A Court of Wings and Ruin: The Third Book in the Globally Bestselling, Sensational Series (Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)

by Sarah J. Maas

A gorgeously written tale as lush and romantic as it is ferocious ... Absolutely spellbinding - New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring her land 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. And her heart will face the ultimate test as she and her mate are forced to question whether they can truly trust each other.

Sarah J. Maas is a global #1 bestselling author. Her books have sold more than nine million copies and been translated into 37 languages. Discover the sweeping romantic fantasy for yourself.

Contains mature content. Not suitable for younger readers.

• ISBN10: 140885791X
• ISBN13: 9781408857915
• Publish Date: 2 May 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: http://bloomsbury.com/

Reviews

[stacey_is_sassy]

When all the scary creatures come out to play...

Well, I'm finally finished. I was determined to listen to this series instead of reading but I do feel that maybe it didn't do it justice. Don't get me wrong, the narrators did an awesome job. There's a certain level of concentration that must be maintained to listen (instead of reading) as a first read. Outside distractions can have you following along one minute, then someone dies and you're trying to work out who and what killed them. So, you skip back and find out that it wasn't that important (listen to me saying that life and death aren't important...SHOCKING!) and you've just wasted time...AGAIN!! Which is why a book that would have taken me a couple of days to read, takes me a couple of weeks to listen to instead.

Anyways, I really enjoyed A Court of Wings and Ruin. There's a tension that hums below the surface from the very beginning until the end. Evil is at their door and it's not clear who will fight for good and who will follow the bad ones. I can safely say, that besides the inner-circle, I didn't trust anyone. They were either protecting their behinds or trying to work out what advantage they could gain.

The love story stays strong and I believed that neither doubted their commitment to each other. There was a wee bit of time near the beginning where I was a little squinty eyed and thought things were a little off, but it wasn't long before it all made sense. The relationships that were forming around the main characters were left very much in the air. I was a wee bit disappointed, to be honest. I know there will be more in the series, but I hate seeing them left hanging.

My absolute FAVOURITE part of A Court of Wings and Ruin was seeing all of the monsters come out to play. How would they appear? Who will keep them under control? Will someone need to bargain their cooperation? My heart was pounding and I think my Solitaire games (while listening) were finished in record timing. I was zapping through each game like my life depended on it. If I didn't get those cards laid as fast as I could...Prythian could DIE!! Yep, I was way into the moment. ;)

I'm so glad I gave this series a go. I've gone from - meh - to - LOVE - to - I like it...I like it a lot. Will I go on with the series? Sarah J. Mass...you write it...I'll listen to it.

[jeannamichel]

Going into this with such high expectations made for some disappointment. Despite several issues, these characters will always have a place in my heart.

A Court of Mist and Fury left Feyre in the hands of the enemy, while she sacrificed herself for Rhysand and the Inner Circle. Without letting her enemy break her, she uses her time wisely to spy on the Spring Court to get one step ahead of the evil Cauldron. War is upon us. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas is the finale to Feyre’s magnificent tale of bravery, power and love.

It was difficult to get back into the story. I read A Court of Mist and Fury only a few days before jumping right into the last book but it felt like I hadn’t been in this world in months. It was a bit slow in the beginning. As much as it felt like coming home—seeing all the fantastic characters I love,—it also felt like it wasn’t going in the direction I had pictured.

Feyre’s games are incredibly well played. They are extremely calculated, similar to the strategies Kestrel employs in The Winner’s Curse series by Marie Rutkoski. However, where Kestrel leaves you guessing until the big reveal, Feyre walks you through her games piece by piece, denying us the pleasure of realizing them for ourselves. It is still interesting to behold the endgame. She knows her goals and cleverly puts the Spring Court right where she wants them.

