A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas - MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Rating: 10 out of 5 stars (I can do that, right?)
Synopsis: 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.
Review: Okay, so I normally don't review the second book in a series, but today I'm making an exception. I've just finished my second read of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas, which is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy and it was absolutely fantastic. This is going to be an incredibly spoiler heavy discussion of this book so, if you haven't read either A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) or A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF) yet, then go and do that because they are absolutely amazing books. Go and read them and then come back and discuss with me! I have done a review of ACOTAR on this blog so if you're unsure about picking it up, I'll link my review
here if you want to check it out. One more note before I move on to the discussion, ACOTAR is a YA book
but ACOMAF is definitely in the New Adult territory as it does contain a few sex scenes, so bare that in mind if you are a bit younger, you might want to bookmark this series for a little while before starting it. Okay, so all those people who haven't read the book, this is your final warning. The rest of this article contains major spoilers so, go read the books and come back to discuss....
WARNING. THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD...
You guys. This book was incredible. I loved ACOTAR, it was one of my favourite books of last year but I really had no idea what was going to happen in book 2. Sarah has completely surpassed any expectations I may have had about book 2 and it is so much better than ACOTAR. The world building and character development was phenomenal and I flew through it the first time I read it. I want to start with a confession. If you read my ACOTAR review, you may remember me not being thrilled about the possibility of Rhysand and Feyre being mates. At the time, I was firmly on the Feylin ship and thought they would be endgame after everything that had happened in book 1. I am now willing to admit that I was wrong. So, so wrong and I can't actually believe I didn't want Feyre and Rhys to be together. I think my main problem was that I didn't know much about Rhys in book 1, and what I did know, wasn't very nice. Sarah rectified that problem so well in this book. We got so many details about Rhys' time Under the Mountain, and his life before that and I just fell in love with him. I mean, it also helped that Tamlin was a jerk of the highest order but, hey. My point is, my issue from book 1 was solved.
Lets talk about the two guys for a minute, shall we? Tamlin, in book 1 was sweet and I loved the way he took care of Feyre. In book 2, that protective nature just went into overdrive. I'll admit, when I first read this book, I was a little confused about the direction Tamlin's character takes but, when you think back to ACOTAR, actually, a lot of the behaviour Tamlin displays in that book is about claiming power and order within his court, it was just a little more subtle because Feyre didn't pick up on it. She saw it as being loving and protective. With the return of his power, this protective nature just destroys his relationship with Feyre. He leaves her alone and takes her choices away. Tamlin is very traditional and so the gender roles in his court are very obvious. He is the High Lord and Feyre will be his wife. Her job is to look pretty and bear children. To me, this completely undermines the sacrifices that Feyre made for him Under the Mountain. He can't see that his actions (or in actions, depending on how you look at things) are actually killing the woman he loves. He uses her for sex and pleasure but, what she needs is completely overlooked by Tamlin. He knows best.
I think that's why I fell in love with Rhys in this book. He looks after Feyre, but he gives her choices. He saves her in so many ways, by teaching her to read and to block her mind and, when she leaves the Spring Court for good, he starts to physically train her and her new magic, which is something Feyre has been desperate to do, but Tamlin wouldn't let her. He makes sure she eats and helps her through her nightmares and is just there for her. Simple, little things that Tamlin doesn't do. Feyre deserves to be with someone like Rhys and vice versa and I apologise for dismissing the potential for this relationship in book 1. I was a fool.
I really liked how Sarah dealt with PTSD. We obviously go through the book in Feyre's POV so we see more of her PTSD, but I did like the glimpses we saw of Rhys' nightmares and trauma, and we also get a few glimpses at Tamlin's PTSD and even Lucien to some extent. The book opens with Feyre feeling so guilty for what she did Under the Mountain. She has horrific nightmares that make her throw up after and Tamlin simply sleeps through them. He leaves her there to sort through her problems by herself and, when she tries to help him with his own nightmares, just shakes her off. She's disinterested in everything - she doesn't paint anymore because she can't see the colours and the pictures anymore and, even with planning her wedding, she can't dredge up any emotion. Rhys, obviously, picks up on this immediately when he crashes her wedding, his arrival stopping Feyre's panic attack. And when you realise that Rhys has known Feyre was his mate for a long time, you can start to understand how much it killed him to see her like that. When Tamlin locks her in the house I could have killed him. He knew that she had been kept locked up in a cell for three months and yet he honestly thought locking her in the house was a good idea? I love how gentle Rhys is with her after that, knowing that he shouldn't push her. But he still takes her with him when she asks him to. He lets her come and that means the world to her. He understands what it's like to have your choices taken away from you, and, for someone as headstrong and stubborn as Feyre, not having the freedom she desires will kill her.
