A Court of Wings and Ruin
by Sarah J. Maas
Published by: Bloomsbury
Form: Kobo eBook
Big Themes: Magic, War, Love, Relationships, Sisterhood, Sacrifice, Identity, Redemption

Summary from Goodreads (Book 3): 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 manoeuvrings 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.

My thoughts:
The final book in the series really excels in two ways: world-building and showing the costs of war.

In this book, more than any other, we get glimpses of the other Courts: Autumn Court, Winter Court, Dawn Court, and Day Court. The Dawn Court in particular was one that I loved imagining. Their palace reads like a calm, pastel paradise:

Steps and balconies and archways and verandas and bridges linked the towers and gilded domes of the palace, periwinkle morning glories climbing the pillars and neatly cut blocks of stone to drink in the gilded mists wafting by.

It’s not just places that we get glimpses of, but the people who inhabit each of the different Courts. The world really comes to life, and sets up a wealth of possibilities for future books.

I was also really impressed with how the author conveyed the costs of war. While lives lost, injury, and overall destruction were portrayed, it was the mental and spiritual toll that she highlighted in the story. Seeing war from Feyre’s point-of-view, someone who hasn’t experienced it prior, gave a glimpse of how war changes your soul. And yet why she fought and what drove her. For a series that has explored abuse, trauma, and recovery–it made sense for the author to show the toll war takes on the mind and spirit.

While not the last book in this world, this book is a solid conclusion to the trilogy that is Feyre’s story arc. Readers will be satisfied with her growth as a character and her role in protecting the world she loves.

Overall: This series was a pleasant surprise. If you enjoy lush fantasy world-building, strong female protagonists, deep ensemble cast of characters, and well-written action sequences, this series delivers. Recommended for older teens due to mature content and themes (sex, violence, abuse).

Minor spoilers in this review because I want to discuss some of the key topics in this series: relationships and abuse. Trigger warning, but I think this series does a nice job with the topic.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book One)
by Sarah J. Maas
Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Form: Hardback and Kobo eBook
Big Themes: Magic, War, Painting, Love, Relationships, Trauma, Abuse, Recovery

Summary from Goodreads (Book 1): Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

My thoughts:
This series has a huge following and the fans are intense. There is abundant fan art, candle scents in honor of characters, book-inspired jewelry, clothing, and more. I’d heard so much about the series–to the point where I even recognized the characters names without having read the books (Feyre, Tamlin, Rhysand).

However, I’d also heard that the second book in the series, not the first, is what really blew people away. But with book one being over 400 pages and book two being over 600 pages… this was a big investment of my time. Was the second book really going to have the payoff to make it all worth it? (And yes, it’s very much necessary to read ACOWAR first in order to appreciate book two.)

The first book is loosely based around the story of Beauty and the Beast. It was a slow read for me. I enjoyed the main character’s love of painting. The world and descriptions were vivid and interesting. And this author can write action really well! There were some really memorable fight scenes.

But the relationship/romance made me cringe, and the logic of some plot points left me confused. I couldn’t understand why Feyre felt forced into certain positions or made certain decisions.

But what the author is setting up in the first book is an unhealthy relationship. But you won’t necessarily know the relationship is unhealthy as you are reading it right away. Something about it just feels off–yet it’s so similar to a lot of relationships you read in novels (YA or adult). She creates a character who is strong and worthy of love, shows them falling in love, and then shows how the character changes–but changes in an unhealthy way as a result of her relationship. And yet, there were a lot of readers supporting this relationship when this book first came out. The author is forcing the reader to questions and think about how relationships are portrayed in novels.

What makes the second book in this series so excellent is how Sarah J. Maas is flipping expectations and stereotypes, and forcing readers to consider some very heavy issues.

Stay tuned for my next post where I tackle book two: A Court of Mist and Fury