I had extremely high expectations going into this book. After all, I found A Court of Mist and Fury to be absolute perfection. A Court of Wings and Ruin would either be as perfect or less so (it’s only downhill from perfection). I would have found it a miracle if Maas gave us another book as perfect as A Court of Mist and Fury. Instead, we got a finale that is a bit of a let down but no less entertaining than the rest of the series. It had us on the edge of our seats but didn’t push us to fall.
The moment the book starts answering some questions I didn’t even know I had, it was amazing to see how ingenious the whole series truly is, woven together in this wonderful scheme. Every scene from the first book to now, finally comes together in a calculated way that is masterful and systematically beautiful. Sarah J. Maas is a superb storyteller.

It wouldn’t be the first time, Maas throws some major curve balls that had me gripping the pages tighter. And when things started to feel predictable, I started noticing some blatant foreshadowing. I began dreading what I thought was coming—the closer I got to the end,—I didn’t want to continue. In part, what if I was right about what was to come? And also, because I didn’t want this magnificent series to be over.

There’s something different about Feyre. She seems changed from her A Court of Mist and Fury self and there is no possible explanation for that. The book picks up mere weeks after we left off and Feyre seems icier than usual. You could debate that after spending weeks in enemy’s lands, it may do something to a person but when she returns home, Feyre still seems cold. It took me a while before I began to warm up to her again.

It’s interesting to see Feyre take on her role as High Lady as easily as she did. It was as if she was destined to do so. I still find, despite her change in position, that we would make the best of friends. Staying by her side for three books now, Feyre has developed marvelously!

Some hilarious comic relief spouts out of Cassian’s mouth. However, it is Azriel who is the true hidden gem of the Inner Circle. He is quiet, reserved yet still makes jokes and can hold his own in the group. He is a surprise, a bit shy but strong. Besides the perfection that is Rhys, Azriel comes in close second.

We get to meet other High Lords! It’s exciting to put names and faces with the courts that we have only heard about in the past two books. In introducing all these new characters, there are unlimited possibilities of where Maas could take her world from here. Feyre’s story is, in fact, over with this book but the series will continue on in the same gorgeous world Maas has created here. I have high expectations for whatever Maas graces us with next!

Without giving away any spoilers, I must say that the ending gets a bit redundant. It is a sudden case of déjà vu that we have seen this happen once before. In this repetition, I felt a bit cheated and whole lot of disappointed. I wanted something new and what we got was a recycled scene and rushed last few chapters.

I adore when endings wrap things up nicely into a bow, answering all the loose ends. As the final book, I was hoping for such an ending. A Court of Wings and Ruin leaves us unsatisfied. The ending wraps it up so hastily, that you may have to return several times before closing the book.

Feyre’s story ends with A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas and with series finales, it is always difficult to stay goodbye. However, it is most painful with Maas’ series as she has given us such amazing characters, gorgeous world-building and an incredible plot. A Court of Wings and Ruin is a bit of a disappointment, overshadowed by the absolute perfection of the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury. This series will tear at your heartstrings and force you to come back for multiple rereads.

[readingwithwrin]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
"I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided by the Mother, or the cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don't know. I don't really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is. Grateful that it brought you all into my life."


This one starts off right where the second book ended. Feyre is back in a place she never wanted to be again, having to hide and play a very dangerous game in order to convince Tamlin of certain things. She sticks with it though and goes on as good as she can. With Luciens aid she convinces Tamlin of certain things, and learns many important things that will be even more important later on. She is also learning how to still control her powers and what exactly her limits are.
As she pushes her limits and those trying to keep her safe as well. We see a side of Feyre that we had just started to see at the end of the second book. She really is fearless about some things and even though she is Fae now she still has a lot of her human compassion and morals as well. She is willing to risk everything just to protect others and when her authority is questioned she does what she has to in order to prove that she is capable.

"I will use these powers- my powers- to smash Hybern to bits. I will burn them, and drown them, and freeze them. I will use these powers to heal the injured. To shatter through Hyberns wards. I have done so already, and I will do so again. And if you think that my possession of a kernel of your magic is your biggest problem, then your priorities are severely out of order."

Rhysand is the same head over heels in love with Feyre, will protect everyone at all costs person that we saw in the previous books. It is amazing how different he is from what he was seen as in the first book. It shows how much he is willing to risk of himself to protect everyone else in the world, even those who he has every reason to dislike.

