It’s time for one of my favorite posts to write: a ramble review/thoughts collection of the latest Sarah J. Maas book! I finished the third book in the Crescent City series, House of Flame and Shadow, last weekend, and I have spent some time taking in reviews – I recommend checking out The Bookish Life of Jess and Tori’s podcast episode and Jared and Lindsey’s POV reaction video. It took me about a week to finish House of Flame and Shadow, reading it from Saturday to Saturday – I thought I would take longer, as I had been reading anywhere from 50-100 pages a day, but I ended up devouring the last 200 pages in my final sitting. My post will contain spoilers for the Crescent City and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. 

Before spoilers, you should know that House of Flame and Shadow (HOFAS) is definitely a favorite book of the year. As of right now, it’s the best book I’ve read so far in 2024, even though SJM’s books are so different from what I normally read (with maybe the exception of Fourth Wing, but there’s still something so distinct about SJM’s work from other romantasy) and they’re just always five out of five stars for me because I just love the reading experience so much. My spoiler thoughts are beginning right below the picture of the Crescent City series. 

SPOILER THOUGHTS:

HOWEVER, this book wasn’t my #1 FAVORITE SJM book. Some of the magic and gods explanations, especially when Bryce is with Nesta and Azriel, and then later in the caves with her crew, and I had to revisit recaps of House of Sky and Breath to understand what was going on. I knew I’d eventually understand all the connections between Bryce and the history of her ancestors and their magic by the end, but I was also bogged down by some of the information dumps that were hard to understand. I also likely should’ve reread HOSAB before reading HOFAS, but recaps definitely helped –  this HOSAB recap from Lindsey was a life saver. 

I really enjoyed the suspense and build-up throughout the book, but I especially Ioved the tension and suspense towards the end. And yes,  I loveddd the ending. I know there have been some comparisons to the third ACOTAR book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, due to the sacrifice and then saving  and how the book mostly wraps up quite neatly (although SJM apparently has plans for a fourth CC book titled after the fourth house), but guess what? I love this!! Maybe it’s because I am mostly a contemporary romance reader and I’m so used to the happily ever after, but I loved getting a satisfying ending. Some have also argued that there should have been more deaths, but I agree with the side that argues that we get a lot of loss in House of Earth and Blood between Danika, Connor, the rest of the pack, and a certain sprite alone that we don’t need to keep getting loss after loss in each book. And yes, I did cry within the last 40 pages, specifically when Bryce gets to revisit some of those characters. 

While HOFAS has a neat ending, there’s still room to explore this new society. I’m curious to see which character a fourth CC book would follow. Listen, I will always take a Bryce book, and House of Flame and Shadow had so many different character perspectives that I think it doesn’t necessarily matter who the main character is. BUT right now, my mind goes to Lydia, one because she seems to be the fan favorite character right now. I think there could still be a lot to unpack from her past and how she may support the new society post Asteri. Like the popular fan reaction, Ruhn and Lydia were my favorite couple in the book. While I still love Bryce and Hunt, I wish we got more from them. Granted, the story is set during the biggest war yet, but there’s a lot of tension and anger between them. I liked the Barnes and Noble bonus scene following them that shows a lighter side that I feel like we experienced more in House of Earth and Blood. Also, please continue to give me all of the Jelly Jubilee joy from Bryce. I also really liked getting Ithan’s pov, mostly because he works with Jesiba, who is one of my favorite SJM characters and I loved getting to learn her full story. 

However, as expected, I’d argue that there is even more set-up for the next ACOTAR novel. While I think the next book will likely follow a member of the Night Court we haven’t read from yet, Azriel, I am honestly hoping for a repeat POV of Nesta!! Nesta is my favorite character from the ACOTAR world. A Court of Silver Flames might just be my favorite ACOTAR book (sorry, ACOMAF), and I loved seeing her again in this book. We learn even more about her power in HOFAS. I’m assuming she may take on a similar journey as Bryceand see what else she is capable of.In regards to Nesta too, I loved the interactions between Ember and Nesta. This is where I wish there was an easy way to access all the HOFAS bonus scenes because I want to read Ember’s bonus story. I bought the Barnes & Noble special edition with a bonus scene that features Bryce & Hunt that was laugh-out-loud funny. I’m really not about special editions and buying multiple copies of the same book these days, so while part of me wants to drop at least $90 on getting the editions with Danika and Bryce, Ruhn & Lydia, and Ember’s bonus scenes, I’m hoping they’ll be more accessible one day. Back to multiple perspectives though, maybe we will get a cross over POV novel that features Nesta and Azriel as the leads. I also love the speculation based on SJM’s Today interview that there is another Throne of Glass book coming our way. I caught on to some of the Wyrd references in HOFAS, so I’m wondering if a new TOG book would follow a different character set after the ending of Kingdom of Ash and maybe combine what SJM used to tease about The World of Throne of Glass, which was supposed to follow the TOG characters ten or fifteen years after the ending of the book. 

Overall, House of Flame and Shadows was another satisfying Sarah J. Mass book that ultimately keeps me and makes me more excited about what she has up her sleeve next!

Have you read HOFAS yet? What’s your favorite Sarah J. Maas series? Share in the comments!