If you haven’t read the first two Crescent City books as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, stop what you are doing now and read them first! HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW picks up right where HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH ended and you need the knowledge from the other books to dive into Sarah J. Maas’ latest masterpiece! And oh what a masterpiece it is! As with any story by Sarah J. Maas, HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW is chock full of character development, world-building, and storyline twists and turns that still have me pondering how all her worlds fit together and wondering what is next in store.

After HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH, Hunt, Ruhn, and Baxion are in grave danger, trapped in the dungeons and being tortured. Bryce has escaped through one of the gates to get help to defeat the Asteri. Who can she trust when all that she has known is being turned upside down? And can she make it back to her home world in time to save her mate, her brother, and their fellow rebel?

What a whirlwind of an adventure! Sarah J. Maas’ books are quite lengthy and yet they never seem long enough as I don’t want them to end. HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW is a perfect example. It’s a toss-up as to whether I like HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW or A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES best out of all of her books I’ve read thus far- and that’s saying something about character redemption as I absolutely hated Bryce at the start of the series! HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW takes the reader on a roller coaster ride as we have adventure, battle, cave spelunking, betrayal, redemption, and a whole lot of love, friendship, and loyalty.

Sarah J. Maas tugs at every emotion as she crafts stories that are so real you can almost believe the other worlds are out there waiting for us to discover them. I love the friendships and alliances we see being made, even as characters are growing and maturing into the kind of leaders and friends we would want to have. Let’s face it- Bryce especially is a long way from the good-time party girl in the opening chapters of the first book in the series!

If you love fantasy, romantasy, or just darned good world-building and character development, then HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW and the Sarah J. Maas world is exactly what you’re looking for. I’m hooked and can’t wait to see what surprises she has in store for us next!