House of Sky and Breath: Crescent City, Book 2

“This world could be so much more[…]could be free. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want that.”
House of Sky and Breath continues with the same Maas writing and suspense we’ve come to love. While this is the first book from Maas that I’ve felt leaves a little *TOO* much suspense at the end, it does leave me absolutely begging for the next book.House of Sky and Breath brings together much of the world, and many of the characters, we met in House of Earth and Blood. Things are getting good as the political intrigue deepens, stakes reach all time highs, and the spice gets delicious.While the politics can feel a bit close to home at times (“I’ve found that the ruling class rarely do such things out of the kindness of their hearts.”), the tension builds to a satisfying level keeping this book moving quickly. Character development feels a bit more present in this second CC read vs book one; this helps the connection felt for the characters and assists in moving the read along as well. Book one had so much world building that it’s hard to believe Maas fit more into book two, but she did! And let me tell you how shocked I was when we met some of our ACOTAR characters at the end of House of Sky and Breath… I truly can’t wait to see how these Maas worlds come together!Another wonderful Maas read and a phenomenal continuation of Crescent City!

Exciting sequel to a complex series.
I’m really loving this series. It’s a lot to keep up with, but I think fans that thought TOG was a little slow to build will like how quickly this one dumps you in the action with a large cast of characters. As always, once you hit 80% SJM turns up the tension, and starts playing with our nerves and hearts. That last chapter was a doozy!

Pure excellence, just like every other SJM book I’ve read
Wow. I don’t even know where to start, except to BEG you to run to your nearest book retailer and pick up this series. Pick up all of Sarah J Maas’s series, as every single one of them is excellent and I have yet to read anything by her that I don’t absolutely love with all my heart. I’ve been following her career since the early Throne of Glass days, and seeing her find so much success and such a devoted fan base (one I’m proudly part of) that enables her to continue creating these incredible stories and equally spellbinding worlds? It brings me so much joy, and also a deep sense of kinship with the rest of the fandom who love her characters as much as I do.I’ll preface this actual review by saying I had already very confidently figured out two of the major reveals that are spelled out towards the end of the book. I guessed them early on (one I had figured out midway through HOEAB) and I have to admit – I had the audacity to feel disappointed because it had all just seemed so OBVIOUS to me and it didn’t seem like a typical SJM ending for there to be nothing crazy for me to gush over. That being said – despite those two mysteries having been pretty clear to me, I still LOVED the book. I loved the characters, I loved the dialogue, the internal struggles, the power moves, the sense of adventure the book carried through it. The way SJM writes fantasy, as always, is divine. The friendships and relationships snd love stories, as always, were poignant and touching, and they elevated HOSAB from a story about different types of magical beings living in a fantastical world to a story about the human condition and what it means to survive, what it means to sacrifice for something bigger than yourself, and what it means to truly love someone. So, even with those two reveals at the end not really being reveals to me, this story was so gorgeous that it was still a 5 star read for me. Now it seems like those reveals were red herrings of a kind, in that they kept the reader focused on those specific mysteries instead of wondering what else could be at play.BUT – then the real ending came, something that I never saw coming even ONCE and turned everything on its head so thoroughly that I had to eat all of those “disappointed feelings” with a monstrous slice of oh so humble pie because HOLY CRAP. THAT IS HOW YOU END ON A BIG REVEAL! It was fantastic. The ending was so surprising and delightful that I immediately wanted to run to everyone I knew and beg them to HURRY UP so we could talk about what this means! So well done and just so enjoyable in every single way. If you have been holding out on reading SJM and haven’t yet discovered what the fuss is about, I urge you to open up one of her books and find out for yourself why so many people are such devoted fans. Thank you for this beautiful second installment. I simply can’t wait to see what happens next!

I was dying to get answers and finally see where it was leading up to and the finale was so worth it, but holy crap was I on the edge of my seat!This was a great continuation from HOEAB, with an investigative storyline that kept me guessing. I think I audibly said, ‘WTF??’ at least 10 times. It felt like every hundred pages, there was a new surprise and an added layer of mystery. The storyline branched out with new characters and created more depth to the world, magic, lore, and overall plot. The action sequences were so well depicted and intense.It was super fun having side characters like Ithan and Tharion be more involved, along with Ruhn having more of an important role leading us to learn more about his character and magic. I love the way each character brings their own purpose to the group and mesh together so well for the story. The introduction of Celestina, Baxian, and Pollux added lots of tension and questions; their dynamics were always entertaining. Also, “Day”?! I’m still processing that revelation.Towards the end, my only concern was hoping that everything that was revealed in the end would be worth the 800 pages of information and investigating, and I was NOT disappointed. Also, I love how discoveries from Danika’s past link up with current events and they way the pieces came together. I honestly was just so immersed in the story and along for the ride!

I was hesitant first to order thinking, about the quality. I don’t want to compromise my collection but I was wrong. The book quality is so good, kudos to the seller, the way it was properly packed for shipment is 100% 👌