Reviews

The House of Always by Jenn Lyons

thesingingbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

gavinsteyn's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

jowithtwoiis's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to this one on audio and I have to admit that I didn't love it as much as the previous books. It seemed like a lot more talking and less action. It got more interesting as it progressed but only just at the last quarter or so of the book. I'm interested to see how the author wraps it all up so I will be showing up for the next installment.

shandyt's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Phew! That was a journey. I'm pleased to be one step closer to the end of the series... and I'm also a little disappointed. I find myself agreeing with some other assessments that this fourth entry into the series is largely filler. While we get some much-needed character moments, and a few major revelations, the pace drags far slower than I'd have liked. Then when you look back and start counting the events that actually happened, it comes up surprisingly thin for the page count. Don't get me wrong; what's there is (mostly) good.

Spoiler

The concept of defeating the big bad shounen anime-style with the ~POwER oF LoOOOoOoVE~ not so much, but I digress.

It just felt like a slog after the breakneck pace of A Memory of Souls.

One new issue I found in this book is some clunky writing. None of the previous books have been paragons of literary virtue, so my expectations were fairly realistic, but there were a few lines in THoA that were just... bad. More often than not, they were in Kihrin's sections, which makes me wonder whether it was a byproduct of Lyons writing in first person—though I don't recall it ever being this noticeable before. She even went so far as to commit one of the cardinal sins of telling vs showing: "I felt sad. Then I felt angry." (Paraphrased; I listened to the audiobook.) It was so jarringly awful, I actually laughed out loud. It wouldn't surprise me if Jenn Lyons thought of this book as filler just as much as the readers did, and was in a rush to get it published so she could move on to the grand finale.

Another disappointing thing was that some major moments happened offscreen, which is ironic considering how loooong the book felt. The final battle scene was big and dramatic and compelling, but then

Spoiler

the Lash/Drehemia fight got resolved without us seeing any of it! Not Thurvishar's final stand, which Senera was worried about; not Sheloran's death; not Senera's ritual... Did they cure the dragon, or not?! We had some idea what the plan was, but to have all that buildup, and it all happens in the background when we're looking at Teraeth, Janel, and Jerith? ...What?? And how did Galen, Talea, Qown et al. get to the Devors dock from Drehemia's lair, when 5 minutes earlier, they mentioned needing Senera to rescue them? I seriously had to go back and see if I'd missed something. I also feel like I didn't have a good grasp on what C'indrol actually did to make S'arric so angry with them. There were some heavy implications, and we had that looped vision starring Kalindra as S'arric and Jerith as C'indrol (I think?), but that scene at the end where Vol Karoth completes himself didn't hit nearly as hard as it would have if I'd truly known what was going on. We saw the flashbacks right at the end with C'indrol excised from them, and Janel/C'indrol admitting to hurting S'arric, but... how, exactly? Just by leaving? If anybody reads this review and knows, please tell me.

One thing this book did not skimp on is character development. We got to see some familiar faces from all the way back in book 1 make their grand re-entrances, and saw them far more fleshed out than previously.

Spoiler

Kalindra! Sheloran! Jerith! Galen!!

Many (arguably) beloved regular characters also got plenty of spotlight.

Spoiler

Senera! Thurvishar-who-I-wanted-more-of! Qown! Xivan! Talea! Talon!

The only unfortunate thing is that not all character development is created equal. My favorite arcs were the ones that showed the characters going through real moral struggles, and growing and changing as a result.

Spoiler

Kalindra, Xivan, and Senera all fit this bill, as well as Talon and Jerith to some extent.

There was a clear start and end for each of those characters (be it over just this book, or several), and the setbacks were real and the payoffs earned. But if I have favorites, then I must also have least favorites, and so my least favorite arc was the one between

Spoiler

Galen, Qown, and Sheloran. I was SO excited to see Galen come back, as his death, and his belief that Kihrin had betrayed him, were some of the most heartbreaking things about book 1. His reappearance started out so strong, with his friendship with Sheloran feeling just so wonderful and tender and great. And then... Qown. I love Brother Qown. I think he's a great character, and it was fun to see him get taken in by Relos Var, and even more fun to see him break that bond. When Qown first remarked how handsome Galen was, I was fist pumping, because I thought, 'here's a relationship where two people who have seen some abuse can treat each other really well and help each other heal.' And then... he got bullied instead? Qown deserved to be treated better than ANYONE in this book treated him. Onlear (sp?) and Lady D'Talus alone both made my toes curl, the way they tap-danced all over the line of consent. But that wasn't the end of it. So many things happened to him to make him feel awkward and uncomfortable, and the fact that some of it came from GALEN AND SHELORAN is even worse. They could have been so much more gentle with him, and not teased him about being a prude, or pushed him into emotionally breaking down. It seems to have ended with Qown in a good place, but if you have to bully him to get him there, with a justification of "I'm doing this for your own good," I feel like you haven't earned your happy ending. If Jenn Lyons wants me to be hype about this relationship, she'll have to do some major course correcting so it doesn't feel so icky. I want to love it; I really do. Just give Qown some space to breathe, dammit! /rant

The ending of this book does leave me wondering what will come next in a way that I'm not sure is 100% positive. For so long, I thought

Spoiler

Vol Karoth was going to be the final boss

, and now that I know that's not the case, I wonder how the series ending will truly go down. But as always, I've never really had a clear picture of what would come next, only to have the following book's premise make total sense, and raise the ante in a compelling way. Come on, Jenn Lyons! All you have to do now is stick the landing, and this will become one of my favorite series of all time. Here's hoping!

Spoiler

KIHRIN AND TERAETH FINALLY DID THE DO! It was a one-way affair and Kihrin didn't get the chance to reciprocate, but hey, it's something. Give Teraeth An Orgasm 2022!!

motherofdogs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia

tildy08's review against another edition

4.0

Similar to my reviews of the other books, hard to follow at times and to keep the characters straight, but definitely enjoyed it! Can’t wait to read the last book in the series!

poisonenvy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

arrk33's review against another edition

4.0

The large cast of characters are mostly together, at last, and it’s everything I wanted! We got more soft moments, even amidst the chaos, fear, and pain that this part of the story thrives on. I love all the romantic pairings so much!!

I also love how this book dodges the “chosen one” becomes a martyr trope and lets his loved ones really give it to him about being stupid and reckless. This book has all the communication between characters that I’ve always wanted, even though part of it is forced.

Can’t wait to read the final chapter and I so hope it’s a happy ending!!

justbeechy's review against another edition

4.0

Go back and reread the letters from the very beginning when you're finished, they make way more sense! 
I loved the story telling style of this book! I love every one of these idiots. I would protect Talea with my life! 

infyria's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5