Review: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas | An epic and emotional conclusion

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Spoilers ahead!

Rating: 4.5/5

    House of Flame and Shadow was my most anticipated read of the year, and thankfully, it did not disappoint. Jumping into this book straight after my re-read of House of Sky and Breath, I was immediately absorbed and could not put the book down. The book is intense: the plot is heavy and fast and there are a lot of character storylines, with their associated emotional baggage. I personally liked most of the storylines and POVs, although in the beginning, my investment in Tharion's storyline lagged a bit. However, I eventually became interested, especially when he was paired up with my queen Sathia. Let's talk about all the positives I found in this book:

• The plot is incredibly exciting and to a great extent unpredictable. I found myself surprised at several points, like when Sigrid was killed in a fight against Ithan and then turned into a reaper, when Bryce sent her parents across a portal to Prythian, and when Tharion is paired up with Flynn's sister, Sathia. There are many more, but the point is, I appreciated the fact that I couldn't predict the plot and was kept at the edge of my seat. Moreover, I felt the emotional impact and intensity of the events in part 3 in particular and teared up many times.
• LIDIA CERVOS: Now, I am usually a main character girlie: I'm most invested in the main character and my love for side characters rarely eclipses that. Nevertheless, Lidia Cervos carries House of Flame and Shadow on her back. From the incredible reveals about her character, her strength and quiet conviction, to her journey, she was just excellent. Lidia upstages the main characters, and along with Ruhn, upstages Bryce & Hunt as the most interesting romantic couple. At every point, Lidia outshines, outdoes, and exceeds expectations, beginning to end. I especially loved her orchestration of the Hunt & Ruhn rescue mission and the hit on the spine...just chef's kiss. She MOTHERED (both literally and figuratively), as they say on Twitter. 

 

Art by Elizianna.the.one

It's rare to see a side character outshine the main character as much as Lidia Cervos does in this book. It's honestly offensive to call her a "side character" at this point, she is the main bitch. She is that girl. 

• The crossover: Of course, the thing most of us were desperately anticipating. While I was expecting more inner circle fluff including Feysand/Cassian/Elain, etc, I was not disappointed with the crossover content we got. Sarah J Maas writes this book knowing it's a Crescent City book, and the crossover content serves the Crescent City plot. I was delighted at Nesta being heavily featured because I love her character and I thought she really shined in this book. I always thought that Bryce and Nesta were similar and would be friends if they met so it's nice to see that come to fruition. I also loved the other crossover hints with the fae shifters from the Throne of Glass world, and how Lidia is basically Aelin's distant relative. I knew there was a reason I loved her so much! 
• House of Flame and Shadow is very cinematic, and the plot would be great for a TV show. The urban atmosphere is electric, with Bryce's neon-pink sneakers, characters escaping in unmarked white vans, and much more. I'm loving SJM's urban fantasy shift. 
• Most importantly, I love the message of this book. The characters here "clean house" as SJM called it. All the corrupt powers and systems are uprooted, and the end of the book really feels like a new era. I loved the message that systems of oppression reinforce each other: the Asteri's colonialism allowed Fae chauvinism and arrogance to fester, encouraged the cowardice of the wolves, turned beings into slaves of the republic, and allowed unrestricted preying on humans by Vanir. Oppression is systematic, and under it, everyone either suffers or directly benefits from the suffering of others. This theme was embedded into the narrative of HOFAS and is echoed every time one of the upholders of injustice was killed, and I really loved that. The idea that a group of people who care can rise up and form a new legacy, well, that's such a hopeful message and I only hope in the real world that we can get even a bit close to that.
• I additionally loved how the title of the book corresponded to the settings of the story. We have a lot of encounters with members of the House of Flame and Shadow and its key locations, so the title feels intentional and sensical. I love it when things come together like that.
• For some people, this is a drawback, but I LOVED how no one died. My life is stressful sometimes and the last thing I want is for a book to rip me apart. I think a great author can give me an emotional punch without killing off a character and completely destroying the reader, and for me, this expectation was met in HOFAS.

Despite really enjoying this book, there were some drawbacks:

• I noticed some inconsistencies in the book. For example, Bryce gets informed about Cormac's death in HOSAB but she gets surprised again in HOFAS. Also, when Bryce is in Prythian, she comes across a chasm in the tunnels with Azriel and Nesta and they make this whole deal about how Azriel can't fly through it so Bryce has to teleport. Did they forget that Azriel can winnow? Or is it just because of Nesta & Azriel's distrust that they let Bryce figure it out to see what she would do? If so, then it needed to be acknowledged on the page. I know a writer is only human at the end of the day and mistakes happen despite your best intentions, but SJM clearly needs a bigger/better editing team to keep track of everything. 
• This isn't fully a drawback because I did mostly like Bryce & Hunt in this book, but as I mentioned, they were effortlessly outshined by other characters. I enjoyed Bryce's drama and jokes, but I was not as attached to her or to Hunt as I have been in previous books. Although I felt the conflict between them was acknowledged and solved by the end of the book, they were just missing that spark they had in HOEAB. However, I did like the flaws in Bryce's character, like how it is acknowledged that she is capricious and self-righteous, and in a way I thought her character was comparable to the other non-evil power players like the Ocean Queen and Jesiba, showing how she has the authority, charisma, and conviction to be a leader in this world. Despite my misgivings, I'm gonna miss her and this epic journey a lot 😭.

Love this fanart of Bryce by luaartiste

    Overall, this book was such an entertaining read and I absolutely adored being enveloped in it. I was hit with a burst of nostalgia while reading and SJM's writing was so familiar that it felt like being around family in a little comfort bubble. I can't explain it, but these books just satisfy me and bring me so much joy and I really needed that. I've been walking around feeling so empty after being entirely consumed and hooked on this book for a few days. I almost want to re-read immediately, but I think I need to let the book and my thoughts settle in my mind. Now I'm off to read the bonus chapters which I saved for now so I could still have a bit more of this world.

What are your thoughts about HOFAS? Did you enjoy the crossover?