SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF HOUSE OF SKY & BREATH

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After taking a several-month hiatus from reading, I knew there was no better way to pull me from a reading slump than good ol' SJM. Boy was I right. I read the first Crescent City book back in June, loved it, and then promptly fell off the wagon and couldn't pick up a book until November (I'll expand more on my reading break later). After some persuasion from my sister, who is coincidentally now closer to finishing out the Maasverse than I am thanks to my little detour, I decided to ease back into reading with an audiobook. I opted for the Graphic Audio version of HOSAB (who wouldn't?) and here I am, back in the reading game.

SYNOPSIS (SPOILER-FREE)

Bryce and Hunt are looking forward to taking life under the radar after literally saving the City and taking things slow with... whatever they are. Unfortunately, life has other plans for the pair as Bryce is sucked into a scheme with the rebels to learn more about the truth - about Danika, about the Asteri, about life as they know it in Crescent City. Of course, Hunt and Bryce's closest allies have her back as she dives headfirst into learning the truth and exposing the dangers of those they trusted.

MY THOUGHTS

Even though I read House of Earth and Blood five months ago, I had no problems diving into Bryce's world. This book was action-packed and kept me on my toes at every turn. Maas has a unique ability to create bada** main characters that scheme like no other, almost always keeping those schemes hidden from even the reader themselves. I love watching Bryce's plans unfold in real-time while reading, creating a wholly immersive experience with the plot.

If you are a fan of the sense of family that SJM books tend to provide, this series is no exception so far. I felt immediately attached to the tight-knit group at the beginning of HOEAB (and was immediately heartbroken beyond belief, we won't talk about that) and continue to feel a part of the group as Bryce grows closer to her friends and family. The banter between Bryce and the guys was, as always, top-notch, and I enjoyed seeing her grow close to some more girlfriends in the wake of losing Danika.

The magic system in the CC series has to be my favorite of all of Maasverse so far. It's complex, yet written in a way that explains it well because we are learning more about it as Bryce is. The more futuristic and technological setting is a breath of fresh air compared to that in ACOTAR and ToG, allowing readers to experience things like text conversations, phone calls, and cute nerd Fae who like to hack into computer systems.

Finally, the ending. Period. End of sentence. THE ENDING.

Guys, I literally finished listening to this book with my jaw wide open (and possibly a tear of nostalgia in my eye) because I was so emotional with the end of this story. Not only was there a tremendous amount of action and suspense in the last like 5% (typical SJM, providing heart attacks since 2016), but the very last scene is one that will go down in Maas fan history. I feel like I did when I was a kid and the Disney Channel stars showed up in one of the other shows and it was just magical and amazing.

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OVERVIEW

Overall, I was super satisfied with this follow-up to HOEAB and I'm looking forward to moving on to HOFAS. I fell back in love with the characters of this series, and I'm really impressed with the magic system. The over-arching theme of betrayal continued over from HOEAB, as did the whole "the powerful people are probably bad" thing that SJM has in... everything. That being said, I still think HOEAB has my heart when it comes to the Crescent City series, but this book certainly did it justice. This is a solid 5-star read with an extra 0.25 thrown in for the last line of the book (IYKYK).

READ IF YOU LIKE...

• A little romance with your fantasy

• Mid to high fantasy magic systems

• Corrupt government vibes

• Found family trope

• Action-packed endings

• Scheming female leads