I am at a loss for words... I giggled, I laughed, I high-fived them all... I sobbed, I cried and I had multiple minor heart attacks... But I am happily speechless ( )

I understand why some people are upset at this book, and it does have its flaws — I struggled with the pacing during part one, and had hoped for more expansion on *that* plot twist (iykyk) at the end of HoSaB... But as a passionate fantasy reader this was perfectly plotted for me.

I saw someone compare HoFaS to Kingdom of Ash and I think that's an apt comparison in the way both stories bring everybody together in a "this is it" final battle. Romantasy is definitely put on the backburner like in KoA in favor of wrapping up an intricate storyline, and for me that was perfect. But there's also enough curious possibilities left unresolved to make a return to this world, (and the Maasverse at large), extremely enticing. ( )

Tucked in amidst the fantasy world building, adventure, and sex (book 2 was hotter) is a thoughtful exploration of legacy, accountability, rehabilitation, and change. I especially appreciated that the happy ending had some ragged edges and lingering questions - perhaps just to lay the groundwork for another book / a new linked series, but satisfying never-the-less. ( )

Bryce finds herself not in Hel, where she meant to go, but to the Night Court being held by Rhysand, where she learns important information about the history of Midgard how to beat the Asteri. Meanwhile, Bryce, Ruhn, and Baxian are being held - and brutally tortured by Pollux - in the dungeons, and the Hind, Lidia, is working to free them. Their other friends, including Tharian, Ithan, Declan, and Flynn, will also be working towards the ultimate goal of upending the corrupt government set up by the Asteri to use everyone's firstlight for their own power.

What I generally like about Sarah J. Maas's books is that she writes characters I care about and plots her stories with twists I don't see coming but in a way that makes perfect sense upon reflection. This book doesn't do any of that. Almost nothing of note other than Bryce's discoveries in the other world happen after 400 pages, and I almost put the book down then. I wish I had, because it doesn't get better. To be fair, it's been almost two years since I read the last book, so I'd forgotten who some of the characters were and how they got where they were. But there are an awful lot of characters to follow, and the point of view changes between them frequently, sometimes only a couple of pages at a time, for no discernible reason. A brand-new character gets introduced halfway through the book, and only really has a role for another 200 pages or so. Characters don't talk when they could and then have really awkward conversations at stupid moments when they should be concerned about other things, like surviving. The story is fairly predictable and even felt jerked around to get characters to the right place or the right thing to happen, with the magical abilities of a character just conveniently being what was needed at a particular moment. I kept reading because I knew that things got resolved with the Asteri and Bryce & Hunt's story wraps up in this book, and I wanted to know what happens. But I was annoyed with the characters most of the time, not invested in the story at all, and by the time I got to the action at the end, I didn't really care. The book needed a good editor and about half as many pages, and sadly could've much better. ( )

So i would say this is 100% not my favorite. But I love this world. In my personal opinion still my favorite world and characters. But to each their own.
But for the story itself the first 300 pages…i wanted and excepted sooo much more. The rest for me was on par with the first two books.
Regardless of the ending I’m glad to have seen the characters on this journey. ( )