This is a wonderful new installment in Lyons' fantasy series, advancing the twisting plots and continuing to grow the fascinating characters we have already met.

*eARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A Chorus of Dragons is one of my favorites series, but The House of Always does not dethrone The Memory of Souls as my favorite book.

The House of Always is "written" by Senera, and her note at the beginning of the book is both sad and sweet.

After the world-changing events at the end of The Memory of Souls (4/7 gods dying, Kihrin letting Talon kill him and take his shape so he can fight Vol Karoth, Terindel's death, Teraeth having to kill his mother) you would think that The House of Always would take off running into the consequences of those events. It somewhat does, but not in the way you would expect.

It starts a few weeks after the events at the Well of Spirals, and a random assortment of characters (Janel, Teraeth, and Thurvishar [of course]; also Galen, Sheloran, and Qown, Talea and Xivan [kinda], and Kalindra [yeah, this one shocked me the most. She's been busy since we last saw her leave Thaena's island] are fighting a dragon and a Daughter of Laaka. In the midst of the battle, Senera and Talon show up and whisk them all away to Shadrag Gor, that she has bound Vol Karoth's prison to in an attempt to lend Kihrin moral support (Kihrin is currently playing hide and go seek, pain edition, with Vol Karoth),

While that cast is stuck in the lighthouse, Vol Karoth and Kihrin are fighting with the previously mentioned people's memories, specifically their actions between the end of book 3 and the start of book 4. Kihrin is trying to show Vol Karoth that people can be good, Vol Karoth is trying to prove him wrong. This takes up 90% of the story. Which wouldn't be too bad, except Janel, Teraeth, and Thurvishar, the people we actually care about, quickly join Kihrin, so the story mainly comes from Qown, Galen, Talea, and Kalindra.

A story with the main characters running around Vol Karoth's mind doing nothing and the background characters telling the seemingly pointless story of how they got there is not what I expected. This is a 550+ page book and it just feels like filler. The last 10% is interesting, but not enough happens to justify the beginning and middle of the book being like it is.

Positives: lots of LGBTQ+ representation! In fact, I think only one person trapped in the tower is straight, and even then Kalindra is probably bisexual. Of the others, Senera and Thurvishar are asexual; Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth are a bisexual throuple; and Qown, Galen, Sheloran, Talea, and Xivan are all gay, lesbian or bisexual. And Talon is Talon, so fluid in all things regarding gender, shape, form, sexuality.

The House of Always is the highly anticipated fourth book in The Chorus of Dragons series. It is complex, clever, and heartwarming! As the tale unravels, I found myself marveling at how each well-planned twist and reveal was executed. The group is forced to spill secrets and examine betrayals to try and battle Vol Karoth. They are forced into close proximity and must work together or risk losing everything. Jenn Lyons is a highly creative and talented writer; if you’re new to her work then I highly recommend you start this series.

I devoured The House of Always! Lyons has a gift for prose that makes reading the pages fly by, with excellent dialogue and memorable side characters. I love all of the characters from this series so much!! I particularly loved seeing Kihrin, Janel, and Teraeth together again and seeing how their relationship had grown. The footnotes remain witty and informative; Lyons pulls off this challenging format with ease.

The Chorus of Dragons series has intricate worldbuilding and is a beautifully LGBTQ+ inclusive world. If you love reading epic fantasy with outstanding LGBTQ+ representation and witty writing, then you need to check out this series! I already can’t wait for the next book! The House of Always releases May 11, 2021. Thank you so much to Jenn Lyons, Tor Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

This was seemed very different from the last series I read by JL. However, it was addictive and fun once you can get ost eh character names, they seemed overly complicated at times.

Jenn Lyons is currently writing what must be one of the most surprising and entertaining piece of fantasy out there! Read and discover her if this isn't already done!

4.75 stars

The House of Always is the latest instalment in the Chorus of Dragons of series. Easily one of my most anticipated books of the year and I have to say it did not disappoint!! Initially I was a little hesitant, especially since the first 10% I didn’t really have a clue what was going on (but to be honest if you have made it to book 4 in the series you are probably well equipped to be thrown in haha), but once I figured out the story structure I was completely invested and basically threw out all my weekend plans just to read this, it’s not a short book by any means and I read it in less than 48 hours. I’m currently just existing in a fugue state in the absence of this book.

