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The House War #3
House Name
In this epic fantasy series for fans of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb, Jewel Markess must contend with deadly court politics, and visions of looming magical threats.
Jewel has been assigned the task of finding the entryways to the ancient undercity that lies beneath the streets of the empire’s capital in exchange for shelter for her and her den at House Terafin. But even with the aid of the most powerful First Circle Mage of the Order of Knowledge, Jewel’s search seems hopeless. All of the ways into the undercity seem to be magically disappearing before Jewel can lead the mage to them. And if they can’t find a means to reach the undercity, they will not be able to prevent the demon kin from achieving whatever they are planning.
Then the unthinkable happens—a direct attack on House Terafin—and suddenly the stakes are raised to a whole new level....
Jewel has been assigned the task of finding the entryways to the ancient undercity that lies beneath the streets of the empire’s capital in exchange for shelter for her and her den at House Terafin. But even with the aid of the most powerful First Circle Mage of the Order of Knowledge, Jewel’s search seems hopeless. All of the ways into the undercity seem to be magically disappearing before Jewel can lead the mage to them. And if they can’t find a means to reach the undercity, they will not be able to prevent the demon kin from achieving whatever they are planning.
Then the unthinkable happens—a direct attack on House Terafin—and suddenly the stakes are raised to a whole new level....
656 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2011
41 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Michelle West
73 books467 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle Sagara
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 25, 2011
I felt compelled to buy this novel because I love the characters, but full warning to anyone who is foolish to follow in my footsteps. There is very little new in this novel except some back story about some of the people in Jay's crew and some re-writing of the end of the Hunter duology allowing the demon lord to feign death.
As mentioned previously, West initially wrote a duology about a fight between the Hunter God Bredan and the Demon's God. Demons thought they could bring their Demon God onto the plane of human existence where God's were forbidden to intervene directly to kill and enslave the humans, but did not want Bredan to intervene as he was able to exist on the human plane. To that end the demons hatched a plot to destroy Bredan's ability to fight and to stop the sole person who could summon Bredan to fight the demon lord.
The first book in the duology was focused mainly on the Hunter Lord, his companion and various other characters. The second book in the Hunter duology introduced a young character named Jay who was a seeress and thief. The novel then switched around between the viewpoint of Jay and the Hunter Lord and Stephen and various other characters.
After the end of the Hunter Duology, West turned her attention to another series of books, which had a cast of thousands but which also had Jay playing a prominent role.
The last volume in that series ended with Jay having to decide how to challenge for leadership of one of the ten noblest families.
At that point, West's fans thought that West would turn her attention again to Jay's story starting from the time period at the conclusion of the longer series.
Instead West chose to write a book about Jay's earliest history and tell the origins of her crew, friendship with Rath, the estranged brother of her eventual Lord. That book was the first book in the House War series.
The second book continued that story and ended basically where Jay and her crew journeyed to the house to escape a Demon. Many of the plot twists in that second volume were previously described in the first Hunter duology novel.
House Name starts at the end of the events described in the prior House War book, and details some information about Isedar's plan to bring his Demon Lord to the human plane. Isedar is a Duke of Hell and so you get some unknown information about the viewpoint of the demons.
I would say that the next half of the book is interesting in that it further develops the story of Jay, Finch and Teller who are in service to the House, so you learn some information about them, their back story -- that is alluded to in West other series but had not been told as they were minor characters in that series.
However, the second half of the story again is about the Hunter Lord and the fight between the Demon Lord and Bredan, and in many ways is almost a complete regurgitation of the plot and story. Where I thought this part of the story -- which had been told fairly deeply in the second Hunter duology book --- could be skipped or summarized even - West basically retells it again. The same events happen. The same people are involved. The same action ensues. The only difference is we see a slight reworking of how the Demon Lord loses.
Later there are some new information in the last few pages about how Jay joins the House.
I love the characters and I am deeply into their story. I am invested. Even though I understand that West wants to retell her story in one narrative, it seems a cheap publishing trick to basically regurgitate the same novel in a different book, call it something else and sell it again to the public.
So be warned. If you want a new book containing 600 odd pages of new material by West, this is not that book. However if you have lived her books and read them all, then you might like this book for what it says abbout some of the characters and how it shows how Lord thinks.
Either way its entertaining, but its not new.
As mentioned previously, West initially wrote a duology about a fight between the Hunter God Bredan and the Demon's God. Demons thought they could bring their Demon God onto the plane of human existence where God's were forbidden to intervene directly to kill and enslave the humans, but did not want Bredan to intervene as he was able to exist on the human plane. To that end the demons hatched a plot to destroy Bredan's ability to fight and to stop the sole person who could summon Bredan to fight the demon lord.
The first book in the duology was focused mainly on the Hunter Lord, his companion and various other characters. The second book in the Hunter duology introduced a young character named Jay who was a seeress and thief. The novel then switched around between the viewpoint of Jay and the Hunter Lord and Stephen and various other characters.
After the end of the Hunter Duology, West turned her attention to another series of books, which had a cast of thousands but which also had Jay playing a prominent role.
The last volume in that series ended with Jay having to decide how to challenge for leadership of one of the ten noblest families.
At that point, West's fans thought that West would turn her attention again to Jay's story starting from the time period at the conclusion of the longer series.
Instead West chose to write a book about Jay's earliest history and tell the origins of her crew, friendship with Rath, the estranged brother of her eventual Lord. That book was the first book in the House War series.
The second book continued that story and ended basically where Jay and her crew journeyed to the house to escape a Demon. Many of the plot twists in that second volume were previously described in the first Hunter duology novel.
House Name starts at the end of the events described in the prior House War book, and details some information about Isedar's plan to bring his Demon Lord to the human plane. Isedar is a Duke of Hell and so you get some unknown information about the viewpoint of the demons.
I would say that the next half of the book is interesting in that it further develops the story of Jay, Finch and Teller who are in service to the House, so you learn some information about them, their back story -- that is alluded to in West other series but had not been told as they were minor characters in that series.
However, the second half of the story again is about the Hunter Lord and the fight between the Demon Lord and Bredan, and in many ways is almost a complete regurgitation of the plot and story. Where I thought this part of the story -- which had been told fairly deeply in the second Hunter duology book --- could be skipped or summarized even - West basically retells it again. The same events happen. The same people are involved. The same action ensues. The only difference is we see a slight reworking of how the Demon Lord loses.
Later there are some new information in the last few pages about how Jay joins the House.
I love the characters and I am deeply into their story. I am invested. Even though I understand that West wants to retell her story in one narrative, it seems a cheap publishing trick to basically regurgitate the same novel in a different book, call it something else and sell it again to the public.
So be warned. If you want a new book containing 600 odd pages of new material by West, this is not that book. However if you have lived her books and read them all, then you might like this book for what it says abbout some of the characters and how it shows how Lord thinks.
Either way its entertaining, but its not new.
May 18, 2020
UPDATE: 5/18/2020
Bumped up my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I appreciate that Jewel's den gets some character development beyond being "the nurturing one", "the smart one", "the loyal one", etc etc. Arann, Finch, Teller and newcomer Angel all have their own lives outside of Jewel and a trajectory beyond the group, which has exciting possibilities for the story going forward. Jewel is still stubborn, but she's learning and it will be interesting to see what she grows into.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: 3/26/2015
House War, I can't quit you.
I read the first two books a few years ago, then got busy with life and never finished the series. Well, at this point I have mixed feelings about continuing the series.
The Hidden City really drew me in. I loved Rath, his complicated past, and his even more complicated present with Jewel. Then came City of Night, which focused on Jewel and her ever-growing den. And that's where the author started to lose me. Still, the overall plot was decent, and between Rath and Sigurne Mellifas there was enough adult interaction to keep me interested. House Name picks up the story as Jewel and her den become guests of House Terafin and are introduced to the world of wealth, power and political intrigue. I understand that these are supposed to be scrappy urchins with hearts of gold- but the den's exploits, Jewel's stubbornness start to wear thin after a while. The demon confrontation didn't disappoint, even if it did drag on a bit.
Good reading but beware that these books need some heavy editing- it often takes 20 pages to get through as many lines of dialogue, and we are privy to every character's every. single. inner. thought. It was a problem in the first two novels but it spiraled out of control in this one; I found myself skimming through entire chapters. I know how to speed read and it still wore me down.
Bumped up my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I appreciate that Jewel's den gets some character development beyond being "the nurturing one", "the smart one", "the loyal one", etc etc. Arann, Finch, Teller and newcomer Angel all have their own lives outside of Jewel and a trajectory beyond the group, which has exciting possibilities for the story going forward. Jewel is still stubborn, but she's learning and it will be interesting to see what she grows into.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: 3/26/2015
House War, I can't quit you.
I read the first two books a few years ago, then got busy with life and never finished the series. Well, at this point I have mixed feelings about continuing the series.
The Hidden City really drew me in. I loved Rath, his complicated past, and his even more complicated present with Jewel. Then came City of Night, which focused on Jewel and her ever-growing den. And that's where the author started to lose me. Still, the overall plot was decent, and between Rath and Sigurne Mellifas there was enough adult interaction to keep me interested. House Name picks up the story as Jewel and her den become guests of House Terafin and are introduced to the world of wealth, power and political intrigue. I understand that these are supposed to be scrappy urchins with hearts of gold- but the den's exploits, Jewel's stubbornness start to wear thin after a while. The demon confrontation didn't disappoint, even if it did drag on a bit.
Good reading but beware that these books need some heavy editing- it often takes 20 pages to get through as many lines of dialogue, and we are privy to every character's every. single. inner. thought. It was a problem in the first two novels but it spiraled out of control in this one; I found myself skimming through entire chapters. I know how to speed read and it still wore me down.
January 9, 2011
Basically, this book covers the events portrayed in Hunter's Death from the den's POV. Things are expanded and clarified and some gaps are filled in, but it's still the same story. Because I knew what was going to happen, there wasn't very much narrative tension. I still liked the book but I wouldn't call it an exciting read.
Oh, and the actual page count is 640ish.
Oh, and the actual page count is 640ish.
February 20, 2011
Here's something interesting for me. Michelle Sagara-West has three series set in the same world -- the Hunter duology, the Sun Sword series, and the House War series, which is ongoing. I just finished the third (and newest) book in the House War series, House Name.
So, some background. The overall world is centered on the city of Averalaan, though House War is the only series that focuses on it alone*. The gods existed in the world, but most removed themselves -- with the most notable exceptions being the Lord of the Hells, who refused, and got sealed into Hell to keep him from causing trouble. Of course, then he and his followers are trying to break out -- he gets a piece of his power out in the Hunter duology, and the Sun Sword series chronicles his attempts to gain more power.
Anyway, in the Hunter duology, a seer character is introduced -- Jewel -- who sought refuge from demons within Terafin, one of Averallan's noble houses, thanks to the rare talent of precognition and an old friendship with the Terafin (the current head of the house's) brother**. In the Sun Sword series, she plays a role, riding with the armies heading south to deal with a mix of political unrest and demonic scheming. However, one of the subplots in that series is scheming against the Terafin, with Jewel and her own people involved because Jewel is considered a favorite to become the next Terafin. As a result, at some point, Jewel was called away from the plot of the Sun Sword books to attend to manners in House Terafin. Lest the plot of the book get even more tangled, Sagara-West decides to leave Jewel's story to continue the Sun Sword series and pick up Jewel in her own series.
... which ends up getting three prequels. Of which, book 2's climax is the same as the opening of the second Hunter book, Hunter's Death, and House Name and Hunter's Death are set concurrently and feature the same plot (the business with the Lord of the Hells trying to break into the world). Insert joke here about epic fantasy authors writing the same novel ten times to get ten novels.
But what worked for me was that Sagara-West realized 'shit, the backstory I need to tell for Jewel's present requires not only 'how Jewel met her people' but retelling a novel that exists with her POV, when she wasn't even at the climactic final battle, because she's a seer with some street fighting skills and would die against demons (and I wrote that she stayed home before)'. And then figured out a way to deal with the plot that made it work when we-the-readers might know what was going on from her previous work, or not (since the Hunter duology is old and hard to find).
What worked for me as a reader who had read the Hunter duology was the emotional plot going on during the struggle. Jewel was very much not the major character there, even as a POV character. The emotional plot was focused on the characters coming in from the first book in the duology, while Jewel and her den existed mostly as a source of information to show what was going on. Here, the plot is not just on 'shit, demons under the city', but that Jewel had lead her den to relative safety in Averalaan's upper crust, and even has a job that might win her the House Name of Terafin, guaranteeing her safety and that of her people. For someone who pretty much lived either as 'poor unskilled laborers'/'grave robbers'/'sometimes pickpockets', that's a Big Deal.
But it would mean swearing herself to loyalty other than 'my people'. Which is the emotional conflict for most of Jewel's den here -- Jewel both wants the House Name to protect her den and worries about the change in her status. This also seems to be a theme for Arann, Finch, Teller and Angel, who also get screentime -- 'who are we loyal to, and can we sustain our identity as Jewel's Den when starting to be other things as well'.
One downside is that Jester and, to an extent, Carver both get short shrift in the book. Hell, the Terafin even calls out that Jester hasn't done much in the book when granting House Names to Jewel's people. A bit annoying, since I feel like I have a better sense of who the others are than Jester.
Both the emotional themes and the idea that there are many stories surrounding the events of (fake) history and you either have plot kudzu where no one can tell whether the subplots are advancing under the sheer number of them, or you take Sagara-West's tactic and just end up saying 'look for what happens next to Jewel in a later series'. Given that Sagara-West already noted that the final book of the Sun Sword series had to be split in two because it was running long***, including Jewel's plot -- especially trying to have it keep pace with the Dominion plot -- might have been a nightmare.
And, actually, this works for me. Because real history is messy. I mean, if this was real events chronicling how Valedan took the throne of the Dominion after his father and half-brother were killed, you'd have to include 'the seer Jewel ATerafin, who rode with the Voyani for a period', and maybe tell how she came to do so, but when she went home to deal with House Terafin's succession, trying to tell that story in a history wouldn't work. So you just note that she left, and go on.
This whole thing makes me wonder how, now that we're out of prequel territory for the House War series, how Sagara-West will handle the Sun Sword information giving the background of 'how House Terafin, years after Jewel ATerafin joined, started a war over its succession'. The Sun Sword series gave more emotional space to Jewel on her journey, so it might be difficult to work blind. It might end up that the next book picks up where Jewel left the screen in the Sun Sword series and just runs in parallel that way.
* The Hunter duology spends most of the fist book in the kingdoms to the west, and the Sun Sword has a lot of the actions in the Dominion to the south.
