In-depth Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Mass

• Author: Sarah J. Maas

• Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

• Sequence: Sequel to A Court of Thornes and Roses

• Pages: 626

• Published: May 3rd, 2016

• Description: None because spoilers…..although there are plenty in my review too.

• Overall Enjoyment: SO GOOD!!

 

 

My Thoughts

 

After leaving a small period of two years to pass since I read A Court of Thornes and Roses, I decided it was time to get on with the series and pick up A Court of Mist and Fury. Surprisingly, it was one of those rare moments where the sequel tops the first installment. ACOMAF was a mesmerising sequel full of adventure, character development and exploration of the world Sarah J. Mass only touched upon in the first book.

*Probably Spoilers Lurching Ahead*

A focal point in this book was Feyre healing from the emotional and physical damage inflicted on her in the end of ACOTAR, and her journey discovering who she is now, as a High Fey. Her resulting depression and PTSD was a big part of her story-line, it was fully  explored and her healing was a big part of her character development; the woman that emerged was nothing like Feyre from the start of ACOTAR, which is great because I didn’t have the best relationship with her then. She becomes more calculative, confident and confident in her moves and powers. Towards the end of this book she had become the kind of strong female character you want to wave a banner for.. Sarah J. Maas took care in showing Feyre’s emotional scarring and baggage from her time Under the Mountain, it showed that after the credits roll and the hero has won, there isn’t necessarily a happy ending for them. Her journey towards healing was slow, had set-backs and missteps which made it all the more realistic, and each time she tested her boundaries or took a stand for herself I felt insanely proud. It is an attribute to the author’s writing on how connected I felt to Feyre and how impacted I was by her journey.

Regarding the Tamlin plot-line, in my mind it progressed naturally towards its unavoidable ending. I didn’t feel their relationship progressed that way because the author wanted to introduce a new love interest since, from what I saw, there were signs even in the first book that showed his character and how dominant and cowardice he was. I was never truly sold on their romance, and his behavior and stance Under The Mountain had lessened him to my eyes. But Feyre explained it perfectly herself, saying that as she changed she wasn’t the girl that seeked protection, comfort and love anymore, which is what Tamlin offered. Tamlin’s actual crappy personality and horrible past aside, it would never have worked.

At the same time, the romance with Rhys developed in a nice and slow pace that permitted the reader to get to know them first as alies and friends, and then romantic partners. The romance was slow-burning and with strong foundations, it was based on equality and, frankly, Rhys brought the best out of Feyre. He encouraged her to learn more about her powers, to learn how to read, to become independent and strong, make her own decisions even if some didn’t agree. In fact, more love interests should be modeled after Rhysand. Also, their scenes together after made my face burn. Sarah J. Maas books aren’t for reading in public I tell you.

As to the whole ‘mate’ concept, I have to admit I was never into werewolf books mainly because I’m a bit iffy about the whole ‘you’re my mate’ idea. It feels way too dominant and possessive for my taste, like that person is bound and has no other purpose or choice, but somehow the way the Maas handled the reveal and the way she chose to develop the relationship made me not mind the concept all that much (except the scene when they come back from the cabin, he fights with Cassian because he ‘taunted’ him and then proceeds to sex with Feyre; that was ridiculous). When Feyre learns she is Rhys’ mate they’ve already established a really strong bond and even then she is not regarded as property but as an equal with the choice to say no and act as she sees fit. It didn’t come off as cringy as in other books.

I also loved the dynamic between the main and secondary characters. The banter and deep friendship between Rhys, Mor, Azriel, Cassian, Amren and, later, Feyre. There’s a long cast of characters in this book and Sarah J. Maas did justice to them all. I loved how Feyre gradually became part of the group and found a home and a place with them. I’m anticipating to learn more about them in the last book (but not really last as of now) as we got snippets of their past in ACOMAF but I really want to delve more into their story, they all have become as essential to me as Feyre. I have discovered this is what Sarah J. Maas does, makes you care for every single character in her book and want to know everything about them. They’re all precious babies.

Mor, was a personal favorite, with her brutal past and how strong of a character she is; kind and compassionate despite the hardship her family put her through, yet fierce and resilient when need calls for it. Azriel and Amren are two mysteries I really want to be solved in the next book. We have been given some vital information on Azriel’s story and about his scars but I feel there’s more to explore with his character. Every single character in that group has had something horrific happen to them and yet, all together, have found a family to protect and rely on.

Rhys’ character, and the guy Feyre spends most of her time with in this novel, blew me away. The initial image of him is your typical anti-hero that does whatever benefits him the most, yet he is the one that pushes Feyre to become stronger and her own person. He never gives up on her and their banter had me laughing. But besides his relationship with Feyre (which is sooooo funny and steamy let me tell ya), Rhys is precious because of his loyalty to his friends and his people, his reseliance in protecting them and his dream for his country. He has, unfortunately, the trope of the martyr. Make no mistake, he will mope and blame himself if something goes wrong, self-hatred is a poison running in his veins. Yet, it is kept on low volume and sometimes it is understandable with his position as High Lord and the responsibilities and risks he has to consider. He is the best of both; kind and considerate, and hard and fierce, witty and snarky, calculative but not dominant. All in all, a pretty damn good combination of characteristics.

Writing-wise, Sarah J Maas’ writing is quite lush and descriptive and and formed a picturesque world in my head. I was blown away by how vividly I could visualize the scenes and the characters, the places she created, the fight scenes where she painted a clear picture of the action and the chaos occurring. She also took the world and the plot from the first book and expanded it ten-fold; there were so many wonders and secrets unveiled in this installment that made ACOTAR seem like the pilot episode of a tv-show with 24 episodes. So. Many. Things. Happened.

For now, I just want to know what Feyre’s sisters will be like as High Fey, Nesta was already incredibly obnoxious so I’m dreading the all-powerful version of her, what going back to the Spring Court will be like for Feyre (although I’m guessing she won’t be staying there long) and how the gang will move on to beat the King of Hybern. I predict a huge, epic battle that I’m hoping will have a lot of action, with Feyre having developed her powers fully and all Courts coming together. But, you know, everyone surviving as well.