Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Book: A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J. Mass

Series: A Court of Thorn and Roses #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s

Release Date: May 3^rd, 2016

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.With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

It took me unforgivably long to read this book, but I’ve done it. I finished this beauty and now my heart is in pain. How do I write a review of A Court of Mist and Fury? How do I condense my love for Rhysand, Feyre, and this world, this story, into a review that isn’t too long and rambly? It’s quite impossible, I assure you. But I’ll try my best. Also, note that spoilers will be highlighted, if you haven't read this yet!

You know the way some books have that second book slump? It’s still good, but it doesn’t have that spark, that amazing quality, that the first book had? This is not the case with ACOMAF. Oh no. Where ACOTAR had a slump in the middle, and had a very slow beginning with an action-packed middle and end, ACOMAF is all action. We learn so much about the world of the fey, and the characters. We meet new characters that you fall in love with instantly, we get amazing character development from Feyre, and we see her try and mend her broken soul after her time spent Under the Mountain. So much of what I thought would happen didn’t happen at all! I was gasping in shock, I was crying out in pain, and I COULDN’T STOP READING. It was that good.

The start of the book sees Feyre back at the Spring Court, about to be married to Tamlin. However, neither has recovered fully from the events from Under the Mountain. Although the phrase is never uttered, both are suffering some serious PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome) as a result of the pain they endured by Amarantha. And Tamlin’s only solution is to pretend that everything is fine and to ignore the nightmares Feyre suffers nightly, and overprotect her at all costs. You can tell immediately that this is making Feyre suffer even more, and my heart broke for her. I didn’t know how to cure her, but I wanted to give her the biggest hug and help her as much as I could.

This is a book about healing.  Renewal. Accepting change and adapting to it. Using what you have and making the best of it. Change will not always be easy, and we see it in this book, but we also see our characters come out better and stronger because of it.

SPOILER: For those that were hardcore Tamlin shippers:

I’m sorry. There’s a big development in his and Feyre’s relationship which I wasn’t sure about at first. I thought that after spending the entire first book devoted to the epic love between Tamlin and Feyre, that that was the end goal. But after reading this, you can see that while Feyre does care about Tamlin, they’re truly not right for each other. Instead of attempting to heal together, he pushed her away to keep her safe, as that was the best way he knew how to deal with their broken souls. It broke my heart, as I’d loved them together in ACOTAR, but you can see how Tamlin was breaking Feyre even more during the first part of the book.

Feyre’s true mate challenges her in the best way, and doesn’t keep her locked away. He treats her as his equal, not as a lowly female. And THAT was what helped Feyre heal. That was what allowed her to see the light at the end of her tunnel of demons she had to fight.

Feyre has changed completely since ACOTAR. She’s not the frail little human who needs protecting at all times. She is a High Fae, with powers from all seven Courts at her disposal. She develops so much over the course of this book. And it was probably one of the most realistic portrayals of characters development I’ve ever read about. And even as she matures, and learns to deal with everything, and make important yet difficult decisions, she never seems out of character. Everything she does is still very Feyre.

“I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal.
I was a survivor, and I was strong.
I would not be weak, or helpless again
I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.” 

And now we get onto my little baby Rhysand. I’ll admit; I hated him in ACOTAR. He was such a prick (see what I did there??) and only seemed to wreck Feyre and Tamlin’s love. But we see a completely different side to him in this book. When Feyre has to go visit him once a week due to their bargain, and they spend more and more time together, we see that the arrogant ass is just a front he puts on, and that underneath Rhys is an incredibly selfless, kind Fey. He sacrificed so much for the safety of his people, and we know that he would do it all again and more to keep them safe. Does that sound like the arrogant prick we met in ACOTAR? His and Feyre’s relationship develops SOOO MUCH, and in the absolute best way possible. It is full of feels, and sighs, and just plain awesomeness. That is all I'm going to say, because it is so much better experienced first-hand than through the words of a review. What I think was the best part of their relationship however, was the fact that in every single act, or decision that had to be made; Rhys always gave Feyre a choice. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just that action alone makes all the difference when recovering, especially someone as broken as Feyre was.

“He thinks he'll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key.”

“Oh?”

“He was the one who let me out.” 

We also meet many new characters at the Night Court who are all given a rich history and background. You fall for them just as much as Feyre and Rhysand. Her sisters also make a return, and I have a feeling they’ll have a much bigger role in the third book after certain events that happened.

ACOMAF is everything you want in a sequel and so much more. There are twists and turns at every page, and there’s never a slump and it’s never boring. Sarah J Maas has proved once again why she’s the queen of high fantasy with this book.

 “No one was my master— but I might be master of everything, if I wished. If I dared.”