📝 What is House of Flame and Shadow about?:
In the gripping third installment of the Crescent City series, Bryce Quinlan finds herself stranded in a strange world, yearning to return to Midgard where her loved ones await. Meanwhile, Hunt Athalar, facing imprisonment once more, is determined to aid Bryce despite his own constraints. As they navigate treacherous challenges, the fate of their world hangs in the balance, escalating tensions to unprecedented levels.
📚 Genre: Fantasy
🎧 Format: E-Book
💞 Feels: ⭐⭐⭐
This is a long one ya’ll.
This book left me with a lot of questions. Most of them taking me back to my college days of trying to fulfill my Lit minor degree, lol. The loudest one that wouldn’t go away was – Is Bryce Quinlan an unreliable narrator? Basically, I’m sick of her and her tricks. Her sleight of hand is exhausting, and too convenient. I’d rather be impressed with her ingenuity before the big battle happens. Would’ve made me care about her pulling it all off in the moment. I felt very little anxiety about her winning…surviving…getting a happy ending. Her appeal has worn on me through 3 books. I like all of the other characters so much more, that she’s lowered in my estimation. Who wants to read about the perfect savior?
The multiple character perspectives shifting constantly, within chapters, rather than by chapter was jarring. I understood the fun of a mini cliffhanger and got used to it after awhile. But the constant POV changes made it hard to keep track of the story. Needing to fill an entire notebook to keep track of the plot is not my idea of an enjoyable reading experience. And there was SO MUCH happening. Too much, like multiple books level of too much.
I can’t wait to see what all these other book influencers will say in their reviews because I feel duped. [Sidenote: Caved after writing my review. I’m surprised…the reactions I saw agree with me.] To say the hype was excessive, is an understatement. Bookstagrammers cramming in this 848 page book in 3 days time is perplexing to me. This book is not of the “can’t put down” variety. But maybe you have to keep reading it at such an extreme level so that you don’t lose the plot.
Shaking my head, because I loved the second book – now can I remember a thing that happened in that book? Not really, probably for the same reasons that I’m not cool with this book. Maybe in the time it took for this next book to come out my taste in storytelling has shifted, and I can see the excess for what it is.
Were there so many perspectives in House of Sky and Breath? I don’t remember. Was this a new experiment in storytelling, that I’m just not privvy to? Counting now how many narrators the book shifts through – at one point there are 5 group storylines happening, and then eventually people reunite so the story can condense to 1-3 groups instead. But there’s always a shift in perspectives – the story shifted between 6 different characters, not by chapter but sometimes by every few paragraphs. And there are many more characters beyond those 6 people to also keep track of.
I struggled to keep my eyes open while reading, which had me lowering the rating. And just the meh of it all, I don’t want to say what was happening were low stakes, but the “action” didn’t have any emotional appeal for me. I remember caring about these characters in House of Earth and Blood…I don’t know what happened.
✅ Spinoff novella nomination:
Where was Ariadne the whole time? She was so important until nothing happened with her. I need to know where she went. Same with Sigrid; she was built up to be necessary for the world saving and then poof she’s gone; never mentioned again. No concern for her well-being or presence. Why?!
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments.