A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date Published: May 2, 2017

Date Read: May 15, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 699

 

This book will seriously give you the worst book hangover in the history of all book hangovers. The moment I’ve put it down I immediately wanted to reread the whole series. I’m gonna miss everyone, I’m gonna miss the adventure, the banters, the magical world, the romance, the heart-stopping scenes, the way I held my breath. Oh Cauldron, I will miss every bit of this series. Especially Cassian.

So I would have to apologize in advance if this review will come out incoherent. I just couldn’t fully grasp what went down with the final book of Rhysand and Feyre’s story, but I am happy that there would be three novels set in this world, more of Cassian please.

Also because I was dilly-dallying in writing this review, (seriously Eunice, it has been two weeks, what is wrong with you?) I’ve perused Tumblr, oh yes that magical world where everything is so beautiful but also is a dark place full of spoilers so be warned. So as I was wasting my precious time there, I stumbled upon a post where it says “A Court of Thorns and Roses is the longest prologue since everything starts at A Court of Mist and Fury” and I couldn’t help but agree 100% haha. You have to give it to Sarah J. Maas to turn a prologue into a full blown book, haha but seriously though, that is the most real short description of this series I came across with. This series had me hooked like crazy, and it has been a long time since that happened and for that I am eternally grateful.

I mentioned in my review of A Court of Mist and Fury  that I could not even begin to fathom what would book three be like since ACOMAF totally outdid A Court of Thorns and Roses  and now book three – A Court of Wings and Ruin. And boy did I like it? I LOVE IT! It was way better than ACOMAF. Some may disagree with me since most of the people I know really loved ACOMAF more than ACOWAR, but I tell you ACOWAR totally did a great job concluding the story of Rhysand and Feyre. There were loose ends, yes, but it’s more of about the other characters which I am positive will be given answers to in the next three books to come. So fret not, we will all get the answers and elaborate stories we need to tie everything up into a nice satin black ribbon. Let’s cross all our damn fingers for that.

A Court of Wings and Ruin is very plot driven, so much so that I had hard time processing all the vital information coming my way. I had to take mental notes on who’s who and what happened to this and that and all that crazy back pedaling on what transpired from the first two books that correlated with what was happening with book three. This is what I get for not re-reading ACOTAR and ACOMAF, but seriously ain’t nobody got time for that. So I relied mostly on my review of the the first two books, read summaries online (which did little help to be honest), and asked friends to refresh my memory, hello Cath of To All The Books I’ve Read Before. And so I dived in. At first I was confused as hell, happens to the best of us I suppose, but here’s what I commend about ACOWAR – it was able to guide the reader into easing their way in to the book. What I’m trying to say is, it was helping out the readers to fully remember what had happened in the previous books while injecting new information in a smooth and flawless manner. It’s like you just picked up where you left off.

I cannot say much about what went down with this one since I don’t want to spoil anyone. But what I can say is kudos to SJM for writing about characters of color and painting them in the best light possible and for injecting LGBTQ theme, my heart is happy. See this guys, authors actually listen to their readers. Authors learn too. This is such a beautiful thing and I hope this continues on. So now back to the story, ACOWAR had those heart-stopping scenes, and I wish I could name a few of my favorites but again that would be spoiling you guys. But note this, Cassian and Azriel, both are more bad-ass than ever! Like seriously I could marry Cassian right now. This book was complex yet very easy to follow, if that even makes sense. There were intricacies but also they were presented in a digestible manner. Not too overwhelming and not lackluster either, it was just right and perfect. There are parts that I savored longer than necessary and there are parts that broke my heart. It was a perfect mixture of everything exciting and heartbreaking yet you wouldn’t have it any other way. Can we get the next three books now? Nope? Please release us of this agony.

The characters were also distinct from one another. You will definitely love how they have developed. We have Nesta (whom I was annoyed most of the time) who was feisty and snob haha, we have Elain whom I feared was crazy but also proved to be an important character towards the end. Also let’s not ignore the #NightCourtSquad, starting off with Cassian, my love, ahhhh Cassian is so swoon-worthy! Im pretty positive Im gonna name my kid after him. That’s how obsessed I was with his character. He took bad-assery to whole new level. Azriel on the other hand is also quite the character. Azriel and Mor’s story is just, I can’t form a coherent sentence, they make my heart hurt but also made me understand. God I wish I could say why, but again that would be a spoiler. Also Amren! Amren is also such a kick-ass character. I loved her participation towards the end, I swear every character in this book played a crucial role in the development of the story. Then of course we have Feyre, our cursebreaker, our High Lady of the Night Court. I know I made mention that I was annoyed by her character in ACOMAF, well in ACOWAR that seemed to change. Well she still isn’t a favorite but her character here is so clever and cunning that I have no choice but to like her. There certainly was a shift in her character in ACOWAR. It was more put-together. Then we have Rhysand, while he isn’t also a favorite but I don’t hate his character. I have hated him in ACOTAR but then loved him in ACOMAF, and in ACOWAR he was just all things amazing. What I specifically love about Rhysand’s character was he was always giving Feyre the choice, always putting her decision and want first more than anything. I love that he wasn’t pushy or controlling *ahem Tamlin*, but he was just so good Feyre doesn’t deserve him haha. Rhysand was selfless and a true leader, add the fact that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to Feyre but at the same time always giving Feyre the opportunity to do things on her own or her way – which was nice for a change. And this doesn’t make him any less manly. Sarah J. Maas made sure to point this out in this book, stressed it even, that Rhysand and Feyre are equal. So yass Feminism right there! I loved that Feyre wasn’t portrayed to be a weak damsel in distress, she actually had balls! So kudos to that! I would also like to take the opportunity to tell you guys that you shouldn’t go on hating Tamlin okay, his character was unbearable most of the time but I swear he has a redeeming quality, so watch out for it! Of course I won’t forget Lucien, I remember saying in my review of ACOTAR that I am #TeamLucien but then that changed in ACOMAF, now in ACOWAR let’s just say I wanted more of him but his character fell short. I would love to know more about his back story. God so many things to watch out for.