** The ten noble houses in Averalaan aren't hereditary though being born upper-class makes it far more likely you'll win admission to a house and/or hold a position more advanced than 'cleaned the toilets for five years, so can use the house name, but is still a servant'.
*** Seems to be a common thread for epic fantasy authors.
So, some background. The overall world is centered on the city of Averalaan, though House War is the only series that focuses on it alone*. The gods existed in the world, but most removed themselves -- with the most notable exceptions being the Lord of the Hells, who refused, and got sealed into Hell to keep him from causing trouble. Of course, then he and his followers are trying to break out -- he gets a piece of his power out in the Hunter duology, and the Sun Sword series chronicles his attempts to gain more power.
Anyway, in the Hunter duology, a seer character is introduced -- Jewel -- who sought refuge from demons within Terafin, one of Averallan's noble houses, thanks to the rare talent of precognition and an old friendship with the Terafin (the current head of the house's) brother**. In the Sun Sword series, she plays a role, riding with the armies heading south to deal with a mix of political unrest and demonic scheming. However, one of the subplots in that series is scheming against the Terafin, with Jewel and her own people involved because Jewel is considered a favorite to become the next Terafin. As a result, at some point, Jewel was called away from the plot of the Sun Sword books to attend to manners in House Terafin. Lest the plot of the book get even more tangled, Sagara-West decides to leave Jewel's story to continue the Sun Sword series and pick up Jewel in her own series.
... which ends up getting three prequels. Of which, book 2's climax is the same as the opening of the second Hunter book, Hunter's Death, and House Name and Hunter's Death are set concurrently and feature the same plot (the business with the Lord of the Hells trying to break into the world). Insert joke here about epic fantasy authors writing the same novel ten times to get ten novels.
But what worked for me was that Sagara-West realized 'shit, the backstory I need to tell for Jewel's present requires not only 'how Jewel met her people' but retelling a novel that exists with her POV, when she wasn't even at the climactic final battle, because she's a seer with some street fighting skills and would die against demons (and I wrote that she stayed home before)'. And then figured out a way to deal with the plot that made it work when we-the-readers might know what was going on from her previous work, or not (since the Hunter duology is old and hard to find).
What worked for me as a reader who had read the Hunter duology was the emotional plot going on during the struggle. Jewel was very much not the major character there, even as a POV character. The emotional plot was focused on the characters coming in from the first book in the duology, while Jewel and her den existed mostly as a source of information to show what was going on. Here, the plot is not just on 'shit, demons under the city', but that Jewel had lead her den to relative safety in Averalaan's upper crust, and even has a job that might win her the House Name of Terafin, guaranteeing her safety and that of her people. For someone who pretty much lived either as 'poor unskilled laborers'/'grave robbers'/'sometimes pickpockets', that's a Big Deal.
But it would mean swearing herself to loyalty other than 'my people'. Which is the emotional conflict for most of Jewel's den here -- Jewel both wants the House Name to protect her den and worries about the change in her status. This also seems to be a theme for Arann, Finch, Teller and Angel, who also get screentime -- 'who are we loyal to, and can we sustain our identity as Jewel's Den when starting to be other things as well'.
One downside is that Jester and, to an extent, Carver both get short shrift in the book. Hell, the Terafin even calls out that Jester hasn't done much in the book when granting House Names to Jewel's people. A bit annoying, since I feel like I have a better sense of who the others are than Jester.
Both the emotional themes and the idea that there are many stories surrounding the events of (fake) history and you either have plot kudzu where no one can tell whether the subplots are advancing under the sheer number of them, or you take Sagara-West's tactic and just end up saying 'look for what happens next to Jewel in a later series'. Given that Sagara-West already noted that the final book of the Sun Sword series had to be split in two because it was running long***, including Jewel's plot -- especially trying to have it keep pace with the Dominion plot -- might have been a nightmare.
And, actually, this works for me. Because real history is messy. I mean, if this was real events chronicling how Valedan took the throne of the Dominion after his father and half-brother were killed, you'd have to include 'the seer Jewel ATerafin, who rode with the Voyani for a period', and maybe tell how she came to do so, but when she went home to deal with House Terafin's succession, trying to tell that story in a history wouldn't work. So you just note that she left, and go on.
This whole thing makes me wonder how, now that we're out of prequel territory for the House War series, how Sagara-West will handle the Sun Sword information giving the background of 'how House Terafin, years after Jewel ATerafin joined, started a war over its succession'. The Sun Sword series gave more emotional space to Jewel on her journey, so it might be difficult to work blind. It might end up that the next book picks up where Jewel left the screen in the Sun Sword series and just runs in parallel that way.
* The Hunter duology spends most of the fist book in the kingdoms to the west, and the Sun Sword has a lot of the actions in the Dominion to the south.
** The ten noble houses in Averalaan aren't hereditary though being born upper-class makes it far more likely you'll win admission to a house and/or hold a position more advanced than 'cleaned the toilets for five years, so can use the house name, but is still a servant'.
*** Seems to be a common thread for epic fantasy authors.
February 10, 2011
Awesome, awesome conclusion to the House War trilogy (at least I assume it's the conclusion - if not, it actually ends really neatly, in a way that Michelle West's mid-series books rarely do) Loved seeing the Jewel we know from the Sun Sword set slowly take shape from the solitary street urchin we first meet her as in Book 1 of this series - watching her build her den around her, and seeing what happens in this book as she becomes the ATerafin we first met her as in The Broken Crown.
I also loved that we FINALLY got to meet Avandar at the end - he was always one of my favourite characters from the Sun Sword set, and getting to see the interplay between Jewel and this early version of him was a real treat.
House Name had all the worldbuilding richness of the Essalieyan series that have gone before, all the character moments I love so much from the previous books, and all the thought-provoking interchanges between characters that I've always loved about Michelle West's books taken as a whole. It just missed out on being a 10/10 for me because of a couple of niggles with editing - a sprinkling of spelling mistakes with characters' names (Cormalyn appears as Coramlyn and Cormdyn at different points throughout the book, and there are others too), and (possibly more annoying for me) the ongoing repetition of information the reader already knows from the viewpoints of different characters. As an example, I stopped counting at the fourth time a different character thought, remembered or was told by another character about how the Sacred Hunt of the Breodani worked, and that one or the other of the Hunter Brothers had to die during it. I grant you that this was a foundational point upon which the entire series had to rest, but still: once I as the reader have been told it, I don't need to be told it again. And again. And again.
Editing niggles aside though? This really was a fantastic read. There's a reason Ms West is my absolute favourite fantasy author EVER, and has been ever since I discovered The Broken Crown back when I was in England
I also loved that we FINALLY got to meet Avandar at the end - he was always one of my favourite characters from the Sun Sword set, and getting to see the interplay between Jewel and this early version of him was a real treat.
House Name had all the worldbuilding richness of the Essalieyan series that have gone before, all the character moments I love so much from the previous books, and all the thought-provoking interchanges between characters that I've always loved about Michelle West's books taken as a whole. It just missed out on being a 10/10 for me because of a couple of niggles with editing - a sprinkling of spelling mistakes with characters' names (Cormalyn appears as Coramlyn and Cormdyn at different points throughout the book, and there are others too), and (possibly more annoying for me) the ongoing repetition of information the reader already knows from the viewpoints of different characters. As an example, I stopped counting at the fourth time a different character thought, remembered or was told by another character about how the Sacred Hunt of the Breodani worked, and that one or the other of the Hunter Brothers had to die during it. I grant you that this was a foundational point upon which the entire series had to rest, but still: once I as the reader have been told it, I don't need to be told it again. And again. And again.
