The House of Always is the fourth book in the Chorus of Dragons series by author Jenn Lyons. The Chorus of Dragons series is a high fantasy series, and I have to say, I am loving this series! I read the Ruin of Kings back at the start of 2019 and I while I had every intention of continuing on, I missed out on book 2’s release. When I saw this series was already on book four, I knew I wanted to do a binge read to catch up. When I dove into book 2 I will admit that I was initially confused because Jenn Lyons has a tendency to just drop you into the story and it can take a minute to gain your bearings because the world is so big and complex, but as I was reading, I fell right back in love with this story and these characters. By the time I got to The House of Always, I was well and truly in love. Jenn Lyons is a master at crafting high fantasy. This is a series that is meant to be explored and savored. If you read it too fast, you may be confused or overwhelmed by the sheer amount going on in the plot and the multiple timelines that are present, but if you take your time, I think you will really appreciate these books. I know I do!

The House of Always, like the previous books in the Chorus of Dragons series, is told through multiple perspectives. In this installment, we get to see even more characters, which I really liked. Though I do wish that we got to see more of Kihrin and Tereath and Janel, but I understand with a world this big and a plot this complex we need to visit the other perspectives to see the full picture. I love how vast the story is. Though it can be overwhelming and a bit confusing at times, it is so satisfying to see the pieces come together. I have to say with this book, I have new favorite characters. I absolutely adore Thurvishar and Senera! Like everyone present in this story, they are wonderfully rich and complex as individuals. There are no one dimensional or flat characters in The House of Always, which is a huge accomplishment with a cast this large, and I love so many of the characters! Jenn Lyons is an author that should be on every fantasy lovers, and diverse cast lovers radar. There are so many character representations present in this story- from bisexual, to poly relationships, to asexual, this series has it all and all of it is so well done! The romance also amps up in this book and I quite enjoyed that as well.

I can’t get too much into the specifics of the plot because the tensions, fights and enemies are all built upon the events of the previous three books, but suffice it to say that there is a ton of action and political intrigue going on. The House of Always and The Chorus of Dragons has everything I love in a fantasy; a crazy world, a crazier plot that will really mess with you head at times (in both good and bad ways!) political intrigue galore, plot twists, betrayals, battles and plenty of adventure. I was completely fascinated by the mindscape that Jenn Lyons created. Fans of epic fantasies will really like the overall complexity of the world. I think once you really get to know the characters and the world, you will fall in love with the book. I loved the story line of this one so much and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I know it can seem daunting at first, but stick with it! It gets easier to follow along with, and this really does become an unputdownable adventure. I can’t wait to see the next installment from Jenn Lyons.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-Arc! My rating is in star form and will be included with this review. I may go back to more extensive reviews in the future, but while I am catching up on everything, they will continue to be stars only. Thank you so much!

Stakes are higher than ever as a game of cat and mouse happens between the most dangerous demon. We have a plethora of side characters who are drawn into the game. I found the different perspectives to be refreshing as we learn more of the characters who appeared in the previous books. Although I do wish there were more scenes with the trio (as I felt as if they were quite brushed over) I was happy at the progression of their relationship. A lot of secrets are spilled out and a lot of heart-to-hearts are spilled. With how the book wrapped up I can't wait to see how the final book unfolds.

Thanks to #Macmillan-Tor/Forge and #Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

A very enjoyable read which I thoroughly recommend to anyone looking for a tightly plotted and brilliant fantasy! Although people should obviously start with book number 1!

While the plot is intense and the well described world is amazing, the characterization definitely steals the show. I enjoyed the way that the main characters were put aside slightly and others were able to shine. Not a one is good, nor bad. Very complex characteristics that keeps you on the fence.

The fourth installment in the A Chorus of Dragons series picks up the gang's story after the events of The Memory of Souls. As is usual for this series, the story is told in a very unique way - a combination of POV switching, flashbacks, and footnotes by the character writing the compilation after the events of the story. Each book in this series is told in a unique way, The House of Always being no different.

In this book, you get more perspectives, and different perspectives than you really have in previous books. All the big players across the first three books are in this book, whereas in the past they've been separated. In the usual fashion of this series, The House of Always is complex, epic, and very fast-paced. There is a lot of action due to the flashbacks, and a lot of previous events are explained during this book - which is helpful for overall comprehension.

This series is decidedly adult, epic fantasy so if that isn't your jam - this book may be confusing and hard to follow. There are so many fantasy elements in this series that it will appeal to those folks who love fantasy more than anything else, like me!

**Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I really tried to love this series but by the time I got to this one I was bored with the way it was presented. I will probably try to finish it via audio book at a later time. The story is pretty good but it could have been about a book shorter.

I am a huge fan of this world. Since this is the fourth book in this 'A Chorus of Dragon' series, I had to go back and check out the first three books before this one. I am now I huge fan Relos Var is now one of m favourite villains this year, and part of me wants him to win. He is so good.

The world-building great, I am a huge fan of books that have great world-building and this book has it. The lore is great, a little confusing at times, I'm not going to lie, but it was great to just piece everything together!

While it took me a while to get used to the narrative structure of the first book, by the second and third book, I was very used to it, and going into The House of Always, all I needed to concentrate on was where the story goes, and I love it. I am just a huge fan of this series now, keep them coming!

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It always takes a little time to figure out what is going on when you start one of the books in this series because there is always some time irregularities/hopping but when I get used to it, I have no problem jumping into the story with both feet and getting carried away in another amazing book! This is the case again with House of Always, which I was eagerly waiting for after reading the ending of Memory of Souls. It is told mostly through "memory visions" shared by the group in the lighthouse and trapped in Val Karoth's mind. Lots of adventures and messes to get in and out of. I really like Talea in this one!

Great book, great ending and now I can't wait for the last book! Hope that one comes out soon!

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor books for an e-copy of this book, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Jenn Lyons has really become one of my top 3 authors. The style of this book, 4th in the series, is similar to others, but like the past 2 books, the focus of the current action is in one place, and then there are flashbacks/memories/POVs that fill in the story. Lyons uses Footnotes as comic relief and to fill in the reader on arcane points-all within the structure of this being a story within a story. I'd compare it to the Rothfuss books, but these deserve to be known in their own right. I love the series, and since I read the previous ones recently enough to keep the characters in my head, and the genealogy of them has now been finally set in my brain, everything is making more sense. Truth be told, I got a little lost at points in book2 and 3, but was able to track this well. There is action in the book, to be sure, but the author is spending a lot of time on interactions between the characters, and since you know them so well at this point, and their character flaws, it really works. You can feel like you can laugh along with the in-jokes and feel the intensity of sexual flirtation. I have been evangelizing about this series, which has a real unique feel to it. Anyone who makes it to this book will love the characters, but I do not recommend reading this in a vacuum because it will feel clausterphobic (and likely confusing) to anyone who hasn't read the rest of the series. The book sets up the finale well, with what I think is an antagonist but might be a protagonist hitting the scene. Without spoiling the ending, the author keeps who is 'good' and 'bad' a bit ambiguous to begin with, and then mixes things up even further in the end. The result is a page turner where the reader doesn't really know who to root for, and I think this will lead to a strong finish. NK Jemisin, Rothfuss and fans of fantasy in general should check out this book. Catch up before the finale!

Jenn Lyons did NOT disappoint.
oh my goodness. this book rocked. thank you so much to torteen for sending me this title as an arc. I adored every minute of it.

The Eight Immortals are dead and Val Karoth is closer to being freed than ever. No matter what Kihrin, Janel and Teraeth do Relos Var is seemingly one step ahead of them. Kihrin makes a desperate sacrifice but his gamble may have devastating consequences. As the lines between good and evil blur and loyalties are tested Kihrin and his allies must face just how much they are willing to sacrifice if it means saving the world.

He still looked at me like I was every sunrise the world had ever seen.The Eight Immortals are dead and Val Karoth is closer to being freed than ever. No matter what Kihrin, Janel and Teraeth do Relos Var is seemingly one step ahead of them. Kihrin makes a desperate sacrifice but his gamble may have devastating consequences. As the lines between good and evil blur and loyalties are tested Kihrin and his allies must face just how much they are willing to sacrifice if it means saving the world.

"He still looked at me like I was every sunrise the world had ever seen."

Every time I read the next book in the Chorus of Dragons series, I am left asking to myself – how does she do it? Because every single instalment just keeps getting better and better, despite that fact that every single one of them is perfect. Seriously, how?!

The House of Always is a character study, oh to be sure it is intense and there is plenty of action to be found, but the heart of this book is its characters. This book gives you so much insight into who they are and the fears and the experiences that shaped them. This is true for all the characters, not just our main trio. Much like each book that has come before has laid out a little bit more of its characters and world, we get to see into more characters that previously hadn’t had a lot of page time.

Sheloran is utterly amazing. Every time she came on the page I fell in love with her a little bit more. She’s smart and beautiful and powerful. Do not underestimate this woman. Her and Galen are the ultimate wlw/mlm solidarity couple. I loved their dynamic so much. Their love and support for each other is *chef’s kiss* and I loved that Jenn went down this road than say kill her off just so Galen and {redacted} could get together.

I don’t want to spoil it but one of my ships saileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddddd. I was so, so happy – tears in my eyes happy. There were bumps along the way but they both deserve so much love and they are so perfect for each other.

“Of course, Blue. I’m sure I can find something to discuss with Taunna and Eledore. The magnificence of my breasts, if all else fails.”

I have to remind myself constantly that these characters only exist in these books and it hurts so damn much, because a world with Kihrin, Janel, Teraeth and the rest is a better one. These characters with all their flaws and heart and conviction will steal your breath away. You will find yourself longing to be able to look up and see Kihrin sitting in front of you, to be able to give Qown a hug and the self-esteem he deserves, to be able to comfort all of them in their pain.

You will not be able to see one thing coming, every time I think I know where things will go Jenn comes along and sweeps the rug out from under me and makes it even better than you could have ever imagined. Like, that ending?! Not in a million years but holy hell I cannot wait to see what happens next.

There is so much that happens in The House of Always that I want to scream about but Spoilers™ but aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHH. Just know that you do not want to miss a single moment.

And in case it is not clear, this series has all the rep of the gayest rainbow – seriously there’s not one allocishet character – and yes our main trio is polyamorous, it just takes them a little bit to get there.

There is not one bad thing I could say about this book, it is perfection. This is a must-read series. Books like The House of Always are the reason I read, to be able to exist in this world and to meet these characters is the greatest honour. I desperately want the next and final book and yet mourn the day I will have to say goodbye to these characters and this world for the final time. If I was only allowed one series to read ever again, it would be this one.

But know this – even though I have lived a life as full of thin, small regrets as a cherry blossom is full of petals in the spring, this will be my largest: that I could not be with you, right then, to share the space between never and always while waiting for the sun to rise.

*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Every time I read the next book in the Chorus of Dragons series, I am left asking to myself – how does she do it? Because every single instalment just keeps getting better and better, despite that fact that every single one of them is perfect. Seriously, how?!

The House of Always is a character study, oh to be sure it is intense and there is plenty of action to be found, but the heart of this book is its characters. This book gives you so much insight into who they are and the fears and the experiences that shaped them. This is true for all the characters, not just our main trio. Much like each book that has come before has laid out a little bit more of its characters and world, we get to see into more characters that previously hadn’t had a lot of page time.

Sheloran is utterly amazing. Every time she came on the page I fell in love with her a little bit more. She’s smart and beautiful and powerful. Do not underestimate this woman. Her and Galen are the ultimate wlw/mlm solidarity couple. I loved their dynamic so much. Their love and support for each other is *chef’s kiss* and I loved that Jenn went down this road than say kill her off just so Galen and {redacted} could get together.

I don’t want to spoil it but one of my ships saileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddddd. I was so, so happy – tears in my eyes happy. There were bumps along the way but they both deserve so much love and they are so perfect for each other.

“Of course, Blue. I’m sure I can find something to discuss with Taunna and Eledore. The magnificence of my breasts, if all else fails.”

I have to remind myself constantly that these characters only exist in these books and it hurts so damn much, because a world with Kihrin, Janel, Teraeth and the rest is a better one. These characters with all their flaws and heart and conviction will steal your breath away. You will find yourself longing to be able to look up and see Kihrin sitting in front of you, to be able to give Qown a hug and the self-esteem he deserves, to be able to comfort all of them in their pain.

You will not be able to see one thing coming, every time I think I know where things will go Jenn comes along and sweeps the rug out from under me and makes it even better than you could have ever imagined. Like, that ending?! Not in a million years but holy hell I cannot wait to see what happens next.

There is so much that happens in The House of Always that I want to scream about but Spoilers™ but aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHH. Just know that you do not want to miss a single moment.

And in case it is not clear, this series has all the rep of the gayest rainbow – seriously there’s not one allocishet character – and yes our main trio is polyamorous, it just takes them a little bit to get there.

There is not one bad thing I could say about this book, it is perfection. This is a must-read series. Books like The House of Always are the reason I read, to be able to exist in this world and to meet these characters is the greatest honour. I desperately want the next and final book and yet mourn the day I will have to say goodbye to these characters and this world for the final time. If I was only allowed one series to read ever again, it would be this one.

"But know this – even though I have lived a life as full of thin, small regrets as a cherry blossom is full of petals in the spring, this will be my largest: that I could not be with you, right then, to share the space between never and always while waiting for the sun to rise."

*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

We’re on book fouuuuur, y’all! Book. Four. It has been a journey, and I’m pretty sure I’ve aged about twenty years fretting over these characters. And we’re still not done yet, thank goodness. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book from pretty much the moment I set down book three. Thankfully, it has a really convenient recap in the beginning, so I didn’t feel like I had to go back and re-read the others, since that caught me up pretty nicely and I remembered what had happened and could jump right into it! And boy did I ever.

The House of Always is the hit to the feels I expected from book four of A Chorus of Dragons … but not in the way I imagined! It’s about betrayal and secrets and falling apart and coming together and realizing that, despite what the world told you, you matter.

I figured this book was going to break my heart, given what’s happened in the other books and that this is book four of the series, but … this is not what I was expecting. It didn’t break my heart in the ways I had thought, but in so much worse ways. It took these strong, beautiful, utterly broken characters and shattered them over and over again, forcing them to either heal or break entirely, and I absolutely loved it.

My Thoughts:

- The House of Always needs trigger warnings for just about everything, because this is a no-holds-barred psychological war between Vol Karoth and our main antiheroes where everything is on the table and no memory is sacrosanct. In other words … fun! The story is actually told in a really unique way that, had you described it to me going in, I wouldn’t have thought it would work for a book. A film, sure, but not a book. The majority of the book is spent in one static location (the Lighthouse) with the rest of the story being told through the memories of the characters trapped there. The reader gets a flash of memory, then back to the lighthouse to see the reaction. Oh, and react they do, lovelies! In case you’ve forgotten, this world is all about secrets and betrayals, and these characters are the best of the best. What I think worked especially well about this story structure is the fact that the main cast at this point is all connected in somewhat tenuous ways they don’t always realize … and almost all of them would rather be with anyone else than with each other. It’s tense. It’s dramatic. Someone might get stabbed … or worse. Who knows?! That’s what makes it so thrilling! Enemies being forced to work together is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and it works so well here because there is so much between all these characters. Layers upon layers and lifetimes upon lifetimes of betrayal and heartache. The tragedy and drama this causes is just *chef’s kiss*

