Book Review: "House of Flame and Shadow" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: House of Flame and Shadow

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: "Crescent City" #3

Page Length: 838 pages

Publication Date: January 30, 2024

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

Book 2 Review

*Non-spoiler for House of Flame and Shadow but it will contain major spoilers for previous books in the Crescent City series*

Okay y'all, we're about a month away from me having finished this book and I think I've settled my thoughts enough for a coherent review. I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book and how the series has progressed from the first book. I'll start by saying that objectively this is a 3-star book. But I do have a lot of love for the characters and world so I rated it 4-stars. 

I'll start with my issues, of which there are plenty. First, Ithan and Tharion shared one single brain cell this entire book and it annoyed me to the point where I actively rolled my eyes seeing them on page. Ithan mostly got better but Tharion so far still annoys me. Bryce's characterization in this book also felt completely foreign to me. She didn't feel like the Bryce I'd known in the past two books. And, to be honest, there were times she annoyed me as well. 

The plot was confusing and convoluted at times. The big climax of the series fell flat, the ending was rushed and anti-climactic, the stakes never felt high, and overall I was just confused. I think it read like poorly planned fanfiction.

Honestly, my favorite scenes were the ACOTAR crossover scenes, which shouldn't be the case. I should enjoy those scenes, but Crescent City should be able to stand on its own without needing the support of her most famous series. I think it would have been far more intriguing to see a world that stood on its own where the conflicts didn't tie into ACOTAR. 

And, in probably one of my single biggest issues, the POV switches were absolutely insane. I don't mind multiple-POV books or switching POV's every chapter. But multiple POV switches in a single chapter felt like too much. We were getting POV switches after a single page sometimes. I can only imagine it was to build little cliffhangers or emulate the quick flashing between different scenes in movies or shows that builds tension. It did not work here. Instead, it just annoyed me. I don't mind every chapter or even two POVs in a chapter but there was absolutely no need to switch POVs so many times per chapter as often as they did. 

To me, this book (as well as House of Sky and Breath) didn't feel like Sarah J. Maas books. I think I read somewhere that she switched editors and that might be part of it but, for me, the things that make Maas books addicting weren't present here. The romance wasn't romancing, the plot was convoluted not layered in a fascinating way, the pacing was weird, shock twist moments didn't feel that surprising...it just wasn't executed well. 

Now, I didn't hate the book, even if I was left feeling disappointed. I enjoyed seeing the characters again and there were some that truly carried the book despite the flaws elsewhere. When I was actively reading it, I didn't want to stop, especially in the beginning. But overall I was left feeling disappointed, even though I was already apprehensive going into this book after House of Sky and Breath. That being said, the first book remains a top-tier book and I do love the characters a lot. Sadly, this book didn't do them or their stories justice. 

I'm sure this review is convoluted in its own way at this point. Overall, disappointed but didn't hate it. Four stars for nostalgia and the ACOTAR gang but three stars for literally everything else. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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May 2023 Book Haul

May was, once again, a bigger book haul than I was expecting. There were definitely some impulse purchases for sure. However, there were a few that I ordered and paid for ages ago that finally arrived so that makes it a little easier. I got 10 books this month so let's just dive in!

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The first book I got this month was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I caved to the hype and went out and got a copy of this the week it released. I then had to spend the entire work week until my weekend off waiting to be able to read it. I then read it in one sitting and have not stopped thinking about it since. It's a definitely new favorite of all time and I cannot wait for the next book coming in November. Because I loved it, I then decided to get the Australian paperback edition to annotate in the future. So I actually got two copies of it this month and I'm not upset at all. 

The next book I got was my preorder of the Waterstones edition of One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake. This is one of her previously indie-published books that has been picked up for traditional publication. I was lucky enough to get the indie version before it went out of print and I also wanted a copy of the new version. I decided on the Waterstones edition as it was normal price and I would get it on release over any of the book boxes. It is a beautiful edition and I'm very much looking forward to reading this one. 

Then I picked up a copy of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This has been a popular book for years and I've been intrigued by it but never picked it up until now. Then a friend was talking about wanting to read it and I saw a copy at the grocery store for cheap so I picked up two so that we could both get into it soon. 

I also grabbed a copy of Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson. I've been following Megan on TikTok for a couple years now and have always found her account interesting. She lives in the Tower of London and always has these cool stories about the history. She recently wrote this romcom and I knew I wanted to pick it up, so when I saw it for cheap I impulse bought it. I'm hoping to read it this summer.