Editing niggles aside though? This really was a fantastic read. There's a reason Ms West is my absolute favourite fantasy author EVER, and has been ever since I discovered The Broken Crown back when I was in England
December 18, 2022
This is the final book in what I guess is a prequel trilogy. I have done some digging around and have found that "The House War" series is actually a part of a much larger literary world. I guess it started with "The Sacred Hunt" duology, then Michelle West (aka Michelle Sagara) wrote "The Sun Sword" series and finally wrote the books I have just read. The first three books in THW take place the same time as TSH. Then you have the events that span TSS and finally THW books 4-8... and counting?
Confused yet? Anyways, This book had a different feel to it from the first two. Actually, that isn't right. I mentioned in my review of THW #2 (City of Night) how the story, characterization, pacing, etc seemed to drastically change about 2/3 the way in. This book feels much most like that last third did. I am guessing this is because it is where the plot overlaps with TSH books. Anyways, I am being way too technical. This is a bad review, but I am too tired to fix it right now.
House Name picks up right where City of Night left off. Jewel and her crew have gone from rags to riches, but quite a few of their number are now dead and gone. The underworld city they used to roam and scavenge to make a living from is now completely blocked off and the abode of demons. Those demons are trying to summon their god so they can rule the world. It is up to Jewel, her den, and some new allies to try and stop them.
I am very invested in the characters, but this book was just not nearly as good for me as the first two. I will most likely be backtracking and reading the Hunter books then the Sun Sword books before finishing up The House War series. I don't think any of these books work as standalone so if you're like me, a fan of huge sprawling storylines that require dozens of thousand-page books to tell, then you will probably enjoy Michelle West. If you are more a fan of YA style lit light... pass on it.
Confused yet? Anyways, This book had a different feel to it from the first two. Actually, that isn't right. I mentioned in my review of THW #2 (City of Night) how the story, characterization, pacing, etc seemed to drastically change about 2/3 the way in. This book feels much most like that last third did. I am guessing this is because it is where the plot overlaps with TSH books. Anyways, I am being way too technical. This is a bad review, but I am too tired to fix it right now.
House Name picks up right where City of Night left off. Jewel and her crew have gone from rags to riches, but quite a few of their number are now dead and gone. The underworld city they used to roam and scavenge to make a living from is now completely blocked off and the abode of demons. Those demons are trying to summon their god so they can rule the world. It is up to Jewel, her den, and some new allies to try and stop them.
I am very invested in the characters, but this book was just not nearly as good for me as the first two. I will most likely be backtracking and reading the Hunter books then the Sun Sword books before finishing up The House War series. I don't think any of these books work as standalone so if you're like me, a fan of huge sprawling storylines that require dozens of thousand-page books to tell, then you will probably enjoy Michelle West. If you are more a fan of YA style lit light... pass on it.
February 19, 2011
As much as I'd looked forward to this series, I'd found myself not liking it as well as the Sun Sword series. Part of it is that the language is less poetic and part of it is the tighter, more personal focus, with fewer PoV switches. I knew this series would be like that, but apparently, it's less my thing.
But this book changes that. Yes, we've read entire sections of it before, but I loved it anyway. I loved the look at characters and events we didn't see before. I loved the new perspective and insights. I really feel it changed some of my opinions on events I'd first read about years before.
I know some say that, with this book, you no longer need to read the Sacred Hunt duology. I disagree. Yes, you now can skip it, but I think it adds too much to do without. This book and Hunter's Death are two sides of the same story and it's just so much better and means so much more when you have them both.
To be honest, I've felt that way with this whole series. The whole three book prequel section is, by definition, first chronologically. But I feel I had a deeper appreciation of the whole thing because I'd read the other books first; I had a better idea of what was coming, but it meant more to me. This book, the one that overlaps the most with previous books, did not change that.
I still love these characters and this world. Highly recommended.
But this book changes that. Yes, we've read entire sections of it before, but I loved it anyway. I loved the look at characters and events we didn't see before. I loved the new perspective and insights. I really feel it changed some of my opinions on events I'd first read about years before.
I know some say that, with this book, you no longer need to read the Sacred Hunt duology. I disagree. Yes, you now can skip it, but I think it adds too much to do without. This book and Hunter's Death are two sides of the same story and it's just so much better and means so much more when you have them both.
To be honest, I've felt that way with this whole series. The whole three book prequel section is, by definition, first chronologically. But I feel I had a deeper appreciation of the whole thing because I'd read the other books first; I had a better idea of what was coming, but it meant more to me. This book, the one that overlaps the most with previous books, did not change that.
I still love these characters and this world. Highly recommended.
January 4, 2013
This book closes the first half of the House War series. The second half will take place 16 years later, after the event that will take place in the Sun Sword series by the same author.
For me it was the weakest book yet in the series.
There is one thing many readers dislike in this book, it is the fact that it overlaps with the Hunter's series by the same author and retells what happens in those books from a different point of view. That was not an issue for me as I read the previous books 20 years ago and I hardly recalled the events that took place them.
My real issue was due to the fact that the author had to spend so much time narrating those events, we spent less time with Jewell and her den and I feel Mrs West is at her best when she's talking about them ( especially as the focus is so much on them that the retelling will feel incomplete to first time readers of Mrs West as they won't feel any connection to these sides characters that become the main ones for a few chapters)..
Still it is not a bad book and it I rated the previous ones 4 stars it was more 4.5 stars, this time it's a 3.5 stars.
For me it was the weakest book yet in the series.
There is one thing many readers dislike in this book, it is the fact that it overlaps with the Hunter's series by the same author and retells what happens in those books from a different point of view. That was not an issue for me as I read the previous books 20 years ago and I hardly recalled the events that took place them.
My real issue was due to the fact that the author had to spend so much time narrating those events, we spent less time with Jewell and her den and I feel Mrs West is at her best when she's talking about them ( especially as the focus is so much on them that the retelling will feel incomplete to first time readers of Mrs West as they won't feel any connection to these sides characters that become the main ones for a few chapters)..
Still it is not a bad book and it I rated the previous ones 4 stars it was more 4.5 stars, this time it's a 3.5 stars.
September 4, 2019
Note:
Rating is based on the story and does not reflect my opinion of the narration. Great story. Shoddy narration.
Rating is based on the story and does not reflect my opinion of the narration. Great story. Shoddy narration.
January 6, 2012
I can only agree with Vernieda's review ^^. I actually think it would be better not to have re-read the Sacred Hunt series before, because if you haven't read that in a long while the action would also be pretty new (considering how long ago that duology came out).
I like the more detail we get with the den interaction - I could have used even more of it, didn't need the epic fight from another perspective (but I did like the revelations we got about Meralonne here or Isladar and his role in all of this).
This is not a book to start Michelle West's SunSword universe with. If you want to start at the earliest timeline wise it would be the first book in this particular series.
I'm looking forward to reading the gap being breached towards the beginning of the House Terafin part of the Sun Sword books, and I believe a lot of threads from that series are still open to be explored.
If you enjoy meaty epic fantasy with a large cast of plot threads and characters all explored, I encourage you to read this series, but don't read it if you don't like side paths and explorations aside.