- So Kihrin’s plan at the end of book three may not have gone quiiiite as he’d anticipated. Surprise? This leads to what I can only describe as psychological warfare. You know, as opposed to the stabby, fiery, explody kind in the earlier books. Not quite in the way you might expect, though. I mean literal psychological warfare … as in they’re battling in Vol Karoth’s psyche. Sort of. It’s complicated. Also thrilling. How do you convince an ancient bundle of anger, regret, and vengeance that it’s wrong? That’s the trick, isn’t it? While there are still fight scenes in this book, The House of Always slightly diverges from the previous books in that most of the fight is emotional, where everyone’s memories, mistakes, and betrayals become the weapons Vol Karoth wields. Of course, they also become the ammo Kihrin uses to fight back, so there’s that. I absolutely loved this give and take. Okay, sure, stabbiness and magic and all-out war is thrilling, but there’s something even more satisfying about getting to see characters’ deepest, darkest memories and then watching how everyone reacts to them. Given how much I absolutely love these characters, I really enjoyed the chance to get to know them all better. This book delves so much more into each and every character. if I thought I was fretting over their well-being before? So much more now that I know them better.

- Remember how I mentioned broken feels? Yeah, this book does that. A lot. Exceedingly well. These characters are forced to rehash painful moments and come to some really difficult realizations about themselves. I know I’m probably not supposed to get so much pleasure out of these characters’ pain, but oh my gosh, you guys, this was just so perfect! We’ve spent three books seeing how strong and resourceful these characters are, how dedicated to survival through any means. Life has handed them shit, and they’ve thrown it right back. Well, now it’s time for that shit to hit the fan. My heart broke over and over again for these poor, precious characters. A lot of much-needed healing takes place in this book, but a lot of hurt did, too. It’s this constant roller coaster ride that’s bumpy and rickety and only being held up with duct tape and a prayer, but the harrowing ride will be worth it if it can just make it to the end. Don’t get me wrong, even though this book is more psychological than the others, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any action in it. There’s actually pretty much all the action, because the flashes of memory describe how the characters got to where they are and everything that’s happened in the interim. That’s part of what makes this structure work so well. There’s so much action in the memories and plotting and scheming that the reaction scenes in the “present” let the reader come up a little for air … while still utterly destroying their feels, of course. Can’t have readers getting too complacent, can we?

- If you’ve been waiting for the will-they-won’t-they, three-way romance to heat up, the wait is over! The House of Always doubles down on this dynamic, while introducing another utterly adorable (and absolutely doomed) M/M romance. If I’m honest, I was a little hesitant about the Janel-Teraeth-Kihrin thing going in. But I also couldn’t decide which one I wanted Kihrin to end up with because decisions are hard and ships are even harder. You know what, though? I prefer this. I no longer have to choose, and the dynamic between the three of them is utterly perfect. Yes. This is definitely the best solution. Of course, their past lives complicate things a bit, but what sort of book would this be if that weren’t the case? There’s also the hint of a new romance brewing, one that is so freaking adorable and so tragically doomed and one I so desperately feel the need to root for that I don’t even know what to do with myself. Relationships are complicated. You know, as if these characters weren’t complicated enough as it is, nor the situation they’re in messed up enough. But these two? Ugh. I’m intentionally avoiding names to avoid spoilers, but they so deserve a happy ending and the more things develop between the two, the more I want them to have it. Regardless of how unlikely a happy ending seems.

Mythical, heroic, steeped in the tradition of great mythical kingdoms. Here in the fourth installment, the Eight Immortals are stopped in the push to stop the enemies of Kihrin. There is a plan to free Val Karoth a king evil by design and ruthless in his desire to go free. The future must come but does the cost justify the price. Fans of this series will not be disappointed in the final page.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to an e-arc for review.