As for Azriel, Cassian and Mor they were the same as when we first met them if not even more love able in this one.
It was so nice to learn even more about them, especially how Mor really opened up to Feyre and told her things that she hadn't told many people before.
Amren is still terrifying and I genuinely feel like Nesta could be a little bit like her, if that don't get her to express her anger in a better way.

"So we'll train, Feyre, until the last possible day. Because we never know if just one extra hour will make the difference."


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Thankfully this book had far less sexy times which I was a little surprised about considering how much of the focus was on that in the second book. It was nice though considering they were preparing for war and then at war. No time for sexiness when you have an entire world to save!

"The wall is down. It is gone. It is a new world, and we must decide how we are to end this old one and begin anew. We must decide if we will begin it by allowing those who cannot defend themselves to be slaughtered. If that is the sort of people we are. Not individual courts. We, as a Fae people."
Seeing all of the Courts come together in order to stop Hybern was amazing to see. Yes the meetings were highly entertaining because of all the cattiness that happened, but it was also a big learning experience in how they all worked and what had happened in the past. We also get to see more of what Feyre's powers could be capable of.
Elain and Nesta oh boy. Nesta is even more terrifying now and also rather annoying at times again. Elain I just want to protect at all costs just like Nesta and Feyre do. Seeing her broken after what happened was even harder to read then knowing how broken everyone else is somehow.
When it came to the war, I wasn't super nervous about it like other people were. I figured some people were going to die especially those close to the main ones. However, because we were told that companion novels would be happening, I also knew that most likely the main core group of characters would be mostly safe, maybe severely injured, but safe. Having said that though, actually reading the battle scenes were intense, just imaging that much bloodshed and the lasting affects it was all going to have on everyone. It was just wow.. I have no real words to explain it.

"It was only in that moment when I knew - I'd understood what the Suriel had meant. Only I could allow the bad to break me. Only I could own it, embrace it."

I am so excited to read the companion novels now after this trilogy ended! I don't feel like they are must reads unless you really want to see more of the world or about certain relationships. Personally I just want to find out more about how certain things work in this world and some of the other courts as well.

[Ashley]

I did quite like it, but I didn't desperately love it the way I thought I would.

[ross91]

I didn't like the first book very much, while I really enjoyed the second one... this last installment was something in between: so boring but also with some great secondary characters that keep you interested in reading.
I've found the first part in the summer court to be unnecessary (but at least it was interesting because Feyre was kinda evil and manipulative) and the whole central part to be boring, especially the romance between the main couple... the ending managed to save the rating, but barely.
The main problem I had with this book was the main characters: Feyre and Rhysand are just not that interesting anymore... I've never liked Feyre but at least at first she had something to say and in ACOMAF her interactions with Rhysand were full of suspense and tension.
Now they are just cheesy and boring. Every time they referred to each other as "my mate" I wanted to puke honey... I know you are in love, but please STOP THIS NONSENSE.
I also couldn't stand the whole "yay feminism" theme... you can be a strong independent woman even without your mate stating it over and over again! And Rhysand seemed so fake during those scenes, he didn't feel like a person, just a vehicle for the author's beliefs. A writer has to show, not just tell: you can keep saying you are the best feminism supporter in the world, that doesn't make it true though.
I also didn't like the whole "yay, I'm pro gay" theme... we find out that Mor is a lesbian just because she says that to Feyre, nothing else. Saying a character is queer and stop there is just a great missed opportunity.
As I said before, the great strength of this book is its secondary character: Cassian and Azriel are just THE BEST. I just want a prequel about the Illyrian trio now. That's all I need.

[Leigha]

Feyre’s journey concludes in this New Adult fantasy romance.

Feyre and Rhysand are one of those couples built brick-by-brick. Each story adds another layer to their breathtaking relationship. While nothing will ever compare to the flawless second book of the series, this final book in the trilogy does wrap up their story nicely. Their journey is epic and it concludes in epic fashion!

