Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal-they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri's power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels' plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what's right. And they've never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode-and the people who will do anything to save it.
Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. She lives in New York City with her family.
THIS WAS SO GOOD! I wasn't expecting it, but (considering how the books have been so far) this one brought the steam and romance up quite a bit. I'm a paranormal romance girlie at heart, so you won't catch me complaining about that! I'm guessing it's to compensate for (probably) the lack thereof romance for the next book, because of how this ended. URGH, pray for me. The next book is going to be rough. As always, I did not see the twist coming until it promptly hit me over the head so hard I saw stars. At this point, call me a masochist because I loved every second of that hit.
The can't I/can I trust X, Y, Z characters was also nerve-racking. The constant back and forth even while discovering their dirty laundry and not being able to blackmail them because that would mean throwing a person you care about under the bus also was H*LL! ALSO WTF I DIDN'T SEE THAT REVEALTION FOR RUHN COMING.WTF. WTF. WTF.
I've been waiting for a crossover with SJM's other series to present itself and I wasn't disappointed. It caught me completely off guard. I was a ball of anxiety due to the circumstances, and then THAT happens?! I caught myself, surprisingly, saying "What?!" rather loudly at 1 AM. I was in disbelief for a few seconds there.
Overall, this was great! I don't know how this series ends. Considering how many loose ends this book alone presents, would I be insane to think that SJM is going to add more books to this series in the future? It lowkey feels like it'll happen. SJM can't possibly tie up all these loose ends in the next book. It's impossible and improbable. Right? RIGHT?! Please say I'm right 🥺
The Graphic Audio narration was the absolute best part of this book. I have nothing to complain about. It was glorious and they outdo themselves with every new book production. All the stars!
Unpopular opinion: the sex scenes are the least interesting part of Sarah J. Maas’s books. Always thoroughly entertaining, I particularly liked this book of Maas’s for its commentary on colonialism and the use of religion to create power structures and induce fear (and misguided awe).
okay okay, not bad Ms. Maas, you keep me intrigued... let's see how you wrap this whole thing up.... The last chapter or so was a bit cheesy and my goodness I did NOT want to see those returning characters again.
Спочатку ця серія, вже третя серед серій авторки, йшла мені більш-менш добре. Вона презентувалася як окрема від попередніх творів. Були хоч якісь потуги в ВОРЛДБІЛДІНГ (дуже натужні, з цілими главами інфодампів, але хоч так), цікавіші персонажі, яскравіший світ, тощо. Я навіть почала думати, що нарешті авторка розписалася і зможе видасти на-гора щось нормальне, відпочивальне, не дратуюче.
Але наприкінці другої книги серії головна героїня (безумовно, принцеса, красуня, іт гьорл, воїтелька, королева сердець, найгарячіша серед дівчат і просто обрана - в Маас інших не буває) ПОТРАПЛЯЄ В СВІТ ІНШОЇ КНИЖКИ МААС. І звісно вона потрапляє саме в світ найвідомішої (і найкраще продаваної) серії авторки. А там найбільш тугодумні й бісячі персонажки ever (я витримала лише першу книгу, бо хотілося головну героїню тієї серії лупашити головою об підлогу). Коротше, нажаль, з цією серією я теж done. Якщо авторка не може не запхнути тупу Фейру в кожну зі своїх книжок, навіть в ті, що не про неї, то я не можу цього витримати.
Проте я нарешті зрозуміла, для кого ці книжки. (Не для тупих і відсталих, якщо що - я не оцінюю людей по тому, на що вони дрочать витрачають свій час). Для тих, хто в підлітковому віці не читав фанфіків! Тут і мері-сью, і purple prose, і дивні описи виразів облич, і крінжова еротика з величезними членами, і жарти, що звучать дотепно лише в голові автора, і ось навіть потраплянство. Тільки я це все читала років з 15 тому і про Ремуса Люпіна з компанією, а тут людина написала цілий власний всесвіт, але з такими ж тегами тропами))
I LOVE the dramatized audiobook version I think every audiobook should be recorded this way. This was so much fun to listen to on my new commute. Title should have been “Crescent City: Multiverse of Madness.”
A city shimmering with secrets. A rebellion on the rise. A love tested beyond limits.
