House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, 3)

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking third book, Sarah J. Maas's #1 bestselling Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Other books in this series include:
House of Earth and Blood
House of Sky and Breath

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jan 30, 2024

848 pages

Average rating: 8.17

529 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, 3)!

The Night Court Book Club - Southern San Diego

A romantasy book club for lovers of fae courts, dragons, slow burns, and morally gray heroes. If Fourth Wing or the Maas-verse is your thing, welcome.

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say Sarah J. Maas delivers emotional, character-rich storytelling with immersive lore and strong bond dynamics that resonate with devoted fans...

Marley
Nov 16, 2025
10/10 stars
i literally have never cried harder at a book. so beautifully done
fromlizaslibrary
Oct 22, 2024
10/10 stars
For those of us who are overly obsessed with the maasverse, this was a very anticipated release, and one that we all had a lot of theories for. I would never ruin the emotions of reading this for the first time, so As always I promise a review without spoilers, even if it is short and sweet. First and foremost the best reading experience for this book is to read all of the SJM books. As incredible as the Crescent City series is, and this third book, it just would not be the same without the full experience. With that being said, holy shit are these books amazing. I went through such a wave of emotions and as always I felt so completely attached to these characters. There were so many developments I should’ve seen coming, but not seeing it all was what made it all even better. So now, we theorize and wait and reread until the next SJM release!
Chloë
Feb 19, 2026
6/10 stars
(1st read, May 2024)
I gotta sit with my thoughts on how I actually feel on this one because yeah, I did enjoy it for the most part, but that third act…woof. So we’ll start with a 3…maybe bump it up a bit after some time, but I definitely didn’t get the same emotional reaction from this one as I did from the first two books.

Also, having a hard time believing that the events in this book occur over the span of a week because soooo much happens, and while this one was a bit of a slog, there’s still a lot left up in the air to settle.

By my book math, 4 houses = 4 books. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten proper closure for any of the major storylines, including Bryce X Hunt.

Book 1: House of Earth and Blood - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 2: House of Sky and Breath - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 3: House of Flame and Shadow - ⭐⭐⭐
PhoebsLou
Nov 23, 2025
9/10 stars
Uh hello??? I LOVED this book!!!!!!!!! I literally cried so much and I felt such a connection to the characters more than the other 2 books in the series, and ugh it just was just great. I can't believe I've now finished all 3 of Sarah J. Maas' series, I don't know what to do with myself now
Lauren Greely
Jul 01, 2025
10/10 stars
5 ⭐️ 2.5 spice

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.