‘House of Flame and Shadow’ Review: Maas’s Beautiful Mess

This review contains minor spoilers.

Sarah J. Maas has returned to the fantasy scene with her New York Times-bestselling book, “House of Flame and Shadow.” This novel marks the third installment in her “Crescent City” series, and while it is thrilling, sexy, and addictingly page-turning, it is also sort of a mess.

“House of Flame and Shadow” is a fantasy novel following Bryce, the Starborn Fae Princess of Midgard, on her journey to end the tyrannical rule of the all-powerful Asteri. In order to resolve the shocking events of the preceding book’s finale, Bryce teams up with characters from Maas’s other series, “A Court of Thorns and Roses”. “House of Flame and Shadow” has seemingly everything: werewolves, Fae, merpeople, angels, demons, and even intergalactic parasites. While Bryce is a charming central character, the magical mayhem of “House of Flame and Shadow” is often too epic for its own good.

The promises of the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” crossover generated intense hype for Maas’s novel, sparking midnight release parties across the country, but the overall plot of “House of Flame and Shadow” is so complex that it overwhelms the reader. Bryce interacts with some pre-existing characters, but the character spends only a small sliver of the book’s nearly 850-page run in the world of Prythian. “House of Flame and Shadow” simply juggles too much to truly capitalize on Bryce’s world jump. The novel skips between many plotlines and locations, allotting only a few pages to each scene. Every character is also given a few seemingly world-shatteringly epic displays of power, but when they are constantly bested by yet another new magical moment, these characters lose their momentum and leave the reader dissatisfied. The plot is nevertheless addictive due to the dire situations that the cast finds themselves in, but Maas could have given her novel a more cohesive tone by focusing more on Bryce’s perspective and progression.

When Bryce is at the forefront, though, the novel shines. Maas seems to have crafted the entire series around Bryce’s determination, fun spirit, and unending passion for her loved ones. When the pages start to blur and the magical mess becomes too much to handle, Maas swoops in with surprisingly tender moments that remind readers of the true stakes of the novel. Bryce constantly puts others before herself, and her willingness to do everything for her family — both found and biological — makes her incredibly relatable. It is clear that Maas is at her best when she highlights heartwarming themes such as undying love and the strength of friendship. Bryce encapsulates Maas’s knack for creating loveable and human, if somewhat quirky, leading heroines.

Maas also crafts some engaging romances that drive readers’ interest in the plot. Almost every main character has some sort of romantic entanglement in “House of Flame and Shadow,” which gives the cast a very tangible set of stakes. There are a few steamy scenes for fans of spice. Maas makes the romance feel exciting and believable and also focuses on the less glamorous parts of relationships, like marital spats and miscommunication. “House of Flame and Shadow” features seemingly alien creatures for its main characters, like mermen and angels, but their connections to one another and their believable actions make them feel like people that readers can care about and root for.

While her talent for character writing is made clear, Maas’s world-building weaknesses are apparent in “House of Flame and Shadow.” The novel is set in a contemporary fantasy world where magic and technology combine. This means that the reader may see an angel use elemental magic on the same page that that same fantastical character checks their text messages. Maas seems to shy away from the medieval settings of her other novels, but the magic does not mix well with the modern, and the established combination feels jarring. The entire realm of Midgard is also hazily developed, with only the titular “Crescent City” given enough detail. The other parts of the world are hastily described, and no map is provided, which makes the constant travel of the main characters feel confusing and pointless. There is a sense that the world-building was rushed in favor of focusing on the fast-moving plot.

“House of Flame and Shadow” is a crazy novel, in all of the best ways. It gives the fans what they want: action, romance, and world-shattering displays of power. However, it seems that too much of a good thing isn’t desirable, as the epic moments sometimes flounder when put too close together. Most fans of Maas will welcome the beautiful mess with open arms, but more critical fantasy readers may find themselves surprisingly unenchanted by Maas’s magical world.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.