I like the more detail we get with the den interaction - I could have used even more of it, didn't need the epic fight from another perspective (but I did like the revelations we got about Meralonne here or Isladar and his role in all of this).
This is not a book to start Michelle West's SunSword universe with. If you want to start at the earliest timeline wise it would be the first book in this particular series.
I'm looking forward to reading the gap being breached towards the beginning of the House Terafin part of the Sun Sword books, and I believe a lot of threads from that series are still open to be explored.
If you enjoy meaty epic fantasy with a large cast of plot threads and characters all explored, I encourage you to read this series, but don't read it if you don't like side paths and explorations aside.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2017
This book... it pulled together everything from the first 2 books in this trilogy and made it spectacular. I'm not giving spoilers, just to say that towards the end of this book I alternated between crying and saying 'Oh!' a lot.
The character development was superb, the story line gripping and by the end of it I even liked Jay, which is a big change as I found her incredibly annoying in The Sun Sword series.
The character development was superb, the story line gripping and by the end of it I even liked Jay, which is a big change as I found her incredibly annoying in The Sun Sword series.
January 16, 2025
meh. the first couple of books in this series are ok to somewhat riveting. then there’s a big drop in quality and purpose. i did read all of it because i can be a bibliomasochist, and i had to finish what i started.
September 4, 2025
This series has few of the little tics of writing I’ve been annoyed by in the Elantra novels, but there’s a bit of sloppiness here and there. For example, she completely drops the Sleepers after making such a big deal of finding them, leaving a serious hole in the plot.
November 7, 2025
In the midst of the chaos, I realized we had learned very little about the magic, government, and history of Averalaan. This made sense for Jay and her crew, since they had little schooling and what they learned from their mentors was incomplete; however, it was frustrating when the characters with significant roles within their society's formal structures kept their knowledge so closely guarded. I saw little reason for that information to be so secretive, as details about past personal and professional relationships would have helped clarify why the characters treated each other unkindly and why everyone was so prickly. Many of the action scenes that should have felt faster-paced ended up bogged down by characters constantly contemplating and sizing each other up.
There were many different types of magic in this world, including dark and forbidden ones. I hope that later installments expand on the stories of important side characters who seemed to have struggled against that power’s temptation. I would like to know more about the conflict between Winter and Summer magics, where elemental magics fit in, and who wields them. I appreciated that there were consequences and limits to the use of magic. However, it would be worth spending more time exploring its hierarchies, such as the perceived inferiority of casting onto physical objects and using magic for petty, mundane tasks like opening doors and turning on lights.
When you’re younger, it’s fun to imagine being pulled out of a humdrum existence to be trained and given special treatment. The grown-ups were equal parts condescending about Jay and her den’s ages and how much they had to learn, and willing to trust their instincts and take action based on feelings. I just had to laugh - that’s fantasy for you!
House Name felt like the true beginning of Jay’s transformation. I’m excited for loyalty to be tested and for her understanding of leadership to change. It was great to see some of the den separated so that they could start forming their own identities and figure out what unique skills they can offer to strengthen the group. That would provide the reader a chance to learn more through them, especially now that more factions are being added to make the story richer and more complex. Some members of the den got lost in the background, which worries me that they’ll suffer the same fate as the others. But it could be a good opportunity to introduce conflict and explore growing pains as the adolescents develop different goals and interests.
There were still aspects of the writing style that bothered me. It may be just a personal preference, but at least it was consistent. And on the bright side, I noticed fewer annoying sentence patterns frequently used in books 1 and 2. I disliked descriptions like “Character B was not Character A,” especially when Character A had already been identified as the memorably grouchy one. It would have been nice to discover Character B based on their own characteristics; otherwise, it’s hard to distinguish them from the sea of other characters. Similarly, describing Thing C by what it’s not rather than its existing components. It can be relevant to point out the absence of a quality to draw attention to a clue within the story, but it can be just as, if not more, effective to paint a picture of the thing as it is. The prologues are often tedious, but the writing flowed better once the buildup wheels were off. If the whole 700-page book were written like the epilogue, it would have been so much more propulsive.
This may be a series whose whole is better than the sum of its parts. Over the years, I have given away and repurchased used copies. Somehow, I keep getting drawn back in, so I am not yet ready to give up on Jay’s story. I am intrigued by concepts like the found family in the den, demons in high fantasy, the undercity, and the idea of an ancient and forgotten history, even when the actual reading process is laborious. I have seen recommendations to start the Sun Sword series now that I’ve finished House War book 3. I am curious to try The Broken Crown to figure out how it fits into the larger world. I’m hoping for stronger world-building and sharper writing, but I’ll give it a fair shot.
There were many different types of magic in this world, including dark and forbidden ones. I hope that later installments expand on the stories of important side characters who seemed to have struggled against that power’s temptation. I would like to know more about the conflict between Winter and Summer magics, where elemental magics fit in, and who wields them. I appreciated that there were consequences and limits to the use of magic. However, it would be worth spending more time exploring its hierarchies, such as the perceived inferiority of casting onto physical objects and using magic for petty, mundane tasks like opening doors and turning on lights.
When you’re younger, it’s fun to imagine being pulled out of a humdrum existence to be trained and given special treatment. The grown-ups were equal parts condescending about Jay and her den’s ages and how much they had to learn, and willing to trust their instincts and take action based on feelings. I just had to laugh - that’s fantasy for you!
House Name felt like the true beginning of Jay’s transformation. I’m excited for loyalty to be tested and for her understanding of leadership to change. It was great to see some of the den separated so that they could start forming their own identities and figure out what unique skills they can offer to strengthen the group. That would provide the reader a chance to learn more through them, especially now that more factions are being added to make the story richer and more complex. Some members of the den got lost in the background, which worries me that they’ll suffer the same fate as the others. But it could be a good opportunity to introduce conflict and explore growing pains as the adolescents develop different goals and interests.
There were still aspects of the writing style that bothered me. It may be just a personal preference, but at least it was consistent. And on the bright side, I noticed fewer annoying sentence patterns frequently used in books 1 and 2. I disliked descriptions like “Character B was not Character A,” especially when Character A had already been identified as the memorably grouchy one. It would have been nice to discover Character B based on their own characteristics; otherwise, it’s hard to distinguish them from the sea of other characters. Similarly, describing Thing C by what it’s not rather than its existing components. It can be relevant to point out the absence of a quality to draw attention to a clue within the story, but it can be just as, if not more, effective to paint a picture of the thing as it is. The prologues are often tedious, but the writing flowed better once the buildup wheels were off. If the whole 700-page book were written like the epilogue, it would have been so much more propulsive.
This may be a series whose whole is better than the sum of its parts. Over the years, I have given away and repurchased used copies. Somehow, I keep getting drawn back in, so I am not yet ready to give up on Jay’s story. I am intrigued by concepts like the found family in the den, demons in high fantasy, the undercity, and the idea of an ancient and forgotten history, even when the actual reading process is laborious. I have seen recommendations to start the Sun Sword series now that I’ve finished House War book 3. I am curious to try The Broken Crown to figure out how it fits into the larger world. I’m hoping for stronger world-building and sharper writing, but I’ll give it a fair shot.
January 29, 2021
4.5
I thought this was a great book overall, and a big improvement over the first two in the series. Part of this may be that it had more POV sections from characters I liked or found interesting, and fewer from those I found boring.