Sarah J. Maas does it again. House of Sky and Breath takes everything we thought we knew about Crescent City and blows it wide open. Bryce and Hunt are trying to return to normal life after the chaos of House of Earth and Blood, but the world has other plans. As they dig deeper into Danika’s secrets, they realize they’re caught in something much bigger than themselves—something that could change everything. With tensions rising, alliances shifting, and danger lurking around every corner, they’re faced with impossible choices that will test their limits in every way imaginable.
Maas’s writing is just on another level. The world-building? Immaculate. Just when you think it can’t get any more lush and detailed, she expands it in ways that make it feel even more real. The relationships? So layered and compelling, whether it’s the slow-burn romance, the unbreakable friendships, or the tangled web of political intrigue. And the twists? Absolutely insane. I thought I knew what to expect, and I was so wrong. She delivers shock after shock, tying together threads so seamlessly that by the time you reach the end, you’re left completely wrecked—in the best way possible.
I truly have no words for how much I loved this book. Every single moment had me glued to the story, and by the time it was over, I just sat there in awe, trying to process everything. If you love epic fantasy, deep lore, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping twists, you need to read this series. If you love ACOTAR, ToG, and Sarah J. Maas, you NEED to read this series! There is literally nothing more I can say except that Sarah J. Maas just does not miss. I can’t start the next book fast enough.
I forgot how much I loved the second half of this book and this graphic audio DID NOT disappoint. OMG, the ending… the whole entire scene when they get to the eternal city. It was so well done and everyone did such a fantastic job in part two of this graphic audio.
Hearing Rhys introduce himself to Bryce at the end? SO GOOD.
All this to say I wholeheartedly recommend these graphic audios AND I am a Hunt Athalar girlie FOR LIFE. ❤️
for some reason this took me quite a while to finish. I loved the story, but the pace felt too long-winded for the most part. There were a lot of moving parts, none of them connected until the final hours. I'm still not sure how I feel about certain choices, but I love other aspects! such as the progression within the wolf-community and the new creatures introduced. curious how the next book will tie off some of the loose ends that are not the "main" storyline 🤔
One thing SJM will always be able to do is give us a stress inducing ending. But it got me hooked. I love where this left off & how everything is connected. I can’t wait to start book three.
P.S. they didn’t kiss 😔 (see my review of Part 1 for context)
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. It was that classic second book for me. A bridge book for our characters to go from a simple story of finding a murderer in book 1, to a series of events that lead our characters to wanting to overthrow the higher powers in book 2. Which will then (I’m guessing) lead us to a big war or overthrow of the government in book 3, and beyond.
I enjoyed the ending of this book the most, and having all the answers and pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely. The ACOTAR crossover using the same Graphic Audio voice actors, was absolutely EPIC! The last 2 listening hours were incredible. However, the previous 22 hours?! It was long. It was wordy. It was choppy. It was really tough to get through.
It felt like lots of characters going on lots of little side missions to uncover truths. Because this book opened the world so much, we have atleast a dozen more characters to keep track of (their names, nicknames, powers, if they’re a double agent or not, etc.).
This author has a penchant for giving major screen time to side characters. In CC2, we get a ton of Ithan and Tharion. We also get more of Ruhn, which are some of my favorite scenes.
And while this book did have more spice then book 1, the romance between Bryce and Hunt felt so stilted. They constantly felt at odds with one another. Ruhn and Day had a better, steady budding romance. But even that could’ve been expanded upon more. As a romance reader, romance was really not prevalent in this book (which I’m thinking is consistent with this series).
If you’re looking for the swoon worthy romance of the ACOTAR series, it’s not in this series.
All of the comments (mostly negative) I hear about CC3, I feel like apply to this book as well. The constant POV switches, the droning on and on, complex world building details, etc.
Likely pausing on this series for now as I wait for the Graphic Audio production of CC3 to be released (Dec 2024 and then Feb 2025). So far, I enjoyed CC1 more as a story, then CC2.
Okay to be fully honest… I did not have high hopes for this book. Don’t get me wrong I am a HUGE Sarah J Maas fan but I actually soft dnfed this book about two years ago…. The worldbuilding and lore is heavy, there was the new POV with Tharion, I did pretend certain characters were different then they are (sorry frat boy Hunt and long braided hair Ruhn ✋🏻😔) and I wasn’t sure about why the characters were always doing what they were doing BUT
The World In this book I got to fall in love with the way Sarah J Maas builds a world all over again. Reading this as a graphic audio was critical for me to bring that setting to life in a way I could enjoy and experience. I’m not always a fan of urban fantasy but I really got to be awed by Maas writing skills and creativity that much was clear.
The Characters There was CRITICAL characters arcs happening in this book! Bryce reallyyyy changed her game from party princess to protective fight-for-everyone’s-rights fae. I also ADORED how characters I hated could be made into the kind of person I could fall in love with. They surprised me and that’s what kept me reading. Classic Maas turning everything and everybody on their head. And I mean cameos!!!
The Plot There was a LOT going on - sometimes too much for sure. It was confusing if I didn’t reading consistently or fast enough to keep it all in my brain. BUT it was INCREDIBLY well thought out and everything tied together with expert precision and bows. And the twists were literally everything I needed from Maas. I knew one big item but oh man was there so much more.
All in all I think Maas editor could’ve had a bittttt of a heavier hand but I did enjoy this immensely and I truly saw some master craft happening. And for that four stars baby ✨✨✨✨
Firstly , the ending would’ve been more shocking if Bloomsbury didn’t spoil it for me 😭 now we all know how book 2 ends before reading it! 👎🏻 That being said, it still made me giddy because my number one book husband is back baby!
I love the bromance that is Ruhn, Declan, Flynn, Ithan and Tharion. The house keeps getting more crowded and is definitely the bro pad.
A bit spoiler-y from now 👇🏻
I love Bryce, she is a badass but I feel she lost a little of her spirit in this book. Maybe as the book ended on her being more desperate than badass like book 1. Also, I wanted to throw my book (if I had one but I didn’t because it was audio) for Bryce keeping things from Hunt. IMPORTANT things! She treated him just like *ex girlfriend * and he deserves better! Shame on your Bryce. Your excuses were rubbish. Hunt forgave her pretty quickly 🤷♀️ The chemistry though, Hi Daddy Hunt 👋 such a filthy mouth for someone so laid back and quiet. To wait all the way to book 2 was worth it!
Also agent Daybright 👀 I had no clue but the more they talked to Ruhn I guessed it before she was exposed.
There were so many twists and turns in this book. How did Danika have the time but also keep all these secrets from her best friend? Then again if the roles were reversed, Bryce would do the same.
The way Ruhn is described, I really want to know the connection with Rhys. And how that sword partnership is going to help! I need to know that Hunt and Ruhn are ok. No more torturing poor Hunt please 🙏
So pleased I waited to read this book because I can dive House of Flame and Shadow!
I love Bryce ‼️ I will talk about this over and over. I have not enjoyed the trend of keeping secrets from the FMC, where the people around her “protect her” but keep her in the dark. This book is not that, BRYCE RUNS THIS SHOW. I loved watching as her plans came to light not only to myself but to her friends. She never fails to be the mastermind.
AND THE CROSSOVER? I knew it was coming but I was SO EXCITED i had to pause and explain the books to my dad. Book three comes in the mail tomorrow and I am SO excited to start it 🕺
patting myself on the back for The Hind & Agent Day - nailed it. Still a little peeved at this "Danika would never do that! I knew her!!" comments.... girl let's just accept that you didn't know her or at the very least didn't know EVERYTHING about her, 1200 pages later just chill with the defensiveness. I appreciated that this book ended on a cliffhanger whereas #1 didn't really so I wasn't sure what the plot was for a bit. HOWEVER I enjoyed the hell outta this, whatever Sarah is servin, I'm eating right up. Onto the next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Hunt pulled back. Stared into his mate's beautiful face for the last time. He laughed softly, a sound of wonder at odds with the crystal throne room and the monsters in it. "I love you. I wish I'd said it more. But I love you, Quinlan, and..." His throat closed up, his eyes stinging. His lips brushed her brow. "Our love is stronger than time, greater than any distance. Our love spans across stars and worlds. I will find you again. I promise."
Don't mind me as I'm bawling my eyes out, emotionally shattered trying to recover from the ending...😭💔
I CANNOT believe the cliffhanger!!! 🧗♀️Now I understand why so many people love this series. All the characters and world building is overwhelming BUT the struggle is worth it! A good friend told me that there’s references to the end of Throne of Glass in book 3 so I guess I need to go back to TOG and finish it before doing CC3. I can’t believe I have to wait!!! Mama Maas is a MASTER storyteller. Still processing 🫢🫨😱