Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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.

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Note: Though I try, there may be spoilers. Reader beware.

This book was probably one of the better filler novels I’ve read. Don’t get me wrong, it was exciting and there was a ton of plot, however, it wasn’t as world changing and exciting as the first one for me. But that’s ok. I still had a good time with this one and it set up a LOT of intricate details for the remaining series while also tying in some pre-existing SJM lore as well as some more Greek and Norse mythology which I really enjoyed. I loved the extra POV shifts in this book, however, there was one POV I found especially dry (for those that have read it, I’m sure you can guess who). Overall, I think the set up in this book was fantastic, there were a lot of guessing elements that kept me on my toes, the relationship building between the entire group was great to see, and the tie-ins of lore/magic systems from the SJM universe as a whole made for an adventurous read… and that ending!! WOW!

Let’s start with what I didn’t like. I found Tharion’s chapters extremely boring and pointless. I don’t see how it moved the plot line along at all besides introducing us to a slightly morally ambiguous magic creature that we have not seen in previous SJM books. His bro-ship with Ithan felt forced and his motivations behind every action were shallow and lacking. It’s safe to say, I didn’t like him, so I didn’t like his chapters. That was about the only thing I didn’t like about this book which is pretty spectacular because usually there are small pet peeves in SJM books that niggle at my brain non-stop. In this book, they somehow worked.

What I liked. This world is fantastic for SJM’s style of writing. She tends to have a lot of “young” dialogue for her characters which worked for TOG as it was a YA novel but in ACOTAR she had to limit quite a bit as, it’s hard to see adult ancient Fae using the term “asswipe”. In this book, due to it being set in more modern times with technology and pop-culture, having a lot of Millenial/GenZ slang and references actually fits in very well and builds these characters into people I could legitimately believe existed today. It’s nice to have a fantasy book where the protagonists aren’t a group of ancient lords and warriors around an ancient table in a secret crypt. Strategy sessions around a coffee table with day old pizza and trash TV on in the background is much easier to relate to. I didn’t think Urban Fantasy would be my cup of tea but I am absolutely loving it!

Here is where spoilers may lurk, turn back now if you haven’t finished this book or don’t want potential spoilers.

Wow! Ok, the tie-ins with SJM’s other works were MAJOR and very hard to miss yet every reference had me rethinking everything I’ve ever read in these worlds. I loved how there were throwaway references to the Valg conquerors, rifts between worlds, and an illusion to a potential Dusk court! Any small tidbit that reminded me of beloved characters from other worlds had me screaming and I really hope there’s some major familial/character relations that we find out about as we get further into this series. The ending of this book was something I suspected due to so much foreshadowing yet it still managed to surprise me. The destination of where this series was going is the opposite to what I thought but I couldn’t be happier so bring on CC3! I’m READY.

Overall, I enjoyed this as much as I tend to enjoy all of SJM’s works. Does she write like a mastermind? No. Are her plots and characters some of the most loveable and entertaining things in modern-day literature? Hell yes! This one was 4 stars for me just because, compared to the first one, it didn’t excite me AS much however, it was still a very enchanting read. If you’ve read it, and you have theories, DM me on Instagram, I’d love to talk about it with someone!