Then my copies of the Crescent City Fairyloot editions arrived. I'm a massive SJM fan so of course I ordered these last fall and they've finally arrived. Of course, mine came damaged but replacements are being provided so I'll eventually have nice copies on my shelf. I'm still not sure how I feel about them. I was hoping having them in person would make me like them more after the initial reveal. I think mainly it's a difference in art style. I like the slipcase, the spine, the embossing, and the endpages. However, I don't particularly like the dust jackets or the sprayed edge design. I'll keep them for now until the final book comes out and then make my decision on if I'll keep them or not. 

Then I got Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent. I began my journey into reading the books of this world this month and I knew I wanted to read the novella as well. It's very beautiful and I had a good time reading it. The world itself is super intriguing and I am definitely excited to see how these characters play into future books. 

Then I got The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent. This is the second novel in the series and after I read the first book, I ordered this one alongside Six Scorched Roses. I'm currently reading it and enjoying it quite a bit, though I do think I currently prefer the first book. I've got about 200 pages left and I'm really wondering where it will all go. 

The last book I got was Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. This book has been very highly anticipated because of the rest of the author's books. I've read Babel and really enjoyed it while The Poppy War is still on my TBR. This one is a literary fiction and I've heard great things. It also addresses the publishing industry and, as an aspiring publishing professional, I think it's right up my alley. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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February 2023 Book Haul

Even though I only read three books in February, I hauled quite a bit more than that. However, a good amount of them were books I ordered literally months and months ago that got delayed or weren't going to ship until now. So it was still a relatively cheap month in terms of buying books. I got ten books this month and I'm excited about all of them, so let's just dive in. 

The first book I got was the Fairyloot edition of Spice Road by Maya Ibrahim. This was in the January YA box and it's one of the most beautiful editions I think they've done. This edition has an alternate cover, artwork on the dust jacket, embossing, stenciled edges, artwork on the endpages, and is signed. I truly just think they've out done themselves on this one. 

The next book I got was A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. It was on sale so I figured I'd just snatch it when it was so cheap. I've seen this book everywhere on TikTok and in all the bookstores. I'm not a huge thriller/mystery fan when it's just that and not mixed with fantasy or romance or anything but I do like it in moderation. I think mainly because I don't like being too scared. YA mysteries tend to be a bit better for me because of that so I'm definitely intrigued to see what the hype is about for this one. 

The next book I got on sale was Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. I got the first book in this romance duology when it was on sale so I'm pretty happy to have gotten this one on sale as well. I've read Tessa Bailey before and enjoyed it so I'm eager to read some of her more recent stuff that seems to be super popular. I might read this one over the summer since it definitely seems like a summer read.

The last book I got on sale was The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. I've not really seen much about this other than the cover floating around but when I read the description it sounded right up my alley. It's a romance but seems to be a bit more than that and it sounds like it'll be quite funny. I'm not sure when I'll pick it up but it's definitely on my radar for this year. 

Up next, I got Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare. This is the third in the Last Hours trilogy, part of the Shadowhunters world. I've been reading Cassandra Clare for over ten years now and it still blows my mind a bit that she's still releasing Shadowhunter books. It also excites me that there's still so much of this world that I haven't read yet. I did order the American first edition to match my entire collection instead of the weird UK edition and it only took a little longer to arrive to me. 

Then I finally got my preorder of the Fairyloot edition of Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan. This is the matching edition to the Fairyloot edition of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, which is quite literally one of the most gorgeous books I own. I ordered this ages ago and it finally shipped recently and then I had to wait to get it from a family member's house so it took a while. But it's now on the shelf next to the first book and it is beautiful. Now I think it's time for me to finally read this duology. 

Up next was (finally) the November Illumicrate book which was The Luminaries by Susan Dennard. This edition is absolutely stunning, with embossing and a fancy cover and stenciled edges. I am a big fan of Susan's books and I was there for the Twitter adventure that this book started as so it's quite exciting to see this book finally in my hands. This edition was stunning and well worth the long wait for it and I can't wait to dive in. 

Then I got probably my most anticipated release of the year, City of Souls and Sinners by Kayla Edwards. This is the sequel to City of Gods and Monsters which was my favorite book of 2022. I've already read this one and absolutely loved it. This world and these characters are so much fun to read about and I loved every moment of being back in it. I cannot wait for the next book, though I know that it's going to be a long ways away. 

Lastly, I finally got my copies of the Illumicrate editions of House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas. These editions are absolutely gorgeous and I'm obsessed with them. They have stenciled edges, alternate dust jackets, gorgeous embossing, illustrated endpages, and a ribbon bookmark. Plus, the cover of the first book now matches the font style of the sequel which is quite exciting. These editions are beautiful and I'm so happy to add them to my Sarah J. Maas collection. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Unboxing: Fairyloot's "To the Moon and Back" (February 2022)

This is my third Fairyloot box since I re-subscribed and, I have to say, it's my favorite. This is one of my favorite Fairyloot boxes of all time, in fact. The book this month is not only one that I've been looking forward to for a long time, but it's also stunning. Though there were a couple items I just felt neutral about, the main items are absolutely gorgeous and completely make up for any neutral feelings I had about others. The February box features five items, the monthly collectible tarot cards, and an absolutely stunning book. Let's go ahead and dive in! 

