House of Sky and Breath (Part 1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation]

Crescent City [Dramatized Adaptation] #2, Part 1

by Sarah J. Maas, Colleen Delany (Narrator), Kit Swann (Narrator)

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal-they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri's power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels' plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what's right. And they've never been very good at staying silent.


Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fae, Magic, Witches

12 pages, Audiobook

Published July 25, 2024

About the author

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. She lives in New York City with her family.

Reviews

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We already know how much i love this series but the GRAPHIC AUDIO bitch this was so well done!

[Mikky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still hands down the best series I've read by SJM! Why ACOTAR gets the spotlight, I will never know. This was fantastic! The graphic audio narration makes it that much better. 5 stars all around!

[Rebecca Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so much more invested in this storyline than Earth and Blood 😅 ALSO if Bryce and Hunt don’t do the deed soon I’m going to lose it 👀

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Our love is stronger than time, greater than any distance. Our love spans across stars and worlds. I will find you again, I promise.”

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG THAT ENDING!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

✅✅✅ ENDING
✅✅ Great characters
✅ Rebels and spies
✅ Complex world-building
✅ Plot
✅ Relationships
✅ Magic / Faes / Shifters
✅ Romance and some smut
✅ Pace
❗️❗️Cliffhanger
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: grief, torture, and deaths

4.5 stars. It was great, but not as good as the first one.

_______________________

Second read: I am still flabergasted by that ending.

_______________________

“You're a power player now, Bryce, whether you like it or not.”

This book takes place a few months after the end of House of Earth and Blood. Bryce is trying to adapt to her new reality as the Princess of Fae, while also trying to work things out with Hunt to build a healthy and serious relationship. Hunt is enjoying his newfound freedom and Ruhn is building back the trust between his sister and him. Everything is fine and rather normal until they get sucked into a rescue mission involving some rebels and ruthless faes that will not hesitate to destroy them all should their affiliation with rebels be revealed.

"You'd almost think this was planned by the gods. They probably have a special task force: How to Fuck Over Bryce and Hunt in One Day."

The plot is good, but I didn’t find it as good as in the first book. It is full of unexpected twists and shocking revelations though, and the pace is engaging. My heart was pounding and I had to refrain from skimming parts of the book because I was so anxious to know what would happen, but at the same time, I wanted to take my time and savor this book... Conflicted emotions and a few heart attacks apart though, it is a great book and many details from the first book have a big significance in this book, and I like that there was a deeper connection between the books than simply having the same set of characters embarking on a new adventure.

"Our insurance rates will go sky-high," Ruhn said to Declan, appealing to the slightly-less-insane of his roommates.
"When the fuck did you become a grown-up?" Flynn barked.
Ithan jerked his own chin toward the doorway again. "Wait to have your meltdown until after you meet the fourth new roommate."


“I’m sorry,” Ithan said, scrubbing at his face, “but what the fuck is this about?” He glanced at the pizza on the table, as if wondering whether it had been spiked with something.
Welcome to our lives, Hunt wanted to say.


"You're part of the Quinlan-Silago clan now. We're a crazy bunch, but we love each other."

I LOVE the characters in this book, THEY ARE SO CUTE AND PERFECT TOGETHER. SJM worked her magic once again and made me fall in love with them as I did fall in love with the crew of ACOTAR and TOG. The secondary characters are as lovable and amazing as the main characters. The friendship developing between the guys in this book is so cute and wholesome! Ruhn, Flynn, Declan, Tharion, Hunt, and even Ithan are becoming a cute little boy's club and my heart is SO happy about that. I said in my review of the first book that I wanted more of Ithan and Tharion, and I got it! Hypaxia is also more present in this book and I can already see that Bryce and her will make a kickass duo.

Okay, now this might be an unpopular opinion, but in light of what we learned in this book, I was not impressed with Danika’s choices and behavior toward Bryce, and the friendship I admired so much in the first book turned a little sour. I feel that Bryce gave her everything to Danika, and Danika only gave her a few pieces. I know Danika loved Bryce fiercely, but she kept so many huge secrets from Bryce, and every time Bruce discovers a new truth about Danika, it only upsets her because she sees how little she truly knew about her best friend…

She said to Flynn, “Hey, remember that time you set a dragon free and were dumb enough to think she’d follow your orders?”
“Hey, remember that time you wanted to marry me and wrote Lady Bryce Flynn in all your notebooks?”
Hunt choked.
Bryce countered with, “Hey, remember when you pestered me for years to hook up with you, but I have something called standards—”
“This is highly unusual behavior for royals,” Hypaxia observed.

The found family is one of my favorite tropes, and I loved every mundane moment with the gang in this book because of this feeling of finally having somewhere to belong. From Hunt making new friends to Ithan and Rhun mending their relationship with Bryce, it was cute, sweet, and so satisfying to see them all finally feel like they belonged somewhere and had people who cared about them.

