Name: House of Flame and Shadow
ISBN: 9781635574104

Sarah J. Maas

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.

House of Flame and Shadow

Aimee :)

Yeah - they were all in this together. To the bitter end.

Jenna-Lee Gordon

Hunt smirked. Yeah—they were all in this together. To the bitter end.

So Ruhn said, “You were alone then, Athalar.” Hunt met Ruhn’s stare, as if to say, Oh yeah? Ruhn just nodded. Friends, brothers, whatever—he had Athalar’s back. Something glimmered in Athalar’s eyes. Gratitude, maybe. Or hope. Much better than what had been there moments ago.

A world where people loved and valued books and learning so much that they were willing to die for them. Can you imagine what such a civilization was like? A hundred thousand men and women marched to defend a library

Emma Hak-Kovacs

Bryce bared her teeth, and kept that shin- ing wall in her mind. A second later, there was a polite tap against it and Ruhn said, Keep this up. No matter what.

Sara Poole

His mouth found her neck, and his teeth grazed over her pulse. "You're my best friend, you know that?" He pulled away, staring down at her, and she couldn't stop her star from flaring with light. "I mean, you're my mate and wife-fuck, that still sounds weird-but you're my best friend, too. I never thought I’d have one of those."

And for Bryce, home was—and always would be—Hunt.

Ruhn looked back to Lidia and saw her smiling, delight and mischief brightening her face.

And damn if it wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Live your life, Quinlan. And live it well."

But Ember continued, looking only at Nesta, "I am glad of one thing: that I was able to meet you."

we were meant for each other it’s true 

Gabriella 

"You dare draw a weapon before me? Against those who crafted you, soldier, from night and pain?"

Laura Dobie

He'd deal with them in a moment. After coffee.

Alison Deaner

A reminder that death was always, always waiting. 

the crossovers from all the universes are insaneeee!!!!! it’s a really good kept secret cos i had no idea so much of the start of the book would include them 😭

Lucy Williams

so good! 

sad it’s over 🥺🥺 

the crossovers from all the universes are insaneeee!!!!! it’s a really good kept secret cos i had no idea so much of the start of the book would include them 😭

just obsessed with her books 

Hannah L 

I loved this series!! So clever & emosh, her books are always so fun to read!

I just kept forgetting all the lore about theia, silene, pelias,etc! maybe I wasn’t paying attention when it was explained but I was getting so muddled with their back story

I obviously loved the cross over with ACOTAR🤭🥹 At first I was disappointed Nesta seemed to be the main person she interacts with but I think she was perfect for it

Unfinished business though so surely there’s another one coming….. Tharion finding Sathia, Ariadne! Also I need to know what happened between Sathia and Colin, I need a whole backstory and whether she finds him or not?! 

Ella Williams

I loved this series!! So clever & emosh, her books are always so fun to read!

Lidia was my absolute fave❤️

I just kept forgetting all the lore about theia, silene, pelias,etc! maybe I wasn’t paying attention when it was explained but I was getting so muddled with their back story

I obviously loved the cross over with ACOTAR🤭🥹 At first I was disappointed Nesta seemed to be the main person she interacts with but I think she was perfect for it

Unfinished business though so surely there’s another one coming….. Tharion finding Sathia, Ariadne! Also I need to know what happened between Sathia and Colin, I need a whole backstory and whether she finds him or not?! 



Sarah you are a clever lady. I truly think this series is the most well kept secret ever. I lovedddd the crossover (nesta asking about the phones I just loved it all) and couldn there be a potential future cross over with the mention on brennen🫢. Rare but I did love everyone in the core group, however the ending felt a bit unrealistic with them all surviving and the almighty powerful dying so suddenly? God I miss it already 

Nicole Mills

you’re telling me in these 102 chapters and 835 pages it was only a WEEK in these characters lives?? longest week of my life

Kymora Wang

Jillian Roberts

Bc SJM is a ****. This was a good conclusion to everything but lowkey I wish there was more drama … it happens I guess 

soph 

Stacy cain

Was it a bad story? No. But was it the best? No. There were things I liked and didn't like. I enjoyed the ACOTAR crossover 😊🫶.