The world expands exponentially, bringing in new characters, agendas, and settings. Most of these new element are great, particularly the focus on the other courts. Secondary characters from the first novel appear in this last book, answering some lingering questions. The one aspect of the novel I disliked was, unfortunately, a hold over from previous novels – Feyre’s family. I’m not a fan of how Feyre’s sisters and father treated her in previous novels. I never understood their motives; therefor their treatment of Feyre just seemed thoughtless and cruel. Perhaps future books will explore them more in depth in an approachable way.

tl;dr Although not nearly as bewitching as the second book, it is a satisfying conclusion to Feyre and Rhysand’s story.

[Stephanie]

I love all of the side characters. SJM is going to continue this series (it says so in the back), but just one small request: can is be about my dude-bro Cassian? Or Lucien? Thanks.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

If you know me then you know that A Court of Thorns and Roses is easily in my top 5 favorite series of all time. I mean, my dog's middle name (yes, he has a middle name) is Rhysand. So it should come as no surprise that A Court of Wings and Ruin was my most anticipated read of 2017! I set aside time specifically for this book and was at the bookstore before I'm usually even awake getting the exclusive edition. I'm telling you all of this so that you'll understand how devastated I am that this book was actually pretty disappointing.

A Court of Wings and Ruin picks up right after the end of A Court of Mist and Fury, with Feyre back in the Spring Court. Tamlin believes that she has not been acting of her own free will during her time with Rhys and is actually still in love with him. He doesn't realize that she's only with him to get vengeance for what happened to her, her sisters, and her friends when Tamlin and Ianthe sold her out to Hybern. Thus begins a 700 page journey to war and back for Feyre and company.

Feyre killing the siblings from Hybern and destroying Ianthe was one of the most epic things I've ever read ever. I needed more of this in this book!

There were certainly things I enjoyed about ACOWAR, so let's start there. I thought that Feyre was a total badass whenever she was facing down her enemies. I love how far she's come since book one and I always look forward to getting to see her fight, especially now that she's mastered her (many) powers! Feyre's flying lessons with Azriel were also fantastic! Although I do think she caught on just a tiny bit too soon (especially based on the information we're given about the difficulty Azriel had learning to fly) it was a lot of fun seeing them go back and forth with each other.

One of my favorite parts of this book were the side characters! Obviously Lucien was my favorite of these. The beginning of his story arc was immensely satisfying, although it would have been nice if he'd been present a bit more throughout. As always, Cassian was spectacular and I his relationship with Nesta is one I am forever interested to know more about! I was glad to get to know the other High Lords better (or at all in some cases) and I loved the Bone Carver and the Suriel! These two have spent the rest of the series being utterly terrifying and I really liked seeing a different side to them. I'd love backstories for either! It's awesome when minor characters such as these are fleshed out.

I am so sad that Lucien was basically sent off on a side quest for most of the book that we never got to see! I wanted so much more of him! I am really interested to see what happens with him and Elain since there seems to be absolutely zero interest on her part. I'm guessing we'll definitely get a book about Lucien in the future.

The war with Hybern is what the entire series has been leading up to and it was done (mostly) right! It was tense in the right places and kept me on the edge of my seat. It did seem a little weird that it was over so quickly, but I still enjoyed it - especially the parts certain unique characters played and the havoc they wreaked. The different armies from each court was a lot of fun to read about, especially the Winter Court with its armored bears!

And now on to the things I didn't like... There wasn't a "dislikes" section in my reviews for the previous two books, so this is a first for me. To start, I didn't love what became of Feyre and Rhysand's relationship. I rooted for them and fangirled so hard in ACOMAF! But in this one they've become disgustingly co-dependent, so much so that they're basically the same person. Gone is the strong, fiercely independent Feyre from books past and devilishly charming, cunning Rhys is also missing. Instead, they've become a single unit of wing- and mind-stroking High Fae who have sex at the most awkward times and constantly refer to each other as "my mate" instead of by name.

Who has sex in the middle of a war?? Who makes licking dirt and blood off of someone sexy? I just. I can't believe what's happened to Feyre and Rhys. They were my absolute favorite in ACOMAF and I'm so sad that they've morphed into literal Feysand.

