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

Ratings

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Content Warnings: Language, Smut, Sexual Themes, Blood, Violence, Gore, Sexism, Racism, Drugs, Death

Introduction

Honestly, I read House of Sky and Breath back in March and the only thing I remember from it are two things: 1) the major character plot twist, and 2) that it was dreadfully boring and long. I seriously cannot recall what happened in this book without looking up a summary, it was that mediocre.

However, through my years of writing reviews, I have discovered that the second book in the trilogy is usually a bridge to the final book. Meaning it is the weakest link in the series due to it linking the first and third book, and building up to the grand finale. So, this book fits the memo, but it still doesn’t mean I drug my feet to get through it.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Plot

This was probably the most convoluted and drug-out plot in the entire series. I struggled to finish it because it was so boring. Nothing much happened besides the group running around and figuring things out off-page sometimes, only to be told about it later.

It was all just frustrating to read. But let’s get into the Good and the Bad.

The Good

Here is what I enjoyed about the plot:

1. Sophie Renast
   • I love the potential she brought to the story and how badass she was. I connected more with her in the prologue than I did with most of the other characters.
2. The secondlight
   • Now this was a surprising twist! The idea that even in death they are used up as food for the Asteri is shocking and so maddening.
3. Baxian’s reveal as being Danica’s mate
   • I suspected that he was a sympathizer, but damn I didn’t expect him to be Danica’s mate. They fit well together and I hate we didn’t get to see them on page together.
4. The Hind’s reveal of being Agent Daybright
   • Now this one was fun, even if I accidently ruined it for myself by looking up fanart. It poses an interesting dynamic for Ruhn and Lydia. Watching Ruhn struggle with his feelings toward Lydia was definitely an up in the story.
5. Cormac as Agent Silverbow
   • Ah, Cormac’s reveal as being Agent Silverbow was so fun. It posed an interesting dynamic and motivation to the Sophie case, and beefed up the tension of finding her and Emile.
6. The ending fight with Rigelus
   • This was just fun to read. I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see who would reveal themselves, what would happen next, and how powerful Rigelus was. This scene was not disappointing.
7. Seeing the ACOTAR gang at the end
   • When Rhysand introduced himself I lost my shit. I couldn’t wait to see how this would play out in the next book!

The Bad

There was much I didn’t like about the plot, but I’ll keep the list short.

1. The “grand” reveal of the Renast siblings
   • Bryce figuring out that Emile was powerless and then discovering Sophie was dead was just a slap to the face. It felt like the entire first half of the book was for nothing. It didn’t really matter in the long run, at least to me.
2. Ithan and Tharion’s plots and floundering actions
   • Dear gods, someone lock these two up. Ithan floundering around and obessing over the Alpha thing was annoying. Along with Tharion ruining his entire life and then running into the next worse thing. Neither of them thought things through and only acted on impulse. I skimmed/skipped their sections after awhile– their adventures would be talked about later anyways.
3. Pinning more on Danica even if its unrealistic
   • The girl never rested. She had so much going on outside of what Bryce knew that it makes me question if Bryce was really her best friend. Why would Danica hide so much? She was practically living a double life.
4. Ruhn and Lydia’s relationship
   • Just like the relationship between Bryce and Hunt, Ruhn and Lydia’s are unconvincing as well. There was no build-up to them falling for each other. It went from one dream of basic chatting to BAM– she’s my mate type shit. So over it.
5. Lack of Hunt doing anything
   • What did Hunt really do besides voice his concerns about rebelling? His character was bulldozed over often and his abilities not really utilized/shown in action scenes.
6. Bryce being steps ahead of everyone (is she Sherlock Holmes now?)
   • There were so many times when Bryce was steps ahead of what the reader knew/saw. She did everything off-page, which created a huge disconnect for me. Why not show what the main character, whom we the reader are following, is thinking and doing? It felt too convenient to me.
7. The marriage and title subplot
   • This one was just annoying. I didn’t care about the Fae traditions or Bryce using her title.

This book was just a hodge-podge of plots and it felt all over the place at times.

Characters

Bryce and Hunt still don’t seem like a couple! Their relationship feels forced. Also, there wasn’t really any character development throughout the entire 700+ pages. Talk about stagnant!

Bryce

Bryce slowly started to slip into a Mary Sue– all-knowing and all-powerful. Her character completed changed and we lost a lot of the character development from the first book. She was unbelievably harsh toward Hunt and felt more selfish and self-centered than before. She became one of my least favorite characters while reading this book.

Hunt

As I stated early, Hunt really didn’t contribute much. He was just kind of there. He added almost nothing to the story and was a huge let down.

Side Characters

Cormac and Sophie were probably my favorite characters in this book. Their story was compelling and heart-wrenching.

The rest of the cast was really here nor there. They were mostly the same from the first book, if not regressing a bit.

Writing

The writing was fine, I guess. There were a few convenient plot points, like Bryce figuring the Renast siblings out and Sabine’s appearances. The book was mainly filler or setting up for the third installment.

Final Thoughts

I was so happy when I finished this book. I was over it by the end. House of Sky and Breath could have easily been 300-400 pages shorter and still accomplished the same goal. All in all, the book had to be read, but I kind of wish I could get those hours back.

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What did you think of the book? Did you like it or could you have done without it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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