This is a much more character focused book compared to the others in the series, and one thing I really loved was getting to know some of the side characters better, although I would have liked more Kihrin/Janel/Tereath I think the series would get stagnant if we focused on them all the time – having said that though the scenes we do get with them are perfection. At the start of the book we are thrust into a battle between several of the characters and a sea kraken and dragon, when Serena shows up and transports everyone to the magical lighthouse, Shadrag Gor. There they must exchange visions with Kihrin/Vol Karoth who are trapped in Vol Karoth mindscape, in a bid to rescue Kihrin. There are several characters and their arcs are all induvial and beautiful so I’m going to talk about them separately:

Janel/Kihrin/Teraeth – These three are such an iconic trio, and I love in this book how free with their love they are for each other. It’s so refreshing to see a poly relationship in a book with equal dynamics between all three members, and how they all will not accept one of them being left behind. Kihrin at the end of the last book sends himself into Vol Karoth’s mind, without telling Tereath or Janel, which obviously leads to them feeling a little betrayed but as soon as they are reunited they talk it out (healthy communication!!!!! We love to see it!!). Another thing I liked was how early on in the book they were reunited. And the sex scene!!!!!!!! I was promised smut and this book delivered. Also there is a reveal with Janel, which had me screaming – but also now I really really don’t want anything bad to happen in the next book!

Thurvishar/Senera – These two are another pair whom I absolutely adore, their dynamic is just *chef’s kiss* and I love how they show an example of romantic attraction/scholarly rivals while both being asexual. Seeing the message that asexual people are deserving and capable of love and affection was really beautiful. Senera also gets a larger role in this book, she is the one who instigates the whole lighthouse situation, we also see and learn some more about her powers. One chapter (called the easiest to break) we learn more about Serena’s past and this chapter (aptly named) absolutely broke me. Also seeing her realise that Relos Var is not the hero she thought he was and switch sides to help our protagonists was really interesting and very subtly done. It does help that I will always simp for powerful female semi-villainous characters with how much I love her haha.

Talea/Xivan – Talea and Xivan both have very interesting journeys in this book, a lot of it tied up in their pasts and events from prior books. I love seeing a wlw couple, even if they do spend part of the book trying to kill each other lol. The direction both their characters are going in is incredibly interesting and adds a very interesting twist to what we think we know about the lore of the world.

Qown/Galen/Sheloran - One really pleasant surprise for me in this book (and possibly my favourite part of the book!) was Galen and Sheloran’s storyline. I am obviously a sucker for cinnamon roles who are also not afraid to fuck you up and these two fit the bill perfectly. I love the wlw mlm solidarity, and their marriage was so cute, how supportive they were of each other and respectful of each other’s preferences. I also really loved the potential budding romance between Qown and Galen, Galen’s flirty banter and Qown getting all flustered was so adorable and reminded me a lot of Khirin and Teraeth in book 1. Also Qown dealing with a lot of his internalised homophobia was so emotional and impactful, a lot of resonated with me, suppressing parts of yourself in order to fit in better with a harsh society, as well as just wanting to be invisible. I don’t know if I was reading too much into it but some of the things lead me to believe Qown might have an eating disorder, and sometimes uses food to control and surpress other emotions. I liked the idea around your body should be what makes you the most comfortable, no matter what society thinks of it. I also really loved Sheloran and Qown’s friendship, one of their scenes where Sheloran basically calls Qown on all his bullshit about not liking Galen had me SOBBING.
All three of them are also fantastic characters individually; Galen has been through so much, and grown up in a very abusive household but I love how he has not let this break him, how kind and mischievous he is and he is honestly now one of my favourite characters in the series. Sheloran is an absolute icon, I love how she is basically plotting world (or at least quur) domination but for the betterment of society, she is maybe slightly naïve compared to all the other immortal powers at the lighthouse but she comes across as so genuine and the kind of political badass I aspire to be. Qown is also a character who hugely grew on me in this book, I felt kind of ambivalent about him in book 2 but in this book he was just so adorable and his journey was so beautiful and something I think a lot of queer people will resonate with, also people who maybe regret some of their past choices but are being taught to make good choices and to be allowed to make those choices for yourself.

Talon – what can I say about Talon other than I love her lol

Kalindra/Jarith – Kalindra was another really interesting character, having lost her husband she is now driven by the desire to try and resurrect him, and will do anything to get him back. What she doesn’t know is Jarith (her husband) is living on as a demon and “haunting” her. We don’t know her loyalties for a lot of the book, and while her flashbacks were probably my least favourite, towards the end they really did start to grow on me. The scene where she is in Vol Karoth’s mindscape and she is being followed by a massive crowd of all the people she has assassinated telling her how she destroyed their lives was so heart-breaking but also an incredibly powerful scene. I think she embodies the feeling we often get of feeling lost and broken and desperately grappling for anything that will give us hope.

I loved how unapologetically queer this book is. Seriously not a single character is heterosexual. We have 3 bisexual idiots in a poly relationship, a wlw side couple, multiple gay side characters, 2 asexual characters, trans side characters – almost every identity in the book is covered!! It honestly means so much to me that a high fantasy series has this much queer rep and how the series just gets gayer with every book. I think with this book having more of a focus on characters we get to explore and reflect on characters feelings more and this lends itself beautifully to exploring the different complex and nuanced relationships between all the characters.

