A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: YA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book):
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world torn apart.
MY OPINION: ******
It's been a while since I've rated a book five-stars, let alone six. And to be completely honest, I can't remember ever having rated a fantasy novel six stars before, though I could be wrong.
For those of you who know me and have been following my reviews for a while (thank you btw), you would know that I am not the biggest fan of fantasy novels. Contemporary/realistic fiction have always been my favorite, and still are, and fantasy is somewhere down there on my list of favorite genres. However, this book. I can't find the words to describe how phenomenal and completely and utterly amazing it was.
Although Maas is more renowned for her
Throne of Glass series, ToG was never my favorite and I ended up abandoning the series, though I may try to finish it sometime in the future. However, the
A Court of Thorns and Roses series is honestly my new favorite fantasy novels.
It's said that a sequel is never better than the original, but let me just tell you, Maas proved everybody wrong. This second book was ten times better than the first, which was already fairly good in the first place.
#1. RHYSAND. Okay, so in the first book, the main love interest and male protagonist was Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court. Feyre and Tamlin had a very graphic and passionate relationship, and I must admit that I did ship them in the first book. However, in this book, I have never disliked Tamlin more and suddenly, RHYSAND became my new favorite mans to have ever graced the fictional world. Even his name is the most gorgeous thing ever. In the first book, I loved Rhys but didn't really know what to expect of him. While Feyre and Tamlin's relationship was mainly fueled by lust and the fact that Feyre was alone in this new world, Rhys and Feyre are the most beautiful, authentic, and powerful couple that Maas has ever written of before imo.
You just can't help but love Rhysand. He's not only completely handsome, but also kind and fierce and strong and determined to protect Feyre to no end.
#2. Tamlin was such a cruel person I can't even. He was completely unjustified in his actions and his excuses were faulty and downright disgusting. Not only was he possessive, overbearing, and overprotective, but he was also guilty of
objectifying women. Now, as a female living in a predominantly male-controlled world, I couldn't find any excuse for Tamlin. He treated her as if she was an object to be traded and bought and he didn't seem to care about her feelings, her thoughts, or anything about Feyre at all. It truly disgusted me to read about how he basically sold his court to the antagonist of the novel all to
get Feyre back despite the fact that she left him. She didn't want to be with him, but of course it must have been a trick or something that she didn't want to stay with the chauvinist and overbearing male in her life.
I guess in the first book, I was as stupid as Feyre and was blinded by the lust and "love" of their relationship to see the true person that Tamlin was. Many say that his character was unbelievable in a bad way in this book, but I now understand it to be present the whole time if you were careful enough to look.
#3. Feyre. I am so proud of her character development, both from the first book to this one, and the beginning of this one to the end. In ACOTAR, she's a broken, frightened, confused girl who's transported to a land against her will and is forced to adapt to the land of the Fae, the people who she's been brought up to hate. Because of this, she is fooled by her attraction to the golden prince and his beautiful castle to see the true personality of Tamlin. However, in this book, she's strong and brave and determined, not only because of her magic but because she has embraced who she is and has grown stronger because of it.
#4. Chemistry. Rhys and Feyre's relationship is so slow, gradual, and full of tension that it leaves you dying for more, and that's what I truly loved about it. Whereas Feyre and Tamlin went straight to the bedroom and didn't leave any time for us to decide how we felt about the cunning and gorgeous Rhysand of the Night Court. If you love a slow burn, this is truly one of the best. Also, the fact that Rhys treats her with so much respect makes me happier than anything and I truly appreciated the fact that he was nothing like Tamlin and gave her the freedom and independence that she deserved.
#5. I like Lucien. I don't care what anyone says; it's not his fault that his duty is to his master.
#6. The ending made me cry.
#7. spoiler spoiler spoiler
The fact that Rhys and Feyre were mates made it that much more powerful and I found myself falling in love with the true chemistry of their relationship. When they finally got together and Rhys got to tell his story, I must have reread it at least three times. I love their relationship so much.
#8. Azriel and Mor are one of the best couples I have ever seen. The girl needs to open her eyes.
#9. I love Cassian and Amren. Not together, obviously, just in general.
#10. Although the book is long, it is well beyond worth it.
#11. Although I am not a true fantasy fan, I even found everything not concerning the romance to be interesting and on-the-edge-of-your-seat-entertaining.
warning: the book is fairly graphic
I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a fantasy romance with a strong female protagonist, a beautiful and passionate relationship, and strong friendships that withstand the evils of discrimination, war, and everything in between.
Main Character: Feyre
Sidekick(s): Rhys, Mor, Amren, Cassian, Azriel, Lucien, etc
Villain(s): Hybern, Tamlin, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book featured an unreal setting, unreal characters, and unreal themes.
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