House of Sky and Breath

House of Sky and Breath (2022) is the sequel to House of Earth and Blood (2020) and the second book in the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas. Like its predecessor, House of Sky and Breath is a New York Times bestseller. The book is an urban fantasy, with many elements of high fantasy, such as faeries, magic, and magical objects. It has been classified as Adult Fantasy, Adventure Romance, and Galactic Empire Fiction. It is followed by House of Flame and Shadow (2024). Maas is also well known for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series (A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames) and her Throne of Glass series (Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash).

This guide follows the Bloomsbury, UK, 2022 edition.

The events of House of Sky and Breath take place on the planet of Midgard, which might be Earth in the future. Midgard was once populated only by humans and other indigenous life forms. Fifteen thousand years before the events of the novel, Midgard was colonized by the Asteri—extremely powerful star-like beings—and magical folk from other worlds. The Asteri have been in power ever since, establishing a strict hierarchy with humans at the bottom of the pyramid. The governance system of Midgard has elements of both monarchy and dictatorship. Democracy is no longer practiced, though it might have been the norm before the Asteri. Most magical folk of Midgard, such as the Faerie folk (Fae), shifters, and mer-people, seem content with the power structures of their world because they benefit from the status quo. However, humans and their allies want to overthrow the government. In House of Sky and Breath, the rebellion—known as Ophion—is more powerful than ever. Bryce Quinlan, the half-Fae, half-human protagonist, and her friends get drawn into a rebel plot. In the process, they learn uncomfortable truths that upturn all the official histories they have ever believed.

The novel is told from a limited third-person perspective through the eyes of chief characters, mainly Bryce, her lover Orion “Hunt” Athalar (a fallen angel), and Bryce’s brother Ruhn Danaan. After the climactic battle of House of Earth and Blood, Bryce and Hunt want to take a break from public life and focus on their evolving relationship. When Bryce learns that her best friend Danika had been working closely with the human rebel Sofie Renast before Danika’s murder in House of Earth and Blood, Bryce and Hunt get drawn into the Ophion rebellion. In the process, they make unlikely allies and discover the power of found families, love, and sacrifice. The investigation into Midgard’s politics and history bring Bryce and her friends a step closer to dismantling the tyrannical regime of their world.

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the popular young adult fantasy series: Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. She has sold millions of copies of her books, which have also been translated into 37 languages. Crescent City, the most recent series by Maas, is her first venture into the genre of fantasy for mature readers. The series contains explicit scenes of sex and violence, as well as the use of profane, vulgar, and obscene language. 

Plot Summary

The plot of House of Sky and Breath picks up about three months after the events of House of Earth and Blood. Bryce and Hunt have been maintaining a low profile on the orders of the Asteri Rigelus, also known as the Bright Hand. Bryce is getting to know her half-brother, Crown Prince Ruhn, and grapple with her status as Starborn Fae Princess. In the House of Earth and Blood, Bryce publicly revealed the secret fact that the Autumn King was her biological father. Moreover, she was also revealed to possess the power of Starlight, an extremely rare gift. A rare magical artifact, the Horn of Luna, has been ground up and tattooed on Bryce’s back, granting her the ability to open portals between worlds. Hunt wants to lead a normal life and focus on his evolving romantic relationship with Bryce. Two events threaten to pull them into the ongoing human-led Ophion rebellion against the Asteri: Bryce’s sudden betrothal to the Avallar Fae Prince Cormac, and the case of missing human siblings Sofie and Emile Renast.

Human rebel Sofie has gained vital intelligence that could bring down the Asteri. Hence, she is chased and left to drown by the government forces led by the Hind, a dreaded lieutenant. Sofie’s younger brother Emile has escaped from the Ophion rebels who were ostensibly rescuing him. Sofie and Emile are both valuable because they might be thunderbirds, possessing the rare magic to control electricity. Bryce is interested in Sofie because it is revealed that Sofie was a close associate of Bryce’s best friend Danika, who died in House of Earth and Blood. Cormac turns out to be Sofie’s lover and an agent in the Ophion rebellion. Bryce promises to help Cormac find Emile and Sofie in exchange of him maintaining their betrothal for appearances. If she breaks off her betrothal to Cormac, Bryce fears her tyrannical father, the Autumn King, will arrange her marriage with someone else. The mer Tharion is also involved in the search for Sofie on the orders of his master, the River Queen of Istros. Bryce, Hunt, and the others are joined in their mission by Ithan Holstrom, a wolf exiled by his pack.

Hunt has a new boss, the Archangel Celestina, who seems to be far kinder than his previous masters. However, Celestina, who is also the new Governor of Crescent City, brings in with her some of Hunt’s past coworkers, the Harpy, the Helhound, and the Hammer, renowned for their cruelty. Being near them triggers Hunt’s traumatic memories of the past. Hunt and Bryce fall deeper in love and begin to realize they are mates, a Fae term that means a bond deeper than marriage.

The search for Sofie and Emile pulls Bryce, Hunt, and the others deeper into the Ophion rebellion. Cormac tasks Ruhn, a telepath, with contacting Agent Daybright, one of the Ophion moles close to the Asteri. Daybright begins to supply vital intelligence to Ruhn, and the two grow unexpectedly close through the course of their meetings, though they do not meet physically. They communicate by the code names Day and Night. Based on Day’s intel, the Ophion rebels seize ammunition and supplies from a train and carry it to a rebel base in Ydra. Cormac fears the rebel leader Pippa Spetsos will use the supplies to target Vanir indiscriminately, because Pippa has turned fanatic and now hates all magical folk. Bryce and her friends go to Ydra and blow up the arms so they don’t fall in Pippa’s hands. Pippa’s forces chase them, but Bryce, Hunt, and the others are rescued by the Ocean Queen’s ship.

On the ship, Cormac learns that Sofie is dead. She was drowned by the government forces. The ship rescued her corpse. Bryce notices something on Sofie’s arm: a carved series of numbers and letters that indicates a sequence. Hunt’s power has overcome him because he senses Bryce in danger. Bryce asks the ship captain for some privacy so Hunt can calm down. Hunt and Bryce make love and discover they can transfer their powers to each other. Bryce manages to track down Emile, and he is adopted by her mother and stepfather. It is revealed that Emile is not a thunderbird like Sofie; Bryce perpetuated that rumor so that people would think Emile was worth saving. The quest now turns towards deciphering the sequence on Sofie’s arm.

The Helhound reveals that this sequence marks a door in the Asteri Archives. He knows this since he was Danika’s mate and a secret spy for the Ophion rebellion. Bryce and the others plan a visit to the Asteri’s Archives so they can learn some vital truths. Bryce has already discovered that the idea of the peaceful afterlife is a lie; the souls of the dead are instead used as fuel to power their world. At the Archives, Bryce learns that the Asteri are actually parasitic creatures who colonize different planets and stars for fuel. They have destroyed and abandoned many worlds, and come to settle in Midgard, Bryce’s planet. The Fae and other magical folk were lured to Midgard by the Asteri on the pretext of building a new world but have instead been used by energy. The Asteri themselves are not living stars but beings who need the energy generated by bio-organisms to survive.

Rigelus appears on the scene and tells Bryce he planned all along for her to find Sofie’s intel and visit the Archives. Because Bryce has the power to open portals, he wants her to open a portal to her home world, which ousted the Asteri thousands of years ago. Rigelus craves the magic of this world. Hunt and Ruhn are arrested. The Hind appears on the spot and helps them out. She reveals she is Agent Daybright, the person with whom Ruhn has been falling in love. Bryce has no option but to visit the planet Hel to fetch help. Pretending she is taking Rigelus to her home world, she escapes from him and portals to Hel. However, the new planet she reaches is unlike any descriptions of Hel she has read. No one seems to understand her until she speaks in an ancient Fae tongue. She is met by someone who introduces himself as Rhysand, a character in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. It is clear Bryce is not in Hel but somewhere else, possibly her home world. The narrative ends here, in a cliffhanger with several questions unanswered. The story will continue in Book 3 of the Crescent City series.