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The first item this month was a pair of socks inspired by The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and designed by @jezhawk. This is one of the items that I'm more neutral about because I haven't read this book and don't have it on my immediate TBR. On the other hand, I do love socks and these will most definitely get used despite me not having read the book. 

Up next was a necklace inspired by Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas designed by Fairyloot. This is one of my favorite books and I'm in love with this necklace. It's just discreet enough to wear about without people knowing it's a fandom item. It's also beautiful and very simplistic, which is exactly my style. This is a perfect item for me as well because I just read the second Crescent City book in February.

The next item was a pair of metal bookends in a fandom-neutral celestial theme that were designed by @jezhawk. I was so excited when these were announced and, I have to say, these definitely are even better than I anticipated. They are stunning and seem to be very high quality. I also have a bookshelf right now that doesn't have sides so bookends are 100% needed and I'm happy to actually have a use for them. 

The fourth item was a tote bag inspired by the book of the month, Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, designed by @rosiethorns88. This is a beautiful tote bag but I don't think it's very practical for me for everyday use. I don't think I would use it while out and about in the city or when grocery shopping but I would use it when going to book conventions/events or while moving. Plus, I like that Fairyloot has been including items inspired by the books each month the past few months. 

Lastly, there was an art print inspired by Wicked Fox by Kat Cho and designed by @cyt_draws. Well, there was supposed to be one included but my box was missing it. I'm okay with that, though, as I haven't yet read the book and art prints aren't as important to me as bigger items. I was able to get in touch with Fairyloot, though, and had a replacement within a few days! It did come bent and dinged but that's okay as I was able to mostly flatten it out. 

The tarot cards this month were the Queen and King of Pentacles and were designed by @lizzart_zardonicz. They're inspired by Red Rising by Pierce Brown and feature Mustang and Darrow. Like with January, I haven't yet read this book series but it is on my TBR and these cards are stunning. I don't particularly like a monthly tarot card, though, and would prefer a different item. However, I will use these as mini art-prints for Red Rising instead so they will still get used.

The book of this month is Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan and it is absolutely stunning. I was really excited when I got saw the announcement for this month as I was hoping they'd do this book. And this edition absolutely blows me away. This edition features an exclusive cover, digitally sprayed edges, artwork on the endpages designed by @gracezhuart, foil embossing on the hardcover designed by @gracezhuart, and is signed by the author. Additionally, there is a character art print designed by @rosiethorns88 on the backside of the author note that is stunning.

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Overall, I am very happy with this box. The book itself is absolutely stunning and I'm so happy to have a copy of it (especially when people are reselling it for twice as much as I paid for the box). It was a bit touch and go when the shipping carrier lost a bunch of my packages but, thankfully, they found them and finally delivered them at the beginning of March. 

I think that while all the items aren't to my taste, the ones that are make up for the others. I am thrilled to have the necklace and bookends and will definitely find a use for the other items. But, for me, the value in this month's box definitely comes from the gorgeous edition of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Now I can't wait to see what they do for March...

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

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Book Review: "House of Sky and Breath" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: House of Sky and Breath

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: "Crescent City" #2

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Page Length: 805 pages

Publication Date: February 15, 2022

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

It's been over a month since I finished this book and I think I'm finally able to talk about my feelings around it. Overall, I loved it. But I also wanted more from it. 

I do have to say, this is not my favorite Sarah J. Maas book. I have been reading SJM for seven years now and have come to expect a lot from her books. At bare minimum, I expect to love all her books. I also had very high expectations for this book. However, while I loved this book, it didn't hit those expectations (which is partly on me for having such high ones). 

Like I said, I did love this book. There were a lot of parts that I loved. There's a lot I can't wait to reread.  But this book was also long and didn't quite grip me the same way as the first book did. I'm wondering, though, if this is a series where I need to reread the book in order to fully appreciate. Seeing as I loved the first book more on the second run than the first read through, I think this might be the case? 

The first book set up a very intriguing world where I wasn't sure where the story was going. I basically went into this book not knowing what to expect. That being said, this plot was very different than anything else I've ever read from SJM. However, I also think that the plot dragged a bit, which is strange for a SJM book. I can only chalk it up to the new style of story she's written here.

There were some elements that were supposedly important yet ended up not playing any role in the final bit of the book. This felt like a bit of a waste for now, though I can only assume it's leading up to something in the next novel? SJM does like to leave breadcrumbs and foreshadow books in advance. 

