Review - A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3 (Finale) 

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: New Adult

Bloomsbury USA - May 2016

Hardcover -  706 pgs

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Rating - 3/5

A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings 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.

I devoured the first 2/3 of this book. I like the interactions between the characters and thought the planning was complex and interesting. Even in this third book we learned a little bit more about the world. I enjoyed learning even more about Prythian and absorbing these details while the action continued. It wasn't always front and center but I liked that it was added.

However, the end felt like Maas tried to wrap up every loose end, redeem every character, and make it end perfectly. This kind of ending never feels realistic or satistfying to me so I was disappointed with where we left off. I wanted more answers about certain characters and clarification of some of the events. Everything was rushed from the half-way point and in the end most plot points were only addressed in overview.

Book two was very character focused, which I loved, and this book shifted the focus back to plot and action. While the overall arc of the story is important, I didn't care very much about this war. I was much more interested in the histories of the characters and their interactions with each other. (and if everyone survived what would happen next)The action parts of the book just didn't hold my attention as well. To put it simply: I wanted more banter, more friendship moments, and just more about everyone especially Rhy's Court of Dreams. They were the ones I wanted this book to be about. I was so devoted and attached to them after ACOMAF.

Overall Maas's writing doesn't impress me anymore. I've read much better writing since I started reading her books with more diversity, better character arcs and more interesting worlds. I do think this is the better series of the two she has going right now. ACOMAF remains my favorite book in the series and I will be interested to see what the "next" books in this series will be about.

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

Series: ACOTAR #2

Genre: Fantasy

Source: Purchased

Published:

Hardcover

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Rating: 4/5

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.

On an enjoyment level I want to rate this book a five out of five. However, there were a few problems in the transition from book one to this one and I am developing some issues with Maas as a writer. So overall, I couldn't give this book the full five stars.

While the endings of her books are spectacular, the middle is often slow and takes a long time to develop. In this particular book several characters, Feyre specifically, changed completely from the end of book one to the start of book two. Instead of doing the leg work and showing us how the characters changed and gradually changing them, the cast is totally different. In a lot of ways it felt like we started over with an entire new set of characters. This actually felt very much like how Chaol's character did a 180  from Heir of Fire to Queen of Shadows.

While I have critiques about how we moved from book one to book two, the story and romance of this installment had me hooked. I loved how Feyre took control of her situation and had the strength to break out of a cycle of abuse. I did appreciate how Maas included Feyre's mental health issues after Under the Mountain which often isn't covered in YA/NA books. Maas has the ability to make me ship just about anyone and the romance in this story destroyed me. The new characters are also great.

So to recap I am frustrated with Maas's writing and how she seem to be falling into a pattern in her books. Even so, I really enjoyed this book and I am reinvested after an amazing ending. I'm anxiously waiting for the third book, which may or may not be the final book.

Happy Reading

Review - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

   

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Genre: High Fantasy 
Hardcover: 
Source: Purchased
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Rating: 4.75


When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Look at me! I'm writing up a review within days of when I finished it! I wish I could find more books where I cannot contain my glee enough to write the reviews immediately. After finishing Heir of Fire last month, I was craving some more Sarah J. Maas writing. I jumped into this book wholeheartedly.

Overall, this is a stronger first book than Throne of Glass was. I wasn't sure if this was a series when I finished the book so the story was much more solid and complete. One of my favorite parts of Maas' books are the characters and of course these did not disappoint. There is a lot of grey area for all the characters (good, bad and indifferent). I liked how Maas used the immortality of the Fae to create even more complexity in her characters. Even the human characters had great depth and background characters grew and changed.

Maas does an incredible job interpreting the Beauty and the Beast tale. Her original storyline has an undercurrent of the original tale, but it is so easy to forget about it. In fact, I forgot about the curse element of the tale and was surprised by it. The retelling was even more unique because she adds fae into the mix! The combination of fae and fairy tale really worked out well.

I'd be very interested to see what the publisher classifies this book as. I think it is New Adult, but I think this will really surprise people who read New Adult often. There are quite a few sexy moments and a lot of violence within this story. Fae are not lighthearted, carefree or kind in this series. The topics are handled so well though and Maas' writing (while it was always great) is very mature in this book. I though Feyre's sexuality was handled so well and made her an even more powerful character. Her strength comes from many places and she is a fierce heroine. Plus her romance built in such a believable way that I was very captivated by it. (I was also fanning myself a few times because there are some steamy moments!)

My experience actually reading this book was different than I was expecting. I had some issues when Feyre first went to live in the Fae Kingdom regarding Feyre's relationship with Tamlin and Lucian. Things just seems a little too friendly. Also later on I thought the curse was a little too constructed even though I know phrasing and specifics are important to Fae lore. This was the only part of the book that pushed me out of the story. It made me really look at a few relationships as well. Overall those are small beans compared to how much I enjoyed this story.

I'm very happy with this initial book and cannot wait to see what is coming next. I'm curious if we will continue to follow the same characters or different ones as well. 2016 come faster!