I am still really attached to Jewel, and I think one of the things I enjoy most about her was that while she does have a special gift, she’s not the only one who does, and it isn’t of itself the reason that people collect around her. That’s her loyalty and sense of duty and responsibility to the people she cares about, and her willingness to go to bat for them at any cost. I enjoyed her being mentored, particularly by the Terafin, and learning and discussing more how to be a leader and how complicated the world and potential actions are, while remaining herself.
The pacing was a lot better, although I still find West’s prose unnecessarily wordy and occasionally repetitive (and why all the em dashes?). A lot of this book was very tense and foreboding, and her descriptions of the tortured voices rising from the ground and there being nothing anyone could do about them, for weeks, was haunting. I also loved the sections where Finch and Teller went to work for different areas of the House and learned and carved little places for themselves - I found it both endearing and interesting, and a great way to expand the world.
It was an interesting choice to have Jewel sit out almost the entirety of the final conflict between Allasakar and our group of heroes, but I think it was a good one. She isn’t a fighter and doesn’t have great magical power, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t be there. It also shows her character growth, as one of the things she’s consistently hated most has been people she cares about being in danger while she is unable to do anything about it; she accepted that she couldn’t here and that people have different roles and can’t do everything themselves.
The fight was good and tense, and left intriguing plot threads, but I think I liked even more the epilogue-ish ending. It was unexpectedly funny, for one, and I thought the den throwing a party that included all of their old friends who helped them when they were nobodies was a great choice to tie everything together.
I still don’t understand the purpose of Jester in the story, and chuckled a little when the Terafin was giving him the House name and was basically ‘I don’t really know what you do but you make your friends laugh, so that’s something’. I also thought it was a little cheesy that almost everyone her den interacted with ended up liking them, but you know what? They’re good people and I like them too, so I don’t mind.
All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot, primarily for the characters but also for the tension and world, and look forward to reading the Sun Sword series, which apparently comes next chronologically.
I thought this was a great book overall, and a big improvement over the first two in the series. Part of this may be that it had more POV sections from characters I liked or found interesting, and fewer from those I found boring.
I am still really attached to Jewel, and I think one of the things I enjoy most about her was that while she does have a special gift, she’s not the only one who does, and it isn’t of itself the reason that people collect around her. That’s her loyalty and sense of duty and responsibility to the people she cares about, and her willingness to go to bat for them at any cost. I enjoyed her being mentored, particularly by the Terafin, and learning and discussing more how to be a leader and how complicated the world and potential actions are, while remaining herself.
The pacing was a lot better, although I still find West’s prose unnecessarily wordy and occasionally repetitive (and why all the em dashes?). A lot of this book was very tense and foreboding, and her descriptions of the tortured voices rising from the ground and there being nothing anyone could do about them, for weeks, was haunting. I also loved the sections where Finch and Teller went to work for different areas of the House and learned and carved little places for themselves - I found it both endearing and interesting, and a great way to expand the world.
It was an interesting choice to have Jewel sit out almost the entirety of the final conflict between Allasakar and our group of heroes, but I think it was a good one. She isn’t a fighter and doesn’t have great magical power, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t be there. It also shows her character growth, as one of the things she’s consistently hated most has been people she cares about being in danger while she is unable to do anything about it; she accepted that she couldn’t here and that people have different roles and can’t do everything themselves.
The fight was good and tense, and left intriguing plot threads, but I think I liked even more the epilogue-ish ending. It was unexpectedly funny, for one, and I thought the den throwing a party that included all of their old friends who helped them when they were nobodies was a great choice to tie everything together.
I still don’t understand the purpose of Jester in the story, and chuckled a little when the Terafin was giving him the House name and was basically ‘I don’t really know what you do but you make your friends laugh, so that’s something’. I also thought it was a little cheesy that almost everyone her den interacted with ended up liking them, but you know what? They’re good people and I like them too, so I don’t mind.
All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot, primarily for the characters but also for the tension and world, and look forward to reading the Sun Sword series, which apparently comes next chronologically.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2024
So, you don't really need to read this book if you have read the books preceding it in the series. It gives you a little more insight into the den members and reports the events of the demonic Henden from Jewel's perspective, but that's about it.
There are some buried tidbits of information, it's definite that Meralonne is not human. What is he? Who knows? He has a Lord. Who is his Lord? Destiny? I don't know. Then you have all of these humans who refer to their leader as Lord. It's confusing. There are so many lords that are referred to as such without having any kind of modifier attached.
She is constantly saying 'The Lord'. Which one? She uses it refer to the Annagardian god. She uses it to refer to Allaskar. Now she's using it to refer to Meralonne's god or master or whatever who is definitely not Allaskar. How am I supposed to know which one she is referring to? 'The' is used when everyone already knows what the succeeding noun is referring to, either because there is only one aka, The sun, the moon,; it is referring back in the text to a previously elucidated being, ie., a dog bit me, the dog was white, you know which dog because of the preceding sentence; or the is used because everyone shares equal background information and can infer which being is in mind, like 'the Trump', everyone knows which one, there is only one famous enough to deserve the moniker of 'The'. Here we have at least three, and in some cases it's quite hard to distinguish which one is being talked about.
The only other tidbit we got was that probably Evayne's father is the mysterious God of Man or Destiny, or whoever he is.
What I wonder is if Isladar is secretly on the Destiny god's side.
The other weird thing about this book is that the timeline is messed up. Jewel is not in her 30s when she meets the half human daughter of Allaskar. She's 16 in this book, and yet Isladar says that Allaskar does not have any half human children. How is that possible? Did she grow at an unnatural rate? That doesn't make sense, Veralaan's sons grew at an unnatural rate because they spent time in Between where time runs differently. But she wasn't born in between, she was born in this plane, so isn't that a timeline mess up?
I guess I shouldn't complain about time line issues, there is literally a character who was born in the future walking around in the past, so...
Anyway, a lot of repetition here, but you do get a bit more about Jewel and her den. I thought the Angel section was interesting.
There are some buried tidbits of information, it's definite that Meralonne is not human. What is he? Who knows? He has a Lord. Who is his Lord? Destiny? I don't know. Then you have all of these humans who refer to their leader as Lord. It's confusing. There are so many lords that are referred to as such without having any kind of modifier attached.
She is constantly saying 'The Lord'. Which one? She uses it refer to the Annagardian god. She uses it to refer to Allaskar. Now she's using it to refer to Meralonne's god or master or whatever who is definitely not Allaskar. How am I supposed to know which one she is referring to? 'The' is used when everyone already knows what the succeeding noun is referring to, either because there is only one aka, The sun, the moon,; it is referring back in the text to a previously elucidated being, ie., a dog bit me, the dog was white, you know which dog because of the preceding sentence; or the is used because everyone shares equal background information and can infer which being is in mind, like 'the Trump', everyone knows which one, there is only one famous enough to deserve the moniker of 'The'. Here we have at least three, and in some cases it's quite hard to distinguish which one is being talked about.
The only other tidbit we got was that probably Evayne's father is the mysterious God of Man or Destiny, or whoever he is.
What I wonder is if Isladar is secretly on the Destiny god's side.
The other weird thing about this book is that the timeline is messed up. Jewel is not in her 30s when she meets the half human daughter of Allaskar. She's 16 in this book, and yet Isladar says that Allaskar does not have any half human children. How is that possible? Did she grow at an unnatural rate? That doesn't make sense, Veralaan's sons grew at an unnatural rate because they spent time in Between where time runs differently. But she wasn't born in between, she was born in this plane, so isn't that a timeline mess up?
