A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – Review

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

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 cleaved in two.

 

My thoughts:

No words. There are no words to describe my feelings right now. This book has left my heart cracked open and me utterly breathless. I saw a picture on Pinterest that said ACOMAF should have been titled “A Court of Pains and Feels” and that is the absolute truth.

I think into a year-long depression until the next one…

**WARNING** I do not know how to write this without MINOR spoilers. I’ll try to keep it vague and most definitely won’t spoil the ending! But still…beware.

There are so many layers to this book, like it is unbelievable. It is like an emotional roller-coaster. My feelings followed in suit with Feyre’s. At first I was definitely Team Tamlin, but then I abandoned ship (hehe, see what I did there!) and realized I wanted my own Rhysand. (And no, this is NOT a love triangle. I applauded Feyre and feel a certain kinship with her because once she is done, she is done!)

So you start off right where you left off in ACOTAR. Happy Tamlin, Lucien, and Feyre. But Feyre is fae now. She went through so much Under the Mountain. She went from human to immortal. Feyre is a completely different person. I know Tamlin thinks he loves her, but love is blind. He doesn’t see what she did Under the Mountain. What she endure, suffered through, conquered. And now he is trying to “protect” her. My opinions are very strong on this matter. He should protect her by learning to harness her powers. By learning to protect herself should any threat arise…because didn’t he learn the first time that someone can come in and ransack that pretty little house of his and steal everything. But tisk, tisk, Tamlin. You failed.

Now, I am not saying that at the beginning I loved Rhysand. I did not. I still thought of him as the evil, conniving beast that wanted to make Tamlin suffer. BUT, he did not lock Feyre away. He did not make her do anything. Honestly, he saved her from getting married when she was asking for anyone to help her. He taught her to read. He encouraged training to learn how to maneuver her new fae body and powers. He seemed like he wanted what was best for her. He let her meet his friends before she decided to work with him. That is a more than what we can say about Tamlin, forcing her to be a pretty little wife when she has proven herself a warrior. Tamlin was a toxic relationship and I applaud SJM for showing girls that no matter what happens, if something is wrong, get out! There is something better for you.

The thing that gets me the most is that RHYSAND fought for her. RYHSAND tried to kill Amarantha while Tamlin just kneeled and begged. That right there should have been a clue, but I was too distracted to notice. I mean I did question why he wanted her alive, but I never thought much further than that.

Sooo….when this book started, I did not know where this was going. I did not think about the king and Julians missing pieces. Then once I found out about the plotting war and that it didn’t end with Amarantha, I realized where this was going and I hoped Feyre to be as much of a badass as Celaena. And boy, was she. Such a fire coming out of one girl. And, as SJM does so well, she was real. She made mistakes. Said things she didn’t mean out of emotion. Forgot she even had powers to use because of pure panic. She was flawed. All of her characters where flawed.

“To the stars that listen and the dreams that are answered”

There is so much angst and dancing around feelings in this book, it was driving me crazy. But then…once everything was out in the open…PRAISE!!! I couldn’t stand the happiness. And I almost couldn’t take the truth of how so much of the first book was not what I thought it was. It just stunned me. I could literally feel my heart swelling with joy.

And I am so thankful that she did not leave us hanging and taking the ending at face value. Those last two chapters were like a breath let out that I had been holding throughout the two before it. And HOLY CRAP!…I don’t know what else to say!

One thing I do feel like I should note are the R-rated scenes. Yes, this is a mature novel. There are inappropriate scenes for younger crowds. If this were a movie, it would be rated R for sexual scenes. If you don’t like it, then don’t read it. It is SJM’s book and she can write it however she wants. Personally, I liked it because it didn’t feel like a Juvenile book. I like YA, I do. But being in my mid-20s, sometimes they feel so young for me. I liked that they were written for an adult who likes YA. This has actually moved me into thinking I might try some things actually labeled as NA. I don’t understand books that have violence and grotesque killing scenes and people dying, but the “passionate romance” falls flat, except some heavy kissing. Make it real. Maas is not for everyone. And I applaud her for writing what she wants and not bending over to what others think or say.

And on a side note…I love the dress she wears to the Court of Nightmares. It is not by any means something I would wear, but I love it. It just says power that Feyre put it on, walked into the court and owned it. BAM!

Sarah J Maas is freaking brilliant. Like how does someone create something that can break you and make you whole all at the same time?! Every piece of this story is so well crafted and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

I do not want to read anything else right now. Everything else will fall short and that isn’t fair to those books. I definitely see myself re-reading both ACOTAR books by the end of the year! And again before ACOTAR3!