Edna Aviles

I would read literally anything that comes out of SJM's mind with a smile on my face. :)

Angelina Nicole

Such a bittersweet ending to the series. I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Sad to be caught up with SJM’s universe. 

Sydnee Morrison

Everytime I read a book from this series I am amazed how much I could like something <33 it doesn't disappoint as always! 

Martyna

I did cry, but that’s the power of friendship. Not that I want people to die, but how anti-climactic for all the bad guys to die and none of the heroes. While it was high stakes, it didn’t really feel that way. This book definitely tried to make up for all the Nesta hate but tbh I still dislike her and I don’t think it fit her character to give over the mask to a stranger. All I kept thinking is - wow so many hetero pairs. Just having side characters be queer doesn’t make you an inclusive author. I also think too many characters are introduced that seem to be of importance to Bryce but ultimately she doesn’t seem to really care about any one of them substantially, even Hunt. It was an easy read, but quite boring ultimately. 

Syrina

One of the only books I have physically cried. Honestly thought Bryce was dead. Loved nests in this

Katie Roberts

Femke

This book was another classic of SJM with her amazing world building and descriptions all the way through, plus her talent for piecing everything together as the story unfolds not only in this book universe but the other SJM multiverses 

This wasn’t the best story line out of all of her books but the found family with all the main characters is just so heart warming (ruhn & lidia are the best) 

Despite the great story telling an awful lot happens in this book that feels like it could’ve been spread over 2- it almost feels like there was a rush to finish the last couple hundred pages (even considering it was nearly 1000 pages overall). I love that despite the asteri being defeated and the world trying to restore some normalcy the storyline still feels slightly unfinished (what happened to tharions wife) and there could be another book that finishes off the series 

Holly Lake

This book was another classic of SJM with her amazing world building and descriptions all the way through, plus her talent for piecing everything together as the story unfolds not only in this book universe but the other SJM multiverses 

This wasn’t the best story line out of all of her books but the found family with all the main characters is just so heart warming (ruhn & lidia are the best) 

Despite the great story telling an awful lot happens in this book that feels like it could’ve been spread over 2- it almost feels like there was a rush to finish the last couple hundred pages (even considering it was nearly 1000 pages overall). I love that despite the asteri being defeated and the world trying to restore some normalcy the storyline still feels slightly unfinished (what happened to tharions wife) and there could be another book that finishes off the series 

A good ending but it's a long slog to get through. It's a little irritating that all the main characters get paired up together in a very predictable way but other than that it was very enjoyable

Soph

A good ending but it's a long slog to get through. It's a little irritating that all the main characters get paired up together in a very predictable way but other than that it was very enjoyable

-1 point for the use of Alphahole

I really appreciated Bryce’s jump in maturity in this book but at times she felt more like Aelin than Bryce. I wasn’t mad at it though. My fave book in the series so far.

Abby

anya

I’m afraid my expectations we’re a little high. The book was still really good but I feel like she could’ve done more with the story, though I think it’s still possible since she did write about the multiverse, there still being other Asteri, leaving the starsword to Nesta, …. So I’m still really excited for the books to come!

Charelle

I don’t give this a 5/5 only because CC is my least favorite of the SJM universe. A lot of thoughts about it. First, I didn’t feel the immense danger and “how much is at stake” like I did in ACOWAR and definitely nothing compared to KoA. Also, I feel like someone should have died. (Obviously Jesiba did, and I def cried, but someone else.) preferably Tharion 🤷🏼‍♀️ he had a good redemption arc marrying Flynn’s sister, and if he died it would’ve released her to marry who she wished.

Second, Ithan🖕🏻literally pissed me off the whole book. He just kept fucking upppp and it as rather annoying. Every time his POV came up, I was like “ope what’s he going to make worse now??” It did not surprise me either that he became Prime. I called that from the beginning. 

Third, Brann…Brannon. Lidia..fire magic. I have chills just thinking about. Threw my book when the Under King said Urd was short for Wyrd. I have such a love-hate relationship with SJM tying in ToG with the rest of the universe. I would LOVE to see Aelin kick some ass and come into this world, but she doesn’t deserve it. She deserves all the peace in the world 🥹 so I would hate to see her dragged into these worlds. 