I guess I shouldn't complain about time line issues, there is literally a character who was born in the future walking around in the past, so...
Anyway, a lot of repetition here, but you do get a bit more about Jewel and her den. I thought the Angel section was interesting.
February 8, 2018
I very much enjoy this series - and had a hard time putting this down - but there were some things about it that were odd.
Firstly, the thing we have seemingly been building towards - the demons in the undercity, the coming of the Lord of the Hells... which Rath sacrificed his life to give warning about - it is handled about 2/3 into the book, and oddly, none of our main characters are there.
I'm aware that several other series tie into this one. The instructions on the series read order, though, were to read these first 3 books in House War, and then read the Sun Sword series ... and so it was very odd to find myself in a climactic battle, that the main characters of House War have been working towards... but not have literally any of them present. Yes, there were lots of secondary characters there, including ones I like very much - Merlonne APhaniel, Sigurne, Devon ATerafin - but it was hard to feel super emotionally invested in this fight when Jewel, the den, and Aramais were all not present, and we've simply never spent that much time with these other characters. I recognize that the fight was important. I wanted them to win because I didn't want the world to end. I just felt oddly disconnected from it, with the series main characters all just hanging out back at the house waiting for word.
And I missed Rath - I really loved him - but I have to say that I like Aramais. She's harder - she has to be - but you can see the depth of her care, and I have tremendous respect for her. If we had to lose Rath, I can live with Aramais filling his shoes as Jewel's ... guardian, for lack of a better word.
I loved seeing more of the world - the Exalted, the Kings, the Ten - and getting a fuller picture of it all. It was just odd having the main characters hand the big fight off to characters we barely know.
I am definitely reading onward. I'm just not sure if I should flop over to the Sun Sword series - which seems to involve a totally different set of characters - or continue on with the House War series, and then hit the Sun Sword afterward, to fill in the perspective of these different characters. Because I don't really want to move away from Jewel and the Terafin until I see where they end, you know?
Firstly, the thing we have seemingly been building towards - the demons in the undercity, the coming of the Lord of the Hells... which Rath sacrificed his life to give warning about - it is handled about 2/3 into the book, and oddly, none of our main characters are there.
I'm aware that several other series tie into this one. The instructions on the series read order, though, were to read these first 3 books in House War, and then read the Sun Sword series ... and so it was very odd to find myself in a climactic battle, that the main characters of House War have been working towards... but not have literally any of them present. Yes, there were lots of secondary characters there, including ones I like very much - Merlonne APhaniel, Sigurne, Devon ATerafin - but it was hard to feel super emotionally invested in this fight when Jewel, the den, and Aramais were all not present, and we've simply never spent that much time with these other characters. I recognize that the fight was important. I wanted them to win because I didn't want the world to end. I just felt oddly disconnected from it, with the series main characters all just hanging out back at the house waiting for word.
And I missed Rath - I really loved him - but I have to say that I like Aramais. She's harder - she has to be - but you can see the depth of her care, and I have tremendous respect for her. If we had to lose Rath, I can live with Aramais filling his shoes as Jewel's ... guardian, for lack of a better word.
I loved seeing more of the world - the Exalted, the Kings, the Ten - and getting a fuller picture of it all. It was just odd having the main characters hand the big fight off to characters we barely know.
I am definitely reading onward. I'm just not sure if I should flop over to the Sun Sword series - which seems to involve a totally different set of characters - or continue on with the House War series, and then hit the Sun Sword afterward, to fill in the perspective of these different characters. Because I don't really want to move away from Jewel and the Terafin until I see where they end, you know?
July 8, 2022
3.5 starts but rounding up. This was is kind of hard to rate. It starts off directly after the events of City of Night, which was arguably my favorite in the series. And we continue to see the lives of the den.
I wish that the action scenes weren’t so long. I understand (and fully support) the fact that the den weren’t involved in the final battle (because they’re children after all). I appreciate that the author didn’t try to make them what they aren’t. I just wish the battle wasn’t as drawn out as it was. I found much of the politics and demon stuff very confusing and kind of boring. There were many times that characters wouldn’t say things outright and I was left scratching my head trying to figure out what the hell was going on - in the final battle AND whenever Jewel was involved in something political tbh. Maybe it’s me 😅 I guess it didn’t help that I hadn’t picked this one up in a while after reading City of Night so I didn’t really know the difference between certain characters either. The pacing really suffered in certain places, and this was a very dark one in the series - which, I mean, makes sense ofc.
My favorite parts were ofc the moments between Jewel and the rest of her den, particularly in the epilogue-ish ending of the book. It was so, so heartwarming to see them throw a PARTY of all things. This was a really great reminder of what I really love about this series - it isn’t so much the action as it is about the characters and the way they care for one another. What a heartwarming way to end the book. I’m really looking forward to seeing each of the den become their own individuals and find their own place in that world like we’ve seen Jewel, Angel, Teller, and Finch do. Would love to see more of Arron, Jester, and my personal fav Carver.
I know that chronologically, the hunter books are next in the series but I’m choosing to skip them as I’ve been told they’re a retelling of this book. So I’ll jump on over to the first book in the Sunsword series and start there. Althooooough, I want nothing more than to just continue with Jewel’s story and see where it goes 😩 I really hope the stories are connected in some way!
I wish that the action scenes weren’t so long. I understand (and fully support) the fact that the den weren’t involved in the final battle (because they’re children after all). I appreciate that the author didn’t try to make them what they aren’t. I just wish the battle wasn’t as drawn out as it was. I found much of the politics and demon stuff very confusing and kind of boring. There were many times that characters wouldn’t say things outright and I was left scratching my head trying to figure out what the hell was going on - in the final battle AND whenever Jewel was involved in something political tbh. Maybe it’s me 😅 I guess it didn’t help that I hadn’t picked this one up in a while after reading City of Night so I didn’t really know the difference between certain characters either. The pacing really suffered in certain places, and this was a very dark one in the series - which, I mean, makes sense ofc.
My favorite parts were ofc the moments between Jewel and the rest of her den, particularly in the epilogue-ish ending of the book. It was so, so heartwarming to see them throw a PARTY of all things. This was a really great reminder of what I really love about this series - it isn’t so much the action as it is about the characters and the way they care for one another. What a heartwarming way to end the book. I’m really looking forward to seeing each of the den become their own individuals and find their own place in that world like we’ve seen Jewel, Angel, Teller, and Finch do. Would love to see more of Arron, Jester, and my personal fav Carver.
I know that chronologically, the hunter books are next in the series but I’m choosing to skip them as I’ve been told they’re a retelling of this book. So I’ll jump on over to the first book in the Sunsword series and start there. Althooooough, I want nothing more than to just continue with Jewel’s story and see where it goes 😩 I really hope the stories are connected in some way!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2023
I'm so invested in this story. Even if the politics doesn't interest you, the characters will. A problem I have with a lot of stories is that the characters only feel like they're there so the plot moves forward. They feel like empty shells beholden to the author's whims. This doesn't have that problem. Each character feels like they have their own distinctive lives, and they are almost always reoccurring. It does not matter if they are influential to the plot, just that they're influential to the characters.
I cried like a fucking baby at the epilogue is what I'm saying.