She sipped from her champagne, then said casually to Hunt, "The headline on the gossip sites tomorrow is going to be: Horndog Umbra Mortis gropes Starborn Princess at Ballet."
"Good," Hunt murmured. "It'll improve my standing in the 33rd."


"You know what I mean," Bryce said.
"I'm not sure I do." Had his voice dropped lower?
"We're roomies," she said, her own voice getting breathy.
"Roomies."
"Occasional Beer Pong Champion?"
Hunt snatched the hat off her head and plunked it back on his own, backward as usual, "Yes, the Autumn King truly fears our unholy beer pong alliance."

The romance between Bryce and Hunt is still super cute, and we also have more spicy moments, even though SJM did ensure that Hunt got cockblocked quite a few times before *it* finally happened. They are cute and funny and they still have that witty banter from the first book that I enjoyed so much. I like that the author managed to keep the sexual tension between them for so long and that when they finally did the deed, they didn’t turn into sex-obsessed fae/angel and did nothing else for the rest of the book. They enjoyed each other but kept in mind that they had more important things to do and that there were lives on the line.

“Hel’s armies shall strike at your command, Bryce Quinlan.”

I am a little disappointed though that Aidas was not more present in this book. I really like him, and I think he has the potential to be a truly complex and interesting morally grey character, but we haven't seen enough of him to really know what he is up to and where he stands in the conflict that is to come.

I can't wait for the next book. There is SO MUCH potential for an even more epic third book, but at the same time, I am SO FREAKING SCARED of what could happen to my babies. 😭😭😭😭😭

Hunt’s voice was a thunderclap as he said behind her, “Light it up, Bryce.”

1. House of Earth and Blood (Part 1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. House of Earth and Blood (Part 2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



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[Madyfay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the continuation of “what the fuck was going on with Danika?” 😂 Tharion and Ithan are my fave side characters it always breaks my heart that Ithan has been in love with Bryce this whole time and he pictured a life with her. I love him so much my precious baby 🥺 also love Day and Night the flirting between them. It’s interesting to relisten to it and know it’s Lydia so I’m like super aware of all her moves as the Hind and what she be doin. Same with Baxian 😂

[Kamila · Rating 5 out of 5]

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: Hunt Athalar is my number ONE book boyfriend (after being dethroned by Xaden Riorson for 6 months) after listening to this graphic audio.
That's it. That's the review.
1 million stars.

[Dar ⟢ _littlebookishblog · Rating 5 out of 5]

find my full review in part 2 :)

[William Burrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much better start than the last book. The first part introduced many new characters. The plot is already good and a little smutty. I think I will like this book!

[✧desiree✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ Review:

How mysterious. In this book there is a new goal of searching for two children on the run, one that is assumed to be dead. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.

I love these characters.

And maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I need Ithan & Tharion to kiss asap. Are these both (at least from what I’ve heard so far) straight men? Yes. But I can’t be the only one that feels the romantic chemistry between them, right?

[Christine Stitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate that my audiobook credits cut me off before I could finish this book in its entirety. But thankfully, as I started to get into this second CC book, I jotted down a couple notes on my phone. This is really going to help me when I jump back into the audio in two weeks. I am finding that I’m really missing this story and these characters.

All that to be said, in this second book, again our characters are looking for someone. I know this is a very random and loose connection, but it very much feels like Nancy Drew meets Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If they say the word “rebel” anymore in this book I’m going to scream.

This book (and this series?) just does not seem as heavily fantasy (I’ve read more books with more lore), nor does it have as much romance as a typical urban fantasy romance does. However, we do get more romance in CC2, compared to CC1, but it felt a little disjointed between Bryce and Hunt, as if the author remembered to throw us all a bone. Some parts feel very drug out.

In this first half of the book, it feels like little groups of people are off doing little missions. Which sometimes can be hard to follow, because I’m just listening, versus seeing each scene and pov change on a page. And each of these missions comes with details- lore, magical powers, one or two new side characters, locations, etc. 😵‍💫 I can feel the world opening up a lot more, which I’m swimming in right now.

All criticisms aside, the banter and easiness of Bryce keeps drawing me in. Her sassy personality is unique, and keeps me wanting to know what adventure she’ll go on next.

[Eboni Mezzina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap! From the first scene this audiobook truely immerses you in Crescent City. The voice acting is impeccable with the background ambiance adding so much to scenes. The opening of the book starts at the ballet and you hear the murmur of gathering crowds and the tuning of the orchestra. Very much recommend as someone who struggles with adding tone and voices to characters. Bryce and hunt come to life in this 🫶🏼

[Ashley Mumaw]

Happy to finish this just under the wire for 2025. Book 2 is one of my favorites and it was fun listening to new voices for the new characters in this book. But again, I cannot stress enough -- what the heck is up with Bryce's fighting yells? I can't call it a war cry or anything -- it is so clearly not that. Hilarious yet deeply concerning at the same time.

I forgot how much we learn in this book about nearly every character -- each one seems to have some big shit show up in this book, whether past or present. Though I know my least favorite character arch is coming up (Ithan - I honestly could do without him entirely), I can't wait to listen to the rest.

