A (Very Conflicted) Review for “Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow” by Sarah J. Maas

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas is book three in the Crescent City series. I have read the first two books, you can find those reviews here. I’ve also read every other book Maas has written so I have a pretty good idea what to expect from her. She isn’t my favorite author but I do tend to enjoy her books. Unfortunately, though, I haven’t been impressed with her last few releases and House of Flame and Shadow is no exception. This review will have spoilers.

I like to give a heat level rating for all books with romance. If you’re curious about my rating system, you can check it out here.

Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts:

• Rating-
• Heat Level- 

Though I’m rating this book at two stars, it was more of a 2.5 star read. I initially gave it four stars but the more I thought about it, the more issues I had. There’s a lot I want to talk about so I’m going to break my review into sections. I’m not writing this in any particular order; it’s just as I happen to remember things.

• Hunt and Bryce

They both suck, especially Bryce. Bryce became this super rude, snarky, all powerful character that I just didn’t vibe with. I loved her in the first book but her character arc didn’t do it for me. She has no flaws and there’s nothing she can’t do; that makes for a very boring main character. Hunt is only there to be Bryce’s hype man. Their romance is almost nonexistent. You’re telling me that he was held captive and tortured, all the while not knowing if Bryce was even alive, and when they’re reunited they barely acknowledge each other?? What??? I felt more chemistry between Bryce and Azriel. Speaking of Azriel…

• The ACOTAR Crossover

I really enjoyed the crossover and I felt that Maas did a great job with it. Bryce isn’t in Prythian long and she’s primarily with Nesta and Azriel. The worlds, while connected, still feel separate and I’m glad because I much prefer ACOTAR to CC.

• Ruhn and Lidia

These two were the best part of this whole book, in my opinion. I love them separately and together. Their story did wrap up a little too perfectly, though and I would have liked a bit more drama. I’m also tired of every relationship ending with them being ✨mates✨

• Ithan and Tharion

I could not have cared about these two any less. There were a few moments with Ithan that I enjoyed, like when he’s able to talk to Connor again, but WHY did these two get so much page time?? I swear, we heard from them more than Ruhn or Hunt. They did nothing interesting enough to warrant so much of this book’s focus.

• Side Characters

Please tell me why there are so many side characters😩 June, Fury, Hypaxia and the other 500 random people were just unnecessary. I was also very disappointed with the Autumn King’s story line. I knew he wasn’t good but I thought he’d have an interesting role or twist. This book, though, turns him into a stereotypical villain and Bryce kills him. It was very uninteresting and uncreative.

• The Princes of Hel

These guys were just an absolute flop. I thought they were going to be so cool and they were boring.

• The Story Overall

This book is over 800 pages long and I had to force myself to read most of it. I don’t care how long a story is. If it’s compelling and the passion is there, I will fly through it. Manacled by SenYinLu instantly comes to mind. It’s just as long, if not longer than this one and I read it in two days. House of Flame and Shadow needed more drama and high stakes overall. Maas never kills her darlings and at this point, it’s starting to hinder my enjoyment of her books. There’s no real consequences and if someone dies, you know they’re only going to be dead for a few chapters.

Also, can we please stop the rapid POV changes? It was so beyond confusing.

Final Thoughts:

If I thought about it long enough, I’m sure I could come up with more to complain about. In my personal opinion, this book isn’t awful but it’s not good. I think Sarah J. Maas has gotten lazy and started to run out of ideas. I also think that she must be surrounded by yes men who aren’t pointing out these issues. The next book she plans to write is in the ACOTAR world and is supposedly Azriel’s story. If I don’t enjoy it, I may be done with her work. As always, different opinions are welcome and I’d love to know what you think. Thanks for reading and have a great day!