One scene that stuck out with me is the one with the bards, and the screams. I'm not gonna spoil the details but it was absolutely chilling, and so well written
id m starting to understand more and more what makes good prose, and good writing. And while i sincerley love the story West is crafting, its wayyyy too wordy, and relies on having read West's previous books. Ive only read the first chapter of the hunter oath, and got SUPER spoiled. And honestly I should've just stopped at book one and read the entire essaliyan before coming back, cause it'd probably be more effective. It's also just hard to follow everything happening, I managed though.
I've realized that I really want to explore the world and the characters that West has written, so I think I'm gonna join the patreon when im able to.
I cried like a fucking baby at the epilogue is what I'm saying.
One scene that stuck out with me is the one with the bards, and the screams. I'm not gonna spoil the details but it was absolutely chilling, and so well written
id m starting to understand more and more what makes good prose, and good writing. And while i sincerley love the story West is crafting, its wayyyy too wordy, and relies on having read West's previous books. Ive only read the first chapter of the hunter oath, and got SUPER spoiled. And honestly I should've just stopped at book one and read the entire essaliyan before coming back, cause it'd probably be more effective. It's also just hard to follow everything happening, I managed though.
I've realized that I really want to explore the world and the characters that West has written, so I think I'm gonna join the patreon when im able to.
January 18, 2022
I really loved reading about Teller and Finch. Seeing some of the den shown to have their own lives outside of Jewel and trying to find a place in the House are my favorite parts of the story. I do wish every den member got a chance to really shine though. Jewel is still stubborn and a little frustrating at times but she cares so much about her people. She struggles throughout the entire book to prove herself useful and earn the Terafin name to protect her den but also keep the den together. She doesn't want to move on and leave anyone behind.
We also get all the threads from the previous two House War books coming together here. What are the demons planning? What is the Undercity? What can the Gods and their children to do to protect the humans and the mortal realm?
This is my first time reading the Essalieyan series and I'll be moving to the Sacred Hunt duology next in my reading order. I'm excited to continue!
We also get all the threads from the previous two House War books coming together here. What are the demons planning? What is the Undercity? What can the Gods and their children to do to protect the humans and the mortal realm?
This is my first time reading the Essalieyan series and I'll be moving to the Sacred Hunt duology next in my reading order. I'm excited to continue!
March 21, 2023
Unlike many here, I haven't read The Sacred Hunt books - I'm reading this series for the first time, and the author recommends reading those next. So, this wasn't exactly the slog for me that it was for others, which I appreciate. I liked how this gave more depth to Jewel's den, and Finch and Teller's new jobs were actually one of my favorite parts here. I also liked this that book, more than the two prior, had an epic fantasy feel. We see more magic, more demons, more big name characters and battles. The world felt so expansive in this one, and I loved that. Plus, even though this is just a brief pause in the series, it actually gives a really emotionally satisfying conclusion to this part of the story, which is always really nice in these longer series.
March 23, 2019
I've listened to the whole series twice, and I'm listening a third time because First Born just came out. I love this author's books - all of the them! And I promise to write a thorough review shortly, but right now I'm listening to House Name and something is driving me nuts! I count only 9 of The Ten and I can't figure out who I'm missing. Please bear with me on the spelling of the house names of The Ten - remember I'm listening, not reading so I don't know the spelling. Here are the 9 houses I know: Terafin, Morriset, Darius, Barillia, Calicar, Garasar, Coracamas, Tamilin, Whalen.
Someone PLEASE tell me who I'm missing? It's driving me right out of my mind! And, thank you in advance!
Someone PLEASE tell me who I'm missing? It's driving me right out of my mind! And, thank you in advance!
September 19, 2019
I find myself falling more and more in love with this writer's works with every instalment of this series that I read. The dialogues is where she just kills it, with things hidden both in the subtext and also in what is not being said. The characters are rich and myriad, with a whole slew of conflicting motivations that lend themselves to form a compelling narrative. The worlbuilding is rich, and the descriptions of the fights, of the magic used in them, is breath taking. But most of all, the character development of Jay and her den as they find themselves on the brink of entering adulthood is done so nicely that I can't wait to pick up the next one.
August 3, 2018
Another Michelle West series
One more series that is yet to be completed. More than a coming of age with a strong theme of loyalty between friends and a twist all things and people are more than first impressions. If you are a fan of Michelle West you know the subtle and not so subtle twists her book game as her characters begin to develop, this series will not let you down. If you are new to her writing you will enjoy the books more if read in order.
One more series that is yet to be completed. More than a coming of age with a strong theme of loyalty between friends and a twist all things and people are more than first impressions. If you are a fan of Michelle West you know the subtle and not so subtle twists her book game as her characters begin to develop, this series will not let you down. If you are new to her writing you will enjoy the books more if read in order.
March 22, 2019
After reading the first 3 of this series, I seems to come in sideways to The Broken Crown. I originally put down The Broken Crown after about half of it because it was just too confusing. I think now I can revisit it, still be a bit confused but will be able to cope better. I don't want to start book 4 of the house wars, since apparently the the Sun Sword series run between book 3 and 4.
Jay and her den are the only reason. I need to know what happens with them.
Jay and her den are the only reason. I need to know what happens with them.
August 15, 2020
I really liked this book and thought it was more action packed than the previous two books in the series. I am reading this book before the Sacred Hunt Duology though so this rating does not and cannot reflect any overlap or repetition between the books.
I'm reading the books in a recommended order that I found online:
1. First 3 House Wars
2. Sacred Hunt Duology
3. Sun Sword Series
4. Final 4 House Wars
I'm reading the books in a recommended order that I found online:
1. First 3 House Wars
2. Sacred Hunt Duology
3. Sun Sword Series
4. Final 4 House Wars
November 6, 2021
These books definitely get better at the technical level as they go on. I haven't read any other series by West, so this was all unique story for me. I appreciate that the teenage characters are limited in the actions they take by their lack of experience and age, unlike most fantasy. I thought the final major battle went on for too long, as I'm not a big fan of battle scenes but other than that this book was excellent.
July 29, 2024
I was so excited to come back to this world.
And this was another great book. I really enjoyed the way all the threads came together. Everything that came before built up to this book. It was neat to get perspectives from other den members here (rather than just Jewel), something I don’t recall having been done in books one and two. This felt like the end of a larger arc, though there is still plenty of fuel for other tales and adventures. I can’t wait to see where those lead.
And this was another great book. I really enjoyed the way all the threads came together. Everything that came before built up to this book. It was neat to get perspectives from other den members here (rather than just Jewel), something I don’t recall having been done in books one and two. This felt like the end of a larger arc, though there is still plenty of fuel for other tales and adventures. I can’t wait to see where those lead.
April 28, 2025
I suspect this was a difficult book to write, since it overlaps with events in the Sacred Hunt series. In order not to be repetitive the climactic scenes had to be from a different pov, but Jewel isn't present so we were left with Meralonne and Devon and the section fell flat for me. What I did enjoy were things like the very tense scene of Jewel and Devon searching for tunnels, Finch and Teller interacting with members of House Terafin, Haval and Jarven meeting, and so forth.
October 29, 2019
3 1/2stars
The House Wars series continues into this, the third instalment. Jewel and her den have security from poverty but the very existence of their home and city is now under threat. Demons, Gods, Kings, mages, magic, mayhem and responsibility. It is a new life and comes with its own perils.
The House Wars series continues into this, the third instalment. Jewel and her den have security from poverty but the very existence of their home and city is now under threat. Demons, Gods, Kings, mages, magic, mayhem and responsibility. It is a new life and comes with its own perils.
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