The set-up of this book is very reminiscent of our current world, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a lot of us to stay trapped indoors and we basically have 13 characters who are all trapped in one place, with some quite big personalities and egos to contend with, who are basically forced to share a lot of hidden secrets about themselves. The sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere really shines through, but also how healing it can sometimes be to take a step back, reflect on your actions and take a break from the world (although we don’t have the threat of a demon-king that wants to destroy the world escaping). The whole idea of the mindscape was really cool, although it was kind of heart-breaking to watch the characters slowly break one by one to end up there.

Another thing I always enjoy with this series is the humorous tone of the book, it’s such a fun reading experience, I love the sassy footnotes, the characters banter and I had a massive grin on my face several times while reading.

While I still think a Memory of Souls is my favourite in the series (I adore the gods getting involved in the humans business storylines), this on definitely comes a close second. Some of my favourite scenes in the entire series are in this book, especially some of the conversations around identity, shame and redemption for your past actions. I do think some of the flashback scenes/visions sometimes dragged a little bit, and I always wanted to get back to current events but it was a good chance to get to know the characters better and then how later actions then make sense.

I do think this book is quite, for lack of a better term, lovey-dovey compared to previous books in the series. The core message and storyline is basically using the power of love and friendship to defeat the bad guy, and proving that there is hope and things worth living for. Some people may find this a little cheesy and honestly it is a little cheesy but I am also an absolute SUCKER for cheese. I just think the unapologetic love is such a nice and comforting message to have in these strange times and a refreshing change from a lot of grim dark fantasy. I also think the way things work out with the ending regarding Kihrin/Vol Karoth sets up the next book perfectly and I absolutely cannot wait for the next instalment!!

In conclusion, a great instalment full of entertaining banter, amazing characters, an intricate plot full of twists and turns and a great message of hope, friendship and redemption! A thoroughly enjoyable ride.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so I last read The Memory of Souls in August of last year. So when I saw that The House of Always was already available on NetGalley... well, it's safe to say that I freaked the freak out. I also dropped basically everything around me to dive into this beautiful book as well. I mean, how could I not after the first three books??

I'm honestly amazing that this entire series has been addicting for me. It's a pretty rare thing because sometimes there's one book that I'm like.. meh, okay. So to say that this hasn't happened to me (yet) with 'A Chorus of Dragons' well let's just say Jenn deserves some snaps.

Besides all of that, each and every character was highly entertaining for me. Plus the amounts of betrayal, romance, and action kept this from being a dud. I couldn't put the book down even if I tried.

The only thing I'm intrigued about right now is the damn epilogue. Does this mean we are getting another book? If so, sign me up! I don't care if it's in this series or in a spin off. I am okay with any new book coming my way.

The House of Always is the fourth book in Jenn Lyons’ A Chorus of Dragons and picks up a few weeks after the previous book left off. Khirin has sacrificed himself in order to stop Vol Koroth and save the world, only to realize he might have bitten off more than he can chew as he and the corrupted God lock into an endless battle.

I’m going to get this out of the way: this very much felt like a transitional book—which makes sense considering it’s the second-to-last. And it definitely seems to be building up to one heck of a finale. But this one felt a little repetitive, especially when it came to the sections that focused on the present time.

Just like in the previous installments, this book is told through a series of flashbacks detailing what Khirin’s friends have been up to between this book and the previous. Unlike the previous books, the present time also had a fairly large focus. In fact, I’d say the past and present had a pretty equal focus here! And, of course, I won’t go into detail, but I think the reason for the flashbacks felt a lot smoother this time around. In previous installments (especially in books one and three), the framing for this seemed a little odd and forced.

Also like the previous book, the flashbacks were shared among multiple characters rather than just two. And they focused on characters that might have seemed minor earlier on in the series. I really enjoyed getting to know them more, and now possibly have a new favorite character!

However, the main reason I read this series is for the main trio: Khirin, Janel, and Teraeth. I love their relationship and how Lyons writes their relationship, and they are no exception here. In fact, this might be my favorite in those terms. They are just so raw and soft and it is so evident here how much they love each other. Their sections were, of course, my favorite.

Speaking of love, however, there was a strong theme of “Power of Friendship” in this book that I felt was a little heavy-handed. Again, can’t really go into detail because of spoilers, but I did sometimes feel like I was reading the script for Yugioh or whatever other corny anime from my childhood had a “Love Conquers All!” motif.

However, I kind of like this series for its corniness and over-all light-hearted tone (even if they actual story isn’t all that light). I often compare this series to a video game like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts, where the plot is kind of ridiculous and hard to follow but the characters are so lovable that you can’t help but push through, anyway. It’s why I love the series despite the many flaws it has.

All-in-all, this was a solid installment. If you’re like me and here for the characters, you won’t be disappointed. There is a lot to love here, and it sets up promising things for the conclusion (which I can’t wait for!). This series is a favorite of mine and The House of Always only added to my joy of it.

I feel so many feels about this book, I'm not even sure I can review it properly. It was that good. From the first chapter, I had to put it down sporadically just to breathe. So good. So very, very good.