Another issue I have is that a lot of characters in ACOWAR seemed quite out of character. Mor is a notable example who seemed to do a total 180 from her character in the last book, spending most of this one being rude and irritable. Even Rhysand was totally out of character for a major plot point. There were characters who went from good to bad to good again so often that I lost track. Characters who would normally trust each other suddenly choose not to for no apparent reason and others randomly reveal facts about themselves that are seemingly from left field. Luckily, Nesta remains her amazing self, but Elain as High Fae is like watching paint dry.

A couple huge issues. First, Rhys forcing Mor into a situation with her abuser without at least warning her first and asking her consent. This is so unlike anything he's done until now that it totally threw me off. I felt the same way about Amren not telling anyone her plan for the final battle. What was the point of lying and tricking Feyre to the Cauldron? Why not just tell her what she planned to do?

Next, Mor coming out as bisexual. Like, when? Where? There has been absolutely zero hint of this in the previous two books. Every single thing until now has pointed towards her being in love with Azriel but fighting it for some reason. I really think that SJM threw this in at the last minute because of the backlash she's received for having so few diverse characters. And, you know, good for her for listening! But this was not the way to do it, in my opinion.

Finally, why does every single character need to be redeemed? I can sort of understand Jurian. He was dealt a bad hand and I can buy him going over to the good guys, but Tamlin? Is he good? Is he bad? CHOOSE ONE PLEASE!

Then there's the ending. I can't say too much without spoilers, but it was not what I was expecting at all. AT ALL. Before I reached the end of the book I saw so many people who were in literal tears over what happens at the end and I cannot understand why. There was no real emotional impact, which I've become accustomed to with Maas books. It almost seems as if this book was written in a hurry to try to meet a deadline while packing in as much information as possible and leaving endless options for future novels. I was surprised at the number of new characters introduced in ACOWAR, even in the last few chapters.

My main issue with the ending is two fold. First, that not one single main character died in the war. Cassian almost died (or should have died) multiple times, but somehow never did. Rhys dying would have accounted for the people saying this book broke them, but I wasn't even concerned when he "died" because I had a feeling he wasn't truly dead. The fact that Maas brought him back in the exact same way as Feyre in ACOTAR just added insult to injury. Amren would have been a perfect choice to let go, but even she couldn't stay gone! It was utterly ridiculous to me that Rhysand brought her back. I saw someone else compare this battle to Minas Tirith and I couldn't agree more. The multiple armies just happening to show up in the nick of time was laughable.

Second, the end was so much cheese I almost choked. I could not believe the way this book wrapped up like a Disney movie with everyone getting their happily ever after and children literally laughing in the streets! After the emotional destruction of the first two books, I expected a book hangover of massive proportions, but this didn't leave me emotional at all. Except I'm a little disappointed.

I was under the impression that this was the finale of this trilogy, but there were so many loose ends and unanswered questions that it's obvious the series will be dragged out for awhile. I knew there would be more books written in this universe, but I didn't expect so many storylines to be left open-ended. It made this book feel like just another book in a series rather than a true ending. I know my review might make it seem like I didn't like this book but I did enjoy it overall. There were far more issues that I'm used to in an ACOTAR novel and it didn't live up to my expectations. I'll still be reading future books set in this world, but I definitely won't be going in with expectations this high again.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

[girlinthepages]

*Warning: The review will contain some spoilers, mostly mild ones. You've been warned!

It's no secret here on my blog that I am THE BIGGEST fan of the ACOTAR series. I rejoiced when I first read A Court of Thorns and Roses, thrilled that I was finally, FINALLY falling in love with Sarah J Maas' writing the way everyone else had with Throne of Glass. I was BESIDE MYSELF with how much I loved A Court of Mist and Fury, and it even demoted Harry Potter as my favorite book. Ever. Kristin, Alexa and I hosted our own reread event leading up to the release of ACOWAR, and it was so amazing to see the community that's been built around this series. So despite ACOWAR coming out the day after YallWest, despite working 50 hours between Tuesday and Friday catching up from PTO, despite the fact that I'm supposed to be training for my first 5K next week, I managed to finish ACOWAR by Saturday...and while I loved returning to this world and the characters I consider close as family, after thinking on it I have to admit I am a smidge underwhelmed.