We also got two new POVs for a total of five POV characters in this book. This was a lot. I loved these characters in the first book and was hoping they'd get more page time in this one. However, I think the fact we had five different POVs but the same page count meant that we got less time with each individual character. SJM likes big ensemble casts but I also don't think that each POV needed equal page time. In my opinion, even if these are setting up big character arcs for the rest of the book, this book would have benefited from the POVs being more varied in page time. 

That being said, I enjoyed how we got more of the ensemble cast of characters in this one. There were some group dynamics that I loved in the book as well. I can only hope we'll get to see these groups grow closer in the next book.

The ending was a wild ride. SJM's final 100 pages are always a wild ride and this was no exception. I think I would have rated this book less than five stars if the ending wasn't stellar. There were some things that I was picking up throughout the book that I figured was SJM setting something up and I was right! It was very satisfying to finally start noticing these things in advance after years of reading her books. 

There were so many different elements to the ending. But if anyone has read the book, they'll know the biggest part. I'm actually not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I love it and am incredibly excited to see where the next book goes. On the other hand, I'm not quite sure if I like it at this point in time or ever. 

Overall, I did love this book. But this definitely has not knocked any books off the top spots of my favorite SJM books list. I think a reread will be very beneficial and I cannot wait to see where the third book goes (hopefully we get it in 2023). 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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February 2022 Wrap-Up

Another month of 2022 has gone by and I think it's safe to say it was another month of up and downs. There were some low points but I think, overall, that February was a good month. A lot of good things happened and I read some great books. There was not a single book this month that I didn't love, which is so rare! I only read six books, but half of those were over 700 pages long. So I'm pretty happy with that, even though I was hoping to get through a few more as well. I have high hopes for March's reading month, though we'll see how that goes with university ramping up quite a bit. Anyway, let's dive in!

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1.

Title: A Court of Silver Flames

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Review

-reread-

2. 

Title: When the Dead Come a Knockin'

Author: B.L. Brunnemer
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

-reread-

3. 

Title: These Hollow Vows

Author: Lexi Ryan

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Review

4. 

Title: House of Earth and Blood

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Review

-reread-

5. 

Title: House of Sky and Breath

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Review

6. 

Title: Neon Gods

Author: Katee Robert

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Review

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January 2022 Wrap-Up

Blog Tour: "The Weeping Tide" by Amanda Foody + Giveaway

January 2022 Book Haul

Book Review: "These Hollow Vows" by Lexi Ryan

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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April 2021 Book Haul

Hello all! Today I'm super excited to be discussing all of the books that I hauled in April. I got a total of five physical books this past month and I'm excited about all of them! I don't anticipate hauling as many in May but who knows!

The first book I got this month was Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody. I read Ace of Shades in March and absolutely adored it. So, while I was working through King of Fools, I bought Queen of Volts so that I could dive straight in. Unfortunately, with how busy I've been with school and my internship I haven't been able to finish this book yet but it is on my immediate TBR. I will say, though, that after the ending of the second book I am very nervous as to how this final installment could end. I just want all of the characters to be happy and safe! 

The next book I got was the Owlcrate edition of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. When I saw this pop up for a super cheap price I knew I had to snag it because it has not only an exclusive cover but also is signed by the author! I loved Ace of Shades so much and I would love to see my Amanda Foody collection grow as well. I can't wait to photograph this copy for bookstagram and display it on my shelves once I actually have bookshelves again. 

The third book I picked up was one that I won in a giveaway from Novl and that is an ARC of Indivisible by Daniel Aleman. I was completely shocked when this showed up on my doorstep since I didn't remember entering the giveaway nor did I get any notification that I won. This book actually just came out this past week so if you're interested in reading it you can get your own copy! I've heard that it's a very important book for the current America we live in. I just know that it's going to teach me a lot and make me feel a lot of things. 

Next, I got the international paperback edition of House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. I just knew that I had to add this floppy paperback to my collection. It's so soft, floppy, and feels perfect in the hands. Not to mention it was less than a regular US edition despite being an international import. I'm really excited to see my Crescent City collection grow, especially with the release of the next book hopefully within the next year. 

The final book I got this month was The Edge of Great by Micol Ostow. This is the novelization of season one of Julie and the Phantoms. I've binged this show a few times now and I absolutely love it. It's a bit cheesy and it's definitely made for kids but it's a good comfort show and a nice distraction from when I'm stressing about finals or school or various adult things. I just knew I had to add this to my shelf when I saw it was a thing. 

Well, those are all of the books that I got in April! I'm very excited for some upcoming summer releases in the next few months so definitely stay tuned for more exciting book hauls each month!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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