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Taylor is Currently Reading

Taylor is currently reading

House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)

by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in February 2024

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Taylor said: " I was torn on rating this a 3 or 4 star read...Did I like it? yes. Did I love it? no. Ultimately I gave it 3 stars and here's why...

(Mild spoilers ahead)

Did SJM even write this whole book? It felt OFF somehow, not her usual heart-wrenching style. Lik I was torn on rating this a 3 or 4 star read...Did I like it? yes. Did I love it? no. Ultimately I gave it 3 stars and here's why...

(Mild spoilers ahead)

Did SJM even write this whole book? It felt OFF somehow, not her usual heart-wrenching style. Like she was just done with this series and needed to wrap it up/tie up loose ends. There was too much happening and at the same time it felt like nothing at all because it had such little emotional impact.

On that same note-this book was very plot driven and had little character development. There was hardly any nuance, suspense, or intrigue compared to the previous books. All the information we've been holding out for was just conveniently handed over to us.

The relationship building and character arcs felt so weird and washed out. I loved all of the characters in books 1 & 2, they had SO much potential, but here they lost everything that made them unique. It was a complete disservice and I actually started disliking some of them. Tharion was made out to be selfish and self-serving, Ithan was just bumbling along most of the book, and Bryce fell into having the attitude of the stupid party girl she tried so hard to overcome. She was arrogant and hateful, exactly what she was supposed to be fighting against in the fae. The ending wasn't enough to redeem any of them.

What happened to Fury and June?? For being her best girl friends, they had no significant role in this whole book. Fury's skillset could've been so helpful. I'm sad we didn't learn more about her. Same thing with Ariadne, the sprites, Sigrid, and the Viper Queen...what was the point to all of it?

Bryce and Hunt's relationship was a total let down. There was no chemistry. How are they even mates? I still don't get it. And their reunion? WHAT WAS THAT. The male was tortured for days in the dungeons for her, and she didn't even seem to care. And why did Bryce continually brush off his trauma and anxiety over failing, but then also not clue him into any of her plans? Ugh. She complains about alphaholes but then doesn't give him any emotional support/safe space. SHE is the alphahole in this book. Hunt even mentioned hating her in one scene-that definitely doesn't seem very mately. Bryce turned into the girl version of Tamlin, but instead of locking Hunt away for his safety she used him as the weapon he was bred to be. Poor Athie.

Lidia and Ruhn saved this whole book. I adore them. But also, their relationship building wasn't as flushed out as I'd like. It too felt rushed and could've been so much better. I did love the snippets we got of Lidia's history and family. This felt like the SJM we know and love. Their bonus chapter was SO cute!

I wanted to FEEL something. I wanted to be totally immersed with the characters but instead it felt detached, like we were being told a story. It's a bad sign when I start hoping a character (ANY character) dies, just to feel something. The fact that they all kept coming back made this even worse...why even worry about their safety? There was nothing at stake. No emotional investment.

The bonus chapters were better for me than most of the main content. Here we really got to see some character/relationship development. HOWEVER, exclusive content is another thing I'm upset about...these books are about overcoming oppression and making resources available to all... and then they create 5 special chapters available in 5 different book versions. Seems pretty elitist to me. Thankful to those of you who leaked them for the rest of us peasants. lol.

There were plot holes, grammatical errors, still unanswered questions even with all the info dumping, and the ending was predictable and anticlimactic. Tbh this whole book felt kind of cheap. Overall, I wish SJM would've taken more time to build this out. I think it would've been better split between 2 books so we'd have more time with the characters. I just didn't have the emotional connection I was hoping for. ...more "

Feb 13, 2024 07:05PM · see review