House of Sky and Breath is book 2 in the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas. I very much enjoyed the first book, House of Earth and Blood, so was looking forward to reading this story. I now know that this series is what is referred to as urban-Romantasy, due to its more contemporary setting (there are phones, tech etc), so that give a very enticing edge for me.
Opening sentence: Sofie had survived the Kavalla death camp for two weeks.
Get ready for the ride
Picking up where book 1 left off, House of Sky and Breath is another meaty read (if you’re not in it for 500+ pages at this point, this genre is probably not for you) but, and this is critical, it never actually feels like a long read.
Sarah J. Maas just has a highly-readable writing style and so much plot (with multiple plot threads that are all woven through so well) to pack in that all these pages are needed.
Bryce plus teleporting plus Starborn power plus Starsword with crazy killing abilities plus Bryce magically outranking their father equaled…
When I say so much plot, here’s a brief summary… My favourite Romantasy couple, Bryce and Hunt (OK, it’s a close tie with Xaden and Violet) are back, along with their gang and we get…
- A new rebel-themed sub-plot and associated characters including a very tantalising one with Agents Daybright and Night
- A new character with many layers in Cormac, Ruhn’s cousin
- A Tharion (mer-man) sub-plot
- An Ithan (wolf) sub-plot with an intriguing new wolf in the mix
- The icon that is the Viper Queen and her stunning range of jumpsuits
- More air-time for the Princes of Hel who have their own plans and want to get Bryce and Hunt involved
- More info on the almighty Asteri and who they are / just what they are up to
- Bryce and Hunt combining powers and elevating their status
Now, I appreciate that this list might read as a lot and it is, but as mentioned, it works! The thing to do is put your total trust in our amazing FMC, Bryce and go with her gut instincts on all this. Yes, even when she convinces Hunt the rebellion path is the way to go…
This had been dragging up the worst of his memories and fears – he’d been a rebel, once. It had won him two hundred years of servitude.
A true feat of storytelling
The world building continues but I’m much more familiar with it now, so it’s a lot easier to follow and, if something doesn’t make sense initially, rest assured the pieces will slot into place.
With so much happening in this layered and thrilling fantasy story, you might think there would be no time for character development or relationships to be formed, but Sarah J. Maas somehow manages to balance all that and give us the emotional depth and laugh-out-loud lines thrown into the mix too.
And the ending! Put it this way, I LOVE book world cross-overs and when two big series collide (yes, it’s ACOTAR), you know it’s going to be exceptional. Obsessed with how House of Sky and Breath ended and cannot wait to read the next book.
- Get your copy of House of Sky and Breath here;
- Published by Bloomsbury 2022;
- 807 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 
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