Can I also mention that I was too afraid about possible deaths here? The anticipation of it killed me, especially during the crucial parts of the war. All I was murmuring was “Kill everyone else, just not my Cassian please.” And why can’t they fucking leave Cassian’s wings alone! I was furious.

This incoherent review has gone on for too long, I’m going to end your suffering now. All I can say is this book was worth losing sleep over! So yes read it!!!

 

“Night Triumphant- and the Stars Eternal.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

Synopsis: A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it… or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Date Published: May 5, 2015

Date Read: May 12, 2015

No. of Pages: 416

Source: National BookStore

 

REVIEW

Highly addictive and gripping until the end.

So okay, I gave in to the hype. With the release of the second book in the series A Court of Mist and Fury I knew I had to read this book sooner rather than later. I know I could not dodge spoilers forever, so what best way to avoid them is to actually know what is happening in the book. So I gladly gave in, and so happy I did. The hype is real guys. I now understand why people go gaga over SJM’s works, she’s a one brilliant writer. This is the very first book I have read by her and it definitely did not disappoint.

So let us begin with the plot. A Court of Thorns and Roses is a beauty and the beast retelling. Definitely something right up my alley. It gave a new flavor to the famous fairy tale, making it its own. I am not saying that it was entirely an original one, there are definitely bits and pieces of the book that I already have encountered in some other novels, but the entirety of it was too gripping you just could easily overlook said parts. I started reading the book without reading the synopsis, all I knew was it was a retelling and I kind of took it from there. Again, the bliss of not knowing a lot of things about it added to my excitement and I easily devoured the book in less than 2 days. (Which was fast enough for me, since I have established the fact that I have the attention span worse that a 2 year old). It was the right mix of fantasy, romance and adventure. I loved the pacing of the book, though it was not heart stopping as I hoped it to be, the pacing was just right. Slow when it needs to be and exciting when it is supposed to. The chapters are divided in a clever way, ending it with enough tease that you have no option but to read the next, that’s how it gripped me. That’s how it was able to hold my attention. I also commend the world building, it was just concise and not too complicated. The backstory was also well played-out, I was not left confused at all. I could follow the storyline with ease. I loved how the different creatures and courts were described, all unique.  And the writing style was really good, Sarah J Maas was born to write fantasy books.

Now let’s go to the characters. Feyre, our female protagonist is the youngest of three sisters who was forced to hunt the woods to put food on their table. She reminded me so much of Katniss Everdeen, with all that bow and arrow and her skills in hunting, the similarity is palpable. It was one of those issues I had, but I mentally put it aside and see where her character will lead me and how will it develop as the story went on. I am not a fan of Feyre, I am laying it out now. There are things that she did that irked me to no end. She was stubborn to a fault, and a little too whiny at times. But then she was also badass, so I have to give her that. Towards the end of the book, her character developed into something I would definitely root for. I have to say she had the best character development in this book. Her stubbornness kind of gave her an advantage, were it not for it there would be no great story to tell.

Next would be Tamlin, oh Tamlin. He is the High Lord of the Spring Court who could shape shift into a beast. He was described as someone with golden hair and green eyes, but he perpetually wears a mask, much like everyone else in Spring Court. It was his curse. You could now see where The Beauty and The Beast retelling comes into play. His character started strong at first, he exudes the confidence, strength and power of a High Lord, but then on the latter part of the book everything changed. His character was close to useless. There was next to nothing character development, I wouldn’t like to say his character became a little lame, but I could not find a better word for it. But I still hoped that he could redeem himself on the next books. Having said this, I still loved his character more than that of Rhysand. Safe to say I am Team Tamlin, but we’ll see if I could change my mind.

Rhysand on the other hand is the High Lord of the Night court. I was not particularly fond of Rhysand, he did a lot of awful things that I just could not simply ignore. There was this instance where the feminist side of me kind of revolted, and I don’t get it why all these nasty things he did was painted in a romantic way. I found it so wrong in so many levels. This was the reason, I didn’t like his character. And yes, he was described, yep, you guessed it right – handsome. Because you know, our female protagonist had to be torn between these High Lords, because a fantasy book is incomplete without a love triangle. UGH. NOT. A book can be as good even without a love triangle, I don’t know why authors have the habit of incorporating this trope into books, why do they have to make it complicated, when it could very well be simple but still as gripping as book should be. So this is the main reason why I didn’t give this book a solid five stars.

If anything, the only character I loved the most was LUCIEN!! That’s it, I am #TEAMLUCIEN. His character was selfless, and witty and just uh-mazing!!!

I was entertained and quite frankly I was over eager to know what will happen next. So it sure did feel like I am a moth to a flame. I need to know more, I demand answers. And see to it that my ship will not sink. I had issues of course, but this won’t stop me from continuing on with the series. I.CAN’T.WAIT!

Rating: 

“Because your human joy fascinates me—the way you experience things, in your life span, so wildly and deeply and all at once, is … entrancing. I’m drawn to it, even when I know I shouldn’t be, even when I try not to be.” 
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses