HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH

Bryce, Hunt, and all their friends join the rebellion against the tyrannical Asteri in Book Two of Maas’ Crescent City series.

After the drama of finding a killer and escaping an ancient demon, Bryce and Hunt are trying to get on with their lives together. The Asteri, who rule the planet Midgard with an iron fist, have warned them to keep quiet about the secrets Bryce uncovered during the climax of House of Earth and Blood (2020). But between Bryce’s nasty father, who happens to be a Fae King, trying to coerce her into an arranged marriage and Bryce’s efforts to acclimate to her newfound magic, the couple struggles to lie low. When their friend Tharion shows up and asks for help finding a human boy whose sister was captured and likely killed for her work helping the rebellion against the Asteri, Bryce can’t help but be drawn in. The boy is rumored to have rare magical powers that both the rebellion and the Asteri would be happy to exploit, and Bryce doesn’t want him to fall into either of their hands. But in her quest to rescue the child, Bryce inevitably gets tangled up not only in the rebellion movement, but in a fight for freedom bigger than she could have imagined. Maas has spun quite the fantasy soap opera here, with mostly entertaining results. While the cast of characters could use trimming, and the constant stream of twists inevitably loses its shock value throughout the nearly 800 pages, by the end Maas pulls off a final cliffhanger that will have readers reaching for Book Three.

Not exactly profound, but thoroughly absorbing nonetheless.