Ruhn Danaan is 100/10 .... reason enough to read these books

[Shelby Seal(Allen) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving the performance for the graphic audio of this series! We're really starting to get the good stuff! Sweet Emile just being out there on his own during the first part of this book has me like 😭. I'm so excited to see how part 2 goes! 🙈

[Alieke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I'm feeling this 🙌❤️

[ᒚᘿSS ᒍᗩY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough? A whole lot of talkie talkie for a whole lot of nothing. The graphic audio genuinely makes it decent enough to experience.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like the shift of focus away from Bryce. And I literally didn't care that Ithan had a huge crush on her - it was obvious in book 1, and we didn't need to spend so long talking about his feelings. Most of the characters in the inner circle are men, and yet none of them are in solid relationships or gay. Also?!? There is implied rape at one point. Tharion Ketos is like betrothed to marry the "River Queen's Daughter." she literally is only called that. We never learn her name. The Queen gets angry at him, and his punishment is implied to be him pleasuring his fiancee against his will. Ew. But the pace of the book is good. The plot is interesting and feels like a continuation of the 1st book. Some new characters are interesting, but dang it, there are so many "H" names it confuses me sometimes.

[Ingrid Youmans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost did not finish. Painful.

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love graphic audio — listening to my favorite series with full dramatic effects and different VAs for each character is such a fantastic experience.

while i loved bryce and hunt’s relationship in hoeab, it takes a drastic turn in hosab, considering bryce explicitly disregards hunt’s ptsd and trauma from the failed rebellion… sadly they are the worst sjmaas couple imo, and their relationship deteriorates further in hofas. hunt is my fav himbo next to cassian tho 🫶🏼 i love their dulaity between wholesome frat bros and war generals UGH!😍

ruhn danaan, crown prince of the valbaran fae, i love you. mwah💋

i don’t care about tharion/ithan and sjmaas can never make me care about them. ever.

[Britt Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is 100 times better the second time around OMG
everything makes sense, i love characters that i had no care for through the first read. every relationship is better. i feel like this book is SO all over the place & trying to work out who i should be attached to & whose LOYAL TO WHO is so hard…. but now that i know everything the reread is immaculate content

THE ENDING IN AUDIOBOOK IS CRAZY. (def 100% better to have READ it for the first experience because i neeeeded to have reread each line twice to make sure i was reading it RIGHT & being like IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING) but HEARING the ending is something ELSE.

[Skye Fogle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so good, especially as a graphic audio omg😭 My only complaint, as with every Mass book, is why do we get 600+ pages(hours) of searching, traveling, and daily conversations but the most intense scenes and conversations are rushed into 100 pages? I don’t want to hear “2 weeks later” only because we’re in the final pages🫠 I need less mundane middle and more details of the finale! All said and done, idc because it was amazing and it all still made sense. I can’t wait for the final book!
(I mostly listened to the audio waiting for the physical book but I finished it on audio bc this was just incredible💙)

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This part one started off boring and only started getting good by the end. It helped me to remember that I don’t like Bryce and I rolled my eyes at her jumping to do a treasonous quest in the hopes of talking to someone who knew Danica. The obsession with Danica is just too much. Also I don’t really care about her relationship with hunt. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I think I just don’t like Sarah j Maas writing female main characters.

[Michelle Delp (Fazio) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. Part 1 graphic audio of CC2 was so freaking good. I have a feeling I’m going to love part 2 more, just like I did for CC1 but, I can’t wait to start it!

The scene in the bone quarter… where Bryce and Hunt take down the shepherd..and then ALL of the scenes between Day and Night, ahhh! Perfection. I loved all of it.

[Stacy Holguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Crescent City trilogy is definitely enhanced by the dramatized version produced by Graphic Audio!! The sound scape is scrumptious, as are the vocal talents of the many audio actors who heighten the emotional investment of the story. Dramatized audio books might be more expensive than single narrator offerings, but to me, they are worth the indulgence!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

I much preferred this to the first part of book one. It has a faster start and just all around more action and more drama. The spice in this was like AMAZING too. There wasn’t a lot, but WOW.

[Ashley Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one alot more. Two concurrent storylines are always a way to my heart. Keeps me from getting bored. Mysteries deepen in the first half of this installment. I have a feeling we may not get answers until the next book but I'm looking forward to seeing where things land.

[Natasha Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot wait for part 2. Color me curious when it comes to Bryce and Ethan. However, how can you not love hunt and Bryce? And all of the side characters stories are getting more and more interesting!!

[courtney (not your dad) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5 for Goodreads. Bryce Quinlan I will love you forever

[Lauren Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omw to listen to part 2 🏃🏻‍♀️ will never understand the Bryce/Hunt hate. I love them and the whole cc series 🖤

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No need for a big review, I just love graphic audios

[Addicted 2 📖 · Rating 5 out of 5]

GraphicAudio makes this for me.
One teeny tiny thing tho, the breathing and taking a breath can be a little over the top 😅