REVIEW: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

On paper, I am not the ideal reader of Sarah J. Maas’ Crescent City series. Most urban fantasy novels leave me cringing and other Maas series have left me feeling a little cold. But Crescent City? A decadent and most welcome surprise! I devoured House of Earth and Blood on audiobook with all the zeal of a Kristallos demon munching on an Archangel, and I have been eagerly awaiting publication day for its sequel, House of Sky and Breath, ever since. Clocking in at a hefty 800 pages, this sexy and thrilling sequel covers a Hel of a lot of ground.

Sarah J. Maas (Photo by Beowulf Sheehan).

Let’s recap, shall we?

House of Earth and Blood introduced us to the beautiful Bryce Quinlan — half-human, half-Fae, 100% party girl and, as it turns out, the powerful heir to the Starborn Fae. It also introduced us to Hunt Athalar, the brooding Fallen angel tasked with protecting Bryce as she investigated the traumatic murder of her best friend, werewolf Danika Fendyr. Sparks flew between the two and the Archangel Micah, Lunathion’s governor, was uncovered as the catalyst of the city’s spate of vicious murders.

Sky and Breath picks up the simmering threads of dissent and revolution that Earth and Blood lay down, focusing on the intensifying efforts of the human rebels to overthrow their Vanir masters and secure their freedom. Vital intel is flying thick and fast, spies are on the run, and Bryce and Hunt, who have been attempting to lay low under threat of death-by-Archangel, are drawn back into the fray. And they somehow have to do it while avoiding both the might of the Asteri and the dreaded denizens of Hel.

If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. House of Sky and Breath packs plenty of story underneath its cover, but it moves at such an even, yet relentless pace that the pages melt away in your hands. Maas balances all of the competing storylines like a master, weaving them together in ways you would never expect and creating real moments of shock and awe. All of this action is then nicely accented by the fabulous character dynamics at play. It’s no secret that Maas loves a good gang, and the Crescent City gang is a bloody good one — I lived for the moments where Bryce and Hunt would team up with Ruhn and Tharion, or with Juniper and Fury.

If pressed, however, I’d have to say that it’s the fierce and sarcastic Bryce Quinlan who has my heart. As my favourite Sarah J. Maas creation, I was intrigued as to how Bryce’s story and character would develop now that she’s become an actual player on the board of power. Faced with the choice of whether or not to use her Starborn powers — and for whom — before her hand is forced, Bryce’s journey is immensely satisfying and cool. And let’s not forget about the romance (this is Sarah J. Maas we’re talking about here). Witnessing Bryce and Hunt’s mutual antagonism melt into steamy tension and genuine care for each other was another highlight of Book 1, so I was curious to see what would happen to their dynamic here. (Did you really think they’d manage to keep things ‘platonic’? Yeah, me neither.) True to form, Maas doesn’t make things easy for our favourite couple, but their bond is strong and there’s just enough smut peppered in to keep things interesting.

If I were to sum it all up, I can only say that House of Sky and Breath is everything that diehard Crescent City fans could ever have wanted, full of breathtaking action, playful banter and steamy romance. A worthy sequel to House of Earth and Blood.

—House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Australia) is out now.

House of Sky and Breath

Crescent City: Book 2

by Sarah J. Maas

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar have made a pact. As they process the events of the Spring they will keep things - platonic - until the Solstice. But can they resist when the crackling tension between them is enough to set the whole of Crescent City aflame?

And they are not out of danger yet. Dragged into a rebel movement they want no part of, Bryce, Hunt and their friends find themselves pitted against the terrifying Asteri whose notice they must avoid at all costs...

Order NowRead More

No comments Share:

About the Contributor

Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

Follow Olivia: Twitter