Miranda Watson

I don’t give this a 5/5 only because CC is my least favorite of the SJM universe. A lot of thoughts about it. First, I didn’t feel the immense danger and “how much is at stake” like I did in ACOWAR and definitely nothing compared to KoA. Also, I feel like someone should have died. (Obviously Jesiba did, and I def cried, but someone else.) preferably Tharion 🤷🏼‍♀️ he had a good redemption arc marrying Flynn’s sister, and if he died it would’ve released her to marry who she wished.

Second, Ithan🖕🏻literally pissed me off the whole book. He just kept fucking upppp and it as rather annoying. Every time his POV came up, I was like “ope what’s he going to make worse now??” It did not surprise me either that he became Prime. I called that from the beginning. 

Third, Brann…Brannon. Lidia..fire magic. I have chills just thinking about. Threw my book when the Under King said Urd was short for Wyrd. I have such a love-hate relationship with SJM tying in ToG with the rest of the universe. I would LOVE to see Aelin kick some ass and come into this world, but she doesn’t deserve it. She deserves all the peace in the world 🥹 so I would hate to see her dragged into these worlds. 

[spoilers] i personally only liked the history lessons where i can find connections to the tog world because that’s the only world that i care about, so when that book comes out it better be better than this one. 

i don’t know where i stopped caring about this world but i have to admit that the world building and the world connections in here are incredible and i don’t know how she does it to keep track of all this information. 

anyway nesta’s appearances are the best part of this book for me. and the tog easter eggs. give me that book now, i need my aelin back.

auri 🪐

[spoilers] i personally only liked the history lessons where i can find connections to the tog world because that’s the only world that i care about, so when that book comes out it better be better than this one. 

i don’t know where i stopped caring about this world but i have to admit that the world building and the world connections in here are incredible and i don’t know how she does it to keep track of all this information. 

anyway nesta’s appearances are the best part of this book for me. and the tog easter eggs. give me that book now, i need my aelin back.

honestly Sarah J maas always delivers I don't really care about probably the trillion bad reviews i've read because Sarah J Maas will always be a 5 star for me, even if she's made mistakes and I don't think it's perfect, just because I love the characters, love the world, love the magic and the aesthetics and the plot. It's all so perfect that if she's done some things I didn't really want, I could not care less. I really badly wanted ALOT of scenes with Nesta and Cassian AND NYX AND RHYS AND EVERYONE but she like cut that very short but in her defense I think i'd also complain if she took too long to get her out of that world bc i'd start getting SCARED. BUT YEAH I LOVED THE BOOK. ALL OF THE CHATACTERS GOT WHAT THEY DESERVE. ITHAN'S NOW THE PRIME???? SABINE'S DEAD???? HYPAXIA ISN'T THE WITCH QUEEN BUT THE QUEEN OF THE HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW????? RUHN IS ULTRA POWERFUL???? BRYCE IS PROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL FAE TO HAVE EVER EXISTED??? THE  MASK!??!?!?!??!? honestly it was so fun to read  I was so gassed and when I picked it up I was just SUCKED INTO THIS WORLD AND COULDN'T STOP. Got to 11 in the night for the past few days to read this honestly. I'm being serious I LOVE THE CC WORLD. I mean, nothing beats the first book buttttt it's still amazing bro honestly just read it and ignore everyone's egative coments and just read it for yourself. Love bryce love hunt love lidi and ruhn love baxian and danika love naomi and isaiha love love love tharion and flynns sister who just got introduced but stil sllays. WAIT WHY DID FLYNN AND HIS SISTER FIGHT? IDK. but eyeah I love this book and just yeah bye i'm gonna go read empire of storm.

surtified™

After waiting for more than a year to read House of flame and shadow, I was mildly disappointed with it. I didn't really like Bryce's unexpected changes in this book, she didn't feel like the same Bryce from the previous Cresent city books. I had much for fun reading Hunt, Ruhn and Lidia's chapters, their characters were interesting and as loveable as before. I loved the demon princes in this book, Aidas is the love of my life and I'll never change my mind about it. There's many other aspects of House of flame and shadow that I didn't like but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless, and I'm just happy now that I know what happens after the insane ending of House of sky and breath 