*Spoiler Warning*
Sarah J. Maas’ latest installment in the “Crescent City” series, eagerly awaited by fans, fell short of expectations and instead proved to be predictable, tedious and uncharacteristically not a masterpiece.
In “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third book in Maas’ series released on Jan. 30, 2024, we continue to follow Bryce Quinlan’s journey as she navigates a perilous world, striving to overthrow the Asteri while safeguarding her loved ones in the process. The book maintains its familiar structure, narrating chapters and plotlines from different characters’ points of view, including Bryce’s love interest Hunt Athalar, Bryce’s brother Ruhn Danaan and Bryce’s childhood friend and former love interest’s sibling Ithan Holstrom.
With the heightened anticipation fueled by the crossover with Maas’ “A Court of Mist and Fury” (ACOMAF) characters at the previous book’s conclusion, readers anticipated the continuation of thrilling twists and turns. However, the promised excitement dissipated as the storyline unfolds, leaving behind unfulfilled expectations. Despite the buzz generated by TikTok theories, the novel fails to deliver the gripping and unexpected moments characteristic of Maas’ earlier works.
Readers may wonder whether Maas has lost her touch or if her previous successes have overshadowed her latest endeavors.
Maas’ falling short of expectations
The book starts strong for the first few chapters but soon loses its thunder after Bryce is left with only two, albeit popular, ACOMAF characters. Traveling with Azriel and Nesta through the dungeons of Velaris that eventually lead them to the “Prison” — a mountain on an island in the Western Isles that holds Prythian’s most dangerous criminals and creatures — their journey becomes fundamentally repetitive.
While the characters learn about each other and Bryce acquires important information that she later uses, the readers are left feeling stranded in learning repetitive plot points of both stories, such as Nesta’s power over the “Dead Trove” and Bryce’s powers, as well as monotonous plot twists, including Bryce trying to escape and once again being caught by Azriel or Nesta.
Come page 274, a sudden and brisk farewell transpires between characters from both realms, leaving readers with a sense of astonishment and a lingering query: Is this brief encounter the sole connection we will be given after two years of anticipation?
While the narrative maintains an exhilarating pace teamed with pivotal moments, the frequent shifts in point of view are disorienting and left me jarred and with a little whiplash. In “Part One: The Drop,” there is a rapid switch between points of view, controversially between chapters themselves, and sometimes as often as every page and a half.
A larger letdown, one hundreds of readers were disheartened by, is the absence of “Throne of Glass” characters despite consistent references to the series throughout the narrative and the title of the book itself. The anticipation for an ultimate crossover between all three of Maas’ romantasy worlds is unmet, and the sparse crossover that did occur falls short of expectations. The hope for a narrative akin to Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” is unsatisfied and prompts questions of whether this is merely a ploy for monetary gain on Maas’ part.
The reunion scene between Bryce and Hunt lacks the expected sparks and Bryce’s portrayal as a queen is marred by her constant irrational and impulsive decisions. In contrast, characters like Aelin from “Throne of Glass” are able to justify their (valid) actions with altruistic outcomes while showcasing hardcore resilience and wicked intelligence in the process.
The prevalent and consistent use of profanity throughout the book feels akin to a teenager discovering the existence of cuss words for the first time. Maybe I am biased and appreciate a main character who can argue intelligently without sounding barbaric in the process like Aelin and Feyre. However, I do recognize that the plot unfolds within a modern setting where the language mirrors contemporary colloquialisms. Still, I feel it was excessive and somewhat jarring for the main characters to employ profanity on nearly every page, particularly in confrontations with antagonists where one expects more nuanced dialogue.
My last line of complaint centers on the recurring theme of a female protagonist’s death being followed by their miraculous revival, a pattern evidenced across all of Maas’ worlds. While I appreciate the emotional impact of scenes where all main characters unite to mourn the hero, it is significantly diminished when it can be easily predicted that the protagonist will inevitably be resurrected. Personally, I think the narrative would have been more poignant had a main character such as Tharion or Lidia made an ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, similar to Lehabah in the first “Crescent City” book. Unfortunately, I fell victim to the TikTok theories and was convinced “Orion” Hunt Athalar would die and follow the Greek mythology story of Orion, a huntsman killed by his lover.
Compliments to Sarah J. Maas
While I have my disagreements with the book, it wouldn’t be a proper or fair book review if I didn’t also give my compliments to the chef. Indeed, no Sarah J. Maas book would be complete without its share of heart-stopping twists woven seamlessly throughout the narrative and culminating into a thrilling climax.
Lidia Cervos easily became one of my favorite “Crescent City” characters with her similarity and obvious relationship to our queen of fire from “Throne of Glass.” Her ultimate connection to Maas’ other series leaves our jaws dropped and our minds full of questions.
Ruhn’s killing of the Autumn King is a twist I least expected, but one I came to love. My expectation that he would become Bryce’s puppet was predictable, but the unforeseen twist of his ultimate demise at the hands of his son adds an extra layer of complexity and emotional depth.
Bryce’s mother’s connection and relationship with Nesta is one that has ultimately broken my heart into two pieces. Readers often advocate for complex characters, but the reception to Nesta’s storyline in “A Court of Silver Flames” has been largely negative. I, however, came to love her storyline and character development. Nesta’s obvious longing for a mother figure in her life mixed with an unexpected source of solace from Bryce’s mother evoked several emotions, some of which included heartbreak and joy; this dynamic ultimately destroyed me.
Ithan and the Valbaran Wolves’ obvious connection to the “Throne of Glass” shifters (and potentially Rowan) is shocking and made my heart spin with excitement. The possibility of Ithan being a descendant of Rowan and Aelin brought forth a variety of questions and feelings, including nostalgia.
Jesibas sacrifice. That is it. Those are all the words I have.
Despite Bryce not being my favorite amongst Maas’ female protagonists, it is noteworthy that she still has moments that resonate with me, eliciting shivers of empowerment. Her killing of the King of the Avallen Fae and calling herself his executioner before stabbing him with Truth-Teller made my jaw drop and my breath leave my chest. Bryce’s fearless retort to the Asteri, Eosphoros, when he declares it is time for her demise — “I think it’s your turn for that” — followed by her blowing up the firstlight core with the Godslayer Rifle has readers wishing they could be a fictional character.
Last but not least, Bryce giving Nesta the Starsword at the end of the book and saying the eight-pointed star is tattooed on Nesta for a reason and she must use the sword to figure out why made me both excited and nervous to read Maas’ next book in the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series. It has also made me question whether more crossovers are bound to happen in upcoming books.
Final Thoughts
In total, I would not claim this new book to be one of my favorites of Maas’. However, there were aspects of the book characteristic to her writing and world-building motives that made me exhilarated for any future ones. While I wish the crossover hadn’t been as underwhelming and the plotline hadn’t felt repetitive, claiming a book by Maas is anything less than great would be a lie. If there is one word of advice I could provide to readers before beginning their journey with this book, it would be to remember that it is Bryce’s story, not Rhysand’s or Feyre’s.
Brooke’s Book Rating: ★★★☆☆