My heart ached for Rhys when he was shot out of the sky. He used his powers to protect Feyre; to throw her far from the battle and let them take him. This was where Feyre came into her own for me. As soon as she landed, she went back for Rhys. There was no waiting around, wondering what to do, she just did it. She used the powers and survival instincts that she has and went back for Rhys. And she was a complete bad ass while she did it. All those training sessions with Cassian paid off! The fact that she winnowed them to safety, that she distracted Rhys with the story of how she painted her cottage with the few paints Elain had brought her, that she stayed up all night watching over Rhys to make sure he was breathing. It made my heart ache for them both because you could feel how worried Feyre was for Rhys. He's the most powerful High Lord in Prythian and he could have died if she hadn't found the Suriel. On another note, I think the Suriel really likes Feyre. She makes catching it seem really easy, yet Rhys hasn't been able to do it. Is the Suriel following Feyre around just in case she needs help?
I want to talk specifically about the mate bond just for a minute. I love how Rhys dreamed of Feyre for three years before he even met her, and that she gave him hope during those long nights with Amarantha. I loved that her drawer was the night sky because of him, because of the image he sent back. It's such a small moment in reality but I thought it was really sweet.
Feyre's reaction to the mate bond was the only thing that annoyed me a little bit about her character. She knows how sick she was when she left Tamlin and she's told Rhys that she won't leave him, that nothing he can do could make her leave. And then she does just that. This had the possibility to go completely awry and make me hate Feyre's character but Sarah didn't let it. Actually, I ended up kind of liking Feyre for how she handled the surprise. Yes she got mad and left Rhys in the mud and didn't give him a chance to explain, but he had promised her no secrets. Instead of saying things she didn't mean, or would later regret though, like so many YA heroines do, Feyre removed herself from the situation. She took a step back and went away so that she could think things through alone, without any distractions. And, by that first night really, she knew she was wrong. She also used that time to heal some more. She took that time for herself in a way that she hadn't had chance to do throughout the book and she painted again. She got to a place where that hole inside of her was ready to be filled again and, when Rhys finally showed up, she was ready to hear him out and fully accept the mate bond. A scene which could have changed my perception of Feyre was handled expertly and is one of my favourite moments in the book.
One of my other favourite moments in the book, and I'm pretty sure it's shared by a lot of people, is Starfall. This is a holiday celebrated only in the Night Court and sounds amazing. I think it goes without saying at this point that the Night Court is my favourite of all the courts. Velaris sounds amazing (and is so worth keeping a secret from all the other courts) and even the Court of Nightmares is a really interesting place if only for the fact that
that's the court everyone else sees. It deters people from looking too closely at the Night Court and lets everyone live in relative peace. Starfall sounds beautiful. Migrating spirits look like fallen stars and I love the fact that it only happens in the Night Court. That only a few people ever get to see it happen. This scene is where you can truly see the bond start to form. I loved the moment when they both got hit in the face with a spirit - it's one of the few moments that you actually see both Feyre and Rhys relax completely.
The Court of Nightmares scene was also amazing. I loved that we got to see the contrast between the Court of Dreams and the Court of Nightmares and the persona that Rhys (and Feyre) adopt when they go there. That whole scene is really interesting to read and you can't help but feel smug about Rhys and Mor lording it over Mor's father in such an obvious way.
Rhys' Inner Circle. I love them. I love them all so much. Their dynamics were amazing and brought so much to the story. I loved Mor from the very first time we heard her speak.
"That went well." Her backstory (as with all of the Inner Circle) is heart breaking, but the fact that she is so relaxed, that she doesn't treat Rhys like a High Lord, just her cousin, her family, is so nice to see, especially after Lucien and Tamlin's relationship break down in the Spring Court. Mor understanding Feyre as well, and being such a good friend to her is also really nice to see. I loved when she made Feyre add her eyes to Amren's in the cabin so they could both watch over the guys when they snuck away there. And then made her add the others eyes so Feyre knew they were watching her too. Mor sees Feyre as family too and I just love that. Azriel is an intriguing character because he's so secretive. I guess that's why he's such a good spy! Mor and Azriel need to get together ASAP because the tension there is driving me crazy. Cassian just makes me laugh. Him insulting Rhys from the porch of the town house in Velaris and his antagonistic relationship with Nesta is just brilliant and I love him to pieces. He's also there for Feyre when she breaks down and lets her work out her frustrations on him, even though she could have hurt him. He's a good friend to all of the Circle. Amren scares me. Seriously, she's terrifying but, I'm also dying to know what she is. I love how fierce she is and how protective she is of the family she's found. I also love that she uses the blood ruby that Tarquin sent as a paperweight. That was just pure genius. These people are the family that Feyre has always wanted. Oh, and the fact that Rhys has made Amren and Mor his Second and Third in command just warms my heart.
