City of Deja

Earlier this year, I attended the midnight release for House of Flame and Shadow, the third installment in Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series. I dragged along two friends (one of which was in the middle of book two, House of Sky and Breath, and one who hadn’t read the series at all), and we lingered around Barnes and Noble for a solid three hours as we counted down the seconds until midnight among at least a hundred other SJM fans. All this to say, I was genuinely excited to read this book.

However, upon finishing the 800 plus page tome, one thought continued to resurface: was all the fanfare worth it?

This review will include spoilers for the Crescent City series.

About the Book

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

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 (via Goodreads).

Review

Sarah J. Maas has a formula to her books. Strong female protagonist meets brawny, devil-may-care male lead, a band of friends is formed, and they are all tasked with saving the world as they know it. Throw in a nice portion of romance, a 200 page falling action sequence, and then things are tied up in a neat, little bow in the end.

Granted, I’ve only read her A Court of Thorns and Roses series in its entirety (plus the first four Throne of Glass books), but this outline seems to still fit. For her third series, I didn’t expect much of a shift, but the tropes were beginning to wear a bit thin in the first half.

As a novel, House of Flame and Shadow seemed to be flying by the seat of its pants as far as a central plot. A lot of the scenes were fueled by characters either making things happen by sheer willpower, clunky convenient magical inventions, or long-winded explanations of the world’s history that were literally written on (cave) walls. At about the half-way point, all I could do was laugh at just how unsophisticated the plotting and character work was. But within my humor I began to wonder if that laughter was the point? To write the cheesiest, most light-hearted fantasy book that mashed together all the tropes that had worked so well in the past. I posit that the answer is yes.

What bled off of the pages of HOFAS was the sheer joy that I’m sure SJM experienced while writing this book. It’s shown through the jokes that the characters tell to one another, the misplaced romantic scenes, and definitely in the final battle scenes where “through love all is possible” is the central motto. It’s cheese to the max, but it worked for me. HOFAS, and the Crescent City series in its entirety, is SJM showing her hand and becoming self-aware. The cross-over with characters from ACOTAR made this sentiment ring even more true for me. Why not give into the fan service a little if the product is an easily digestible cotton candy read? I deeply appreciated how much of a literal escape this book was, and how much of a page-turner I found the second half to be. I will definitely forget all the details within a few months, but hey, it was a fun ride no less.

So was all the fanfare worth it? I’d say that it was. House of Flame and Shadow proved that I know precisely what I’m in for when I’m opening up a Sarah J. Maas book. And sometimes, that sense of comfort and familiarity is exactly what I want.

My Ratings

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