I really enjoyed this installment, probably tied with Ruin of Kings for my second favorite in the series (favorite being The memory of Souls). There's so much to love about this one. I think one of the coolest things about this one is the way it plays with that structure that we've gotten sued to by this point. We will be getting a little bit of a different take on it here. Jenn Lyons manages to twist this structure and create as much of a sense of the plot advancing in the frame story as in the stories within stories.
We also will be continuously switching back and forth to different timeline points and will be checking in with many different perspectives.
Apart from that I really liked the way the main storyline unfolds.
My main criticism will be that I would've actually preferred for this book to wrap up a little earlier. There was a point that I found to be the perfect ending, but the story proceeds quite a few chapters beyond that point and I kind of found myself not caring about those chapters.
Solid entry to this great series!

The fourth instalment in The Chorus of Dragons series is perhaps my most anticipated novel of 2021 and it did not disappoint in the slightest. From past memories being unveiled to romantic intentions finally being declared, this book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Weeks after the failed Ritual of Night where the eight gods were slaughtered and Vol Karoth is closer than ever from escaping his prison, Kihrin and his friends find themselves in Shadrag Gor. Together, they face Vol Karoth at his strongest and most diabolical in the magical mindscape that he has created. As they contend with the looming threat of Vol Karoth’s release, the group becomes trapped and forced to experience a myriad of memories as Vol Karoth and Kihrin battle it out for the last time.

As compared to the previous three books in the series, The House of Always is far more character focused than plot, allowing the reader to fully understand these beloved characters, especially the side characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this decision as it opened up a new side of characters that we haven’t seen before. While fantasy is my favourite genre by far, I adore character-driven stories; I’d honestly be happy to just read a book about characters talking about their feelings — no plot, just vibes. And to an extent, that’s what The House of Always delivers — up until the second part, that is.

A primary part of this series is the growth of Kihrin’s relationship with Janel and Teraeth and in The House of Always this relationship reaches a climax that we have all been waiting for with bated breath. I can’t even begin to explain how remarkable it is to read a book with a polyamorous relationship, especially a fantasy book at that. Kihrin, Teraeth and Janel’s romance is stunningly developed over the course of the series: from hate to love, tentative allies, major crushes and flirtation to, finally, an admission of love. I sincerely hope we get even more beautiful scenes in the final novel, out later this year.

(Speaking of romance, there’s a lovely romantic subplot that definitely comes out of nowhere, but as the story progressed, I began to hardcore ship it. I won’t say who the romance is between — no spoilers! — but prepare to be a bit shocked as I was, and then fully invested.)

Another relationship that The House of Always wonderfully develops is between Galen and Sheloran. The pair are married but have an intense friendship where they view each other as siblings, as they are both attracted to the same sex. The wlw/mlm solidarity is strong in this book! Galen and Sheloran are incredibly supportive of one another and would go to the ends of the earth to protect the other. The same can be said for Talea and Xivan, lovers who are separated for a brief period, but whose love becomes stronger than ever once they’re reunited. I consider myself to be a pretty strong reader, able to easily pick up foreshadowing and subtext in books, but Lyons’ plot twists come completely out of left-field but still somehow make so much sense. And the path that Talea and Xivan’s find themselves on is one such plot twist, one I never saw coming but feel silly for not having picked up sooner!

At times the novel dragged as it focused a lot on flashbacks in the form of memories, but you soon find out how important these flashbacks are, especially when the plot comes to a head in part two. Everything is leading up to a fantastic conclusion in the final book and I cannot wait until I get my hands on a copy.

The House of Always is an incredible instalment to an already amazing series. I highly encourage everyone to pick up this wonderful queer and tropetastic series that will keep you guessing right up until the last page. It’s truly unlike anything I’ve read before.

The House of Always is a bit of a placeholder book to tie together a whole lot of different character arcs before we get to the finale of the series in the unreleased 5th book of the series. Most of the story is told in flashback through characters memories which becomes rather hard to keep track of, especially considering most of the memories are of side characters and how they relate to the main characters. The ending of the book sets up for an intriguing final book in the series but this one was a bit of a struggle to get through

“The House of Always” is a book that I was highly anticipating this year. I loved reading the first three books of the series last year and couldn’t wait to see how the journey continued for the cast of characters. Jenn Lyons did not disappoint, and the saga was a treat for fans!