Rhys and Feyre's notes to each other were a thing of beauty. You know I love a good sarcastic couple and these two took it to a whole new level. I laughed so hard when I read those notes because most of them were designed just to annoy the other person. Rhys teaching Feyre to read as well was amazing. You just knew the sentences she had to copy were coming because they would have really wound her up. They were just so...Rhys. Yet doing this gave Feyre a way to survive in the Spring Court, it gave her a way to occupy her days by practising in the library.
I did like that we revisited Elain and Nesta in this book, though Nesta is still as prickly as ever. This did irritate me slightly because we kind of turned a corner with Feyre and Nesta in ACOTAR and yet, in this book we kind of reverted back to that initial relationship. I do understand why this happened, she's scared of the fey, in the same way that Feyre was when Tamlin first took her to the Spring Court. But she's still your sister, fey or not. I did like the fact that Elain acknowledged that they had let Feyre down by leaving her to keep them alive when the money ran out. I do also love the fact that Elain and Lucien are mates. With her love of flowers and gardening, Elain is literally made for the Spring Court so I hope she accepts the bond with him.
Speaking of Lucien I want to talk about him for a minute. The hate that he's got from people over how he behaved in the book is really annoying. I loved Lucien in ACOTAR - he had the same attitude as Cassian. Very sarcastic and funny but, he does come to consider Feyre a friend. Here's what you have to remember. Lucien was Under the Mountain too. He was whipped by his best friend for helping Feyre in the first trial. He almost died in the second trial because Feyre couldn't read the riddle, let alone the answers underneath. He wants to help Feyre in the Spring Court - he does keep bringing the subject up with Tamlin, trying to get him to let Feyre train. Feyre wasn't the only one abused by Tamlin, Lucien was as well. He's scared and he's caught in a catch-22. He did all he could to help Feyre without Tamlin turning on him as well. He doesn't deserve the hate that he's getting.
Ianthe on the other hand, does deserve the hate. I'll admit, I was suckered in when I first saw Ianthe. Feyre finally has a friend she can talk to, who can talk her through planning her wedding. She has Alis, but she's usually busy in the kitchens so it's nice Feyre has someone to talk to. That was up until the wedding. When Feyre walked down the aisle to see red rose petals on the ground. Red Rose Petals. The
one colour, the
one detail that Feyre specified not to be at the wedding, and Ianthe ignores her. That was the moment I saw Ianthe for the witch she truly is.
The human queens as well. Apart from the one queen who decided to try and help Feyre and Rhys, and who died horribly for her actions, those other queens were terrible. The way they played Feyre and Rhys and got them to reveal the secret that Rhys has done everything to keep, to then sell them out to the King of Hybern. That Cauldron better not work right on them, I swear. They deserve everything that's coming to them.
Those final chapters with the King of Hybern and Jurian and Tamlin and Lucien were excruciating. Azriel was shot with a poisoned arrow like the ones that almost killed Rhys, Cassian's wings were pretty much destroyed when he tried to protect his fallen brother and Feyre's sisters were turned into Fae. I was so worried, and I still am worried about the group. Cassian better keep his wings. I honestly thought one of the sisters was going to die and I'm so glad they didn't. I loved how Nesta went down fighting at the end. It was so...Nesta.
The attack on Velaris was another chapter that I loved because we got to see how Feyre has grown over the course of the book. She doesn't hesitate to fight for the people of the Night Court - it's
her court now as well and she'll do anything she can to protect it. I adored the scene where Feyre killed the Attor. It all came about full circle and it seemed right that Feyre was the person who killed it. The fact that Feyre shut Rhys out while she did what she had to do
and he wasn't mad at her for it was so refreshing. Normally in YA, the guy gets mad at the girl when she does something dangerous. Instead, Rhys was proud of her. We need more of that in YA.
I want to end this incredibly long and spoilery discussion and just talk about that final moment when the bond was broken. This. Was. Gut. Wrenching. It was so hard to read that scene because I hated the idea of that bond disappearing. I was so relieved to find out that only the bargain bond had broken and the twist that had been thrown in. Feyre being the High Lady of the Night Court just made everything so much better, especially because Tamlin had told her there was no such thing as a High Lady. We also get a chapter in Rhys' POV which I love and makes me think the next book will be in dual POV. Tamlin has absolutely no idea what he's done and I can't wait for the next book to come out.
If you've made it to the end of this review, congratulations. I absolutely adored this book and it's left me with a pile of books (The Raven King and Lady Midnight to name two) that are demanding to be read but I can't because I cannot stop re-reading this book! Let me know what you're favourite moments were in ACOMAF and any predictions you might have.
Image from Goodreads - no Copyright Intended
