hunt is desperate to get out of his chains and help find Bryce and bring her home. Ruhn, Hunt and Baxian will do anything to save Bryce and let her get the time she needs in order to save Midgard from destruction.
Maas brings back her fun, witty banter and adventure-packed scenes that makes her complex fantasy worlds come to life. Her enthusiasm and drive to create such a compelling world is shown through the multiple spellbinding adventure scenes that make you forget you are reading words off a page. “House of Flame and Shadow” is unlike any of her other books because of the amount of action-packed and banter-filled scenes that make you feel right at home.
Throughout the book, I found myself so lost in the world that I started to believe I was in the story. Her scene-setting details and ability to capture every little interaction puts you right into the story as your own character. The love between every character, platonic and romantic, knows no bounds and creates such a scene of familiarity. This book may take a while to get into, much like any high fantasy novel, but once you are in, you will never be let out.
One word of advice is to read the other “Crescent City” books as well as the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series in order to understand everything that goes on in the book. Characters from both series are present in the book and provide a sense of a multiverse into the book series. Get ready for worlds to collide and relationships to meet beyond the bounds of their worlds.
If you are looking to go on an adventure through other worlds and ache to have your own found family, then give this book a try. It may look daunting at first, with 838 pages, but I promise it is worth the read.
Rating: 5/5 stars
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @sarahjmaas, Instagram