“The House of Always” is different from the others because I felt it concentrated more on the characters than the plot. The story gets plot-driven towards the climax, but otherwise, most of the book revolves around the memories of various characters as they are stuck in Vol Karoth’s prison and how the storylines get entangled with one another.

However, my favorite storyline revolved around, Sheloran, Galen, and Qown. I loved how the author wrote Galen and Qown’s chemistry and teased us with their angst. Similarly, Kalindra and Jarith’s storyline was exciting, especially when she goes to the monastery. Ditto with Xivan and her search for the Stone of Shackes to get revenge on Suless. The author wrote the characters beautifully that made you want to learn more about them.

Similarly, even the writing style is in line with the previous books, where we get commentary as footnotes from the background characters. There are also some major twists that I did not anticipate, especially towards the end revolving Kihrin. That’s all I’ll mention about it, but it completely shocked me. From dragons and krakens, to ghosts and demons, this book has everything! The series is my perfect definition of epic fantasy entertainment.

Overall, “The House of Always” was a satisfying continuation of “A Chorus of Dragons” series, and I cannot wait for the next installment.

This series keeps getting better with every book. Jenn Lyons' writing style and huge worldbuilding were really fun to read. Every book definitely adds another layer to the story. Jenn Lyons created an amazing world and characters. I love Kihrin's humorous tone in this series too. It always makes me chuckle. It was so good to be back with this world. I can't wait to read the next and final installment. I highly recommended this series to anyone who loves fantasy and big books. Thank you for this arc.

There is a little description floating around the internet that perfectly describes a Jenn Lyons ‘A Chorus of Dragons’ novel, a “cat squasher”. While we in no way want to see our feline friends hurt, it’s actually pretty apt. Each book is well over 500 pages, and if you’ll excuse me a moment....the first three are close to three kilos when stacked up on the bathroom scales. Don’t drop them on cats!
Not only are they weighty in size, they are hella weighty in substance (bigger on the inside if you will). When trying to describe exactly how a Jenn Lyons book is structured I often come off looking like a madman. “See, there’s this guy, and a shapeshifting murderous creature, and they’re both telling the story in dual timelines only it’s being magically recorded and transcribed and then someone is leaving sarcastic little footnotes on the magical manuscript. What? Oh no, that’s only book one, in book two...”
However, by the time a reader comes to ‘The House of Always’ they know what they’re in for. They are messy in the best way. Nothing is straight forward, and that’s just starting with the narration and timelines!
By the end of the third book, things were quite disastrous, and it was a long, long wait to see how the aftermath of the Ritual of Night was going to work out. Without spoilers, it’s.....a LOT.
Best part? The characters. The Four prophesied “sons” are only the beginning. There are gods, dragons, warriors, magicians, lords, slaves, priests, lords who were slaves, emperors who were magicians, humans that became dragons, dragons who walk as humans, and a demon at the heart of everything. Plus everyone is queer. While I may not actually want to live in the world Lyons has written, I sure do like her representation. Three central characters have decided to forgo the dreaded love triangle and a tangle of pasts and feelings and just be a delightfully messy poly trio. Characters can change their physical gender by petitioning the gods and live their lives just as they’re meant to. It’s simply lovely.
On the downside, these books aren’t really something that you can just visit. One needs a lot of attention, and perhaps a really good family tree. One that includes the body swapping and reincarnated souls. I had to do a reread before I could begin House of Always which was a bit time consuming, but definitely worth it.
So..not for the neophyte, but for a lover of clever, detailed, high fantasy, Jenn Lyons is it. If you could follow every twist and turn in ASOIAF, or read every appendix in Lord of the Rings and need something new, A Chorus of Dragons is it. If you need a workout, just try lifting these babies!
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5