A Court of Wings and Ruin picks up right where ACOMAF's cliffhanger leaves off, with Feyre playing spy in the Spring Court, planning to undermine it from within. I LOVED this part of the novel. Seeing Feyre's manipulations, seeing her seek revenge and sow the seeds of discord among Tamlin and the court he is so out of touch with...it felt good. I also appreciated that it didn't drag on too long (I was afraid we'd spend like 95% of the book with Feyre stuck in the Spring Court). She returned to her role as High Lady of the Night Court before the halfway mark and I was satisfied with how the transition back to the Night Court was handled.

Though there's not the delicious tension present that always lingered in ACOMAF surrounding Feyre's relationship with Rhys and the Court of Dreams, I loved seeing them interact as a married couple, acting as a partnership and seeing how the power balanced between them. Returning to Velaris, to the inner circle, was so comforting despite the ever-present threat of war, especially now that Feyre's life had come full circle, with her sisters now Fae and living among them as well. Seeing their familial bond stretched and strengthen was a really rewarding experience, especially since they shaped SO MUCH of the girl Feyre was before she crossed the wall. They also came to play at the end of the book, proving that all of the Archeron sisters are badasses in their own right.

I think what most readers were eagerly anticipating most in this installment was the opportunity to see the other courts that had not yet been explored. I was a bit disappointed to find that Autumn and Winter were passed through so quickly, but I LOVED getting to see the Dawn Court, especially under the circumstances: a meeting between ALL 7 of the High Lords (yes, all 7, including Tamlin...I could barely read that scene the pain and tension and awkwardness was so REAL and yet so well done). It was truly stunning to see each High Lord, all kings in their own right, and the dynamic and unique aesthetic that each one cultivated, from their attire to their power to their crowns (I'm a huge fan of Helion, BTW). I also LOVED seeing Feyre among the other High Lords as a High Lady, an equal, a queen. It was probably my favorite part of the entire 700+ novel and really helped pick up the pace that had started to slow for me in the middle of the book.

Most of ACOWAR focuses on plot and action, no surprise considering the impending war with Hybern. However, Maas managed to insert some important and complex character development that was HIGHLY interesting. There was Eris, who does not seem to be what we've been led to believe, there's the tragic truth that comes out regarding the dynamic between Mor and Azriel, there's TAMLIN...Tamlin who I believe is probably number one on everyone's you-know-what-list, but who Maas weaves into the story as both a villain and a hero at times, making him a fascinating shade of moral grey. The characters in this series are so nuanced, so intriguing, that I know there stories will stick with me for a LONG time...especially considering there were a LOT of loose ends regarding the secondary characters (who I believe will get more attention in the upcoming companion novels! I'll take a Cassian+Nesta novel, please).

While I cherished every moment I got to spend again with these characters with fresh eyes, there are some aspects that I have to admit were underwhelming for me, which knocks that fifth star off of the rating for the first time in this series. SO MUCH of the book focused on war, especially preparing for war, that it began to drag for me. I guessed a lot of the major plot points at the end (Amren, Rhys, etc. which didn't make them less enjoyable, but I was hoping to be more surprised). I also felt like magic was used to patch a lot of plot holes without a lot of real explanation (like what exactly Nesta and Amren were doing in their training...it was all so vague!) I also really felt like this book suffered from some lack of editing, as I started to get caught up in the repetitive phrases and expressions used. Overall though, these are minor quibbles compared to how much I loved the book and love this series in general.

Overall: While this book didn't make me cry real tears that way its predecessor did, ACOWAR pulled me back into the lands and stories and characters that I love more than any reading material I've come across in years (maybe ever). Though I had some minor issues and wish it had made me feel as strongly as ACOTAR and ACOMAF did, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading ACOWAR and can't wait for the companion novels set in this world.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[bestmessever]

This was everything I wanted and more. I'm just so happy I got to experience this story. I don't even have words right now I just loved this so much and this was definitely the best book I have read this year.