“But wherever you’re headed when this life is over, Quinlan, that’s where I want to be, too.”

First off, that damn ending. As problematic as Maas is, her endings will forever be ultimate cliffhangers—second, poor Hunt. Besides the Hound, a case can be made that Maas enjoys the suffering of her characters. Outside of the bad guys, everyone in this book gets screwed over. A frustrating aspect of the book is that Bryce is literally being played from the beginning. Bryce is no Calena. She is playing right into her enemies’ hands, and realizing they will suffer for it, is so painful. Even as Bryce tries to do the right thing, it comes back to bite her in the butt.

Even as Danika is no longer with her, Bryce is still trying to grasp aspects of her friend, from the shocking revelations of Danika’s research to having an entire mate. Poor Bryce kept getting whiplash from the number of secrets Danika kept from her. The shocking part of the book is that Bryce ends up with Rhysand and his crew and resembles Rhun. For Bryce, this does disrupt the plan to save Hunt and Rhun. My main hope is that in the third book, Bryce is not gone too long and can free Hunt and Lunathion from the Asteri. Unfortunately, January is a long way from now.

As I have made apparent in previous reviews, I have a soft spot for Maas and her work. When I am in a reading slump or bored, I pick up the ACoTaR series and get swept up in her world-building, characters, and overall whimsical prose. Also, Maas does know how to write flawed characters. I do not think one character in her series is typically “good.” Instead, these characters are trying their best to right their worlds. Crescent City is no different. Flawed characters are trying to right their unjust world. Yet, unlike ACoTaR, there are moments within House of Sky and Breath that read as Maas writes character-driven stories and ends with plot-driven twists. Like, it is so frustrating. Like, her McGuffin with Emile completely depletes halfway through but keeps readers fascinated with the secrets of Danika while greater forces are working against Bryce and Hunt in the background. While Maas could’ve edited a few things out, for example, the sex scenes, because lord help her, it is always a bit cringe-worthy. As I started rethinking the book, I think Bryce should have listened to Hunt because Hunt constantly told her to tread carefully. After all, the Asteri is not to be messed with, and reminds her of their constant surveillance. Yet! These two kept repeatedly talking about their plans in broad daylight! It was so infuriating reading these two candidly discussing their plans without any precautions while under surveillance. The way these characters operated along with a cliffhanger ending infuriated me because it felt like the story was finally starting. Maas just left us with more questions than answers. 

Maas gets a 4/5 star because her twists continually save her books. I am petty with this rating because I wish Maas wouldn’t constantly bank on her twists. I swear, if the third book is packed with a character-driven rather than plot-driven, I will riot. Maas is interweaving two universes and has a lot to work out: from Rhysand and Feyre persuading the other courts to aid Bryce,  Hunt living life without Bryce, Rhun living as a labeled traitor, Bryce’s father and his desire for truth, The Viper Queen whole operation, and the Rebels. Maas has so much to clear up, and I hope this series doesn’t drag on like the Throne of Glass series.