whisperingchapters
Written on May 28, 2020
A gorgeously written tale as lush and romantic as it is ferocious ... Absolutely spellbinding - New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken on A Court of Thorns and Roses
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses 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, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises, a greater evil looms - and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can step into her growing power, heal her fractured soul and have the courage to shape her own future - and the future of a world cloven in two.
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 1635575575
- ISBN13 9781635575576
- Publish Date 25 June 2020 (first published 3 May 2016)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing USA
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 640
- Language English
Reviews
cornerfolds
Written on Apr 1, 2020
Initial reaction:
A Court of Thorns and Roses was one of my top books of 2015 - possibly even my number one. I have been (not-so-patiently) waiting on A Court of Mist and Fury literally since book one ended and obviously preordered a copy as soon as I could! Upon receiving it in the mail, I quickly started reading but didn't want to read it too quickly. This is one of those books you also want to savor! Especially knowing that I'll have to wait an entire year for the final book in the series. Before I jump into this review, let me say that I do not think Sarah J. Maas can do no wrong. I read the first two books in her Throne of Glass series before giving up on that one. But THIS series... In this series she can do no wrong because every single word of this book was perfection.
This book picks up where the first left off, with Feyre, Tamlin, and Lucien back at the Spring Court working on getting the Court back to its former glory. With all that she has been through, Feyre has been left a shell of her former self. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be more worried about keeping up appearances than making sure their Cursebreaker has what she needs to heal and live with her actions. Where A Court of Thorns and Roses was a love story about a girl risking all to save her Love, A Court of Mist and Fury is a story about a girl learning to respect herself, finding out who she really is after a huge trauma, with a love story weaved in. Feyre's character growth in this novel was incredible. I said in my review of ACOTAR that she was an unlikable character who I came to really love. Now I can honestly say that Feyre is an amazing, strong female character and the kind of role model I wish teens could read more about (as opposed to the weak female characters who allow a man to define them).
As I'm sure you have probably gathered, in this book Rhysand gives Tamlin a run for his money. As the synopsis says, Rhys has not forgotten the bargain he made with Feyre under the mountain and he plans to make good on it. While I did like Tamlin in the first book, I have made it abundantly clear over the last year that I did not know enough about Rhys to choose a "team" and would have to wait until the next book was released to decide. I can now say I am firmly #TeamRhysand at this point and I don't see that changing. Rest assured, there is no love triangle in this book whatsoever, which is a huge relief considering that's what most YA fiction gravitates towards.
Relationship spoilers:
I need to just take a minute here to fangirl over the relationship between Rhysand and Feyre - THIS is what love is. I love so much that Rhys gives Feyre every single bit of room she needs to heal and then some! He allows her to be her own person from the beginning of this book. Yes, he did some despicable things in ACOTAR, but yes, they were justified in this book. Usually I cannot stand the justification of borderline-abusive behavior, but Under the Mountain was a very unique situation and I can fully forgive Rhys for everything he did, especially knowing now that he always knew that they were mated and did literally everything within his power to protect her in the long run.
Now, Tamlin... I know a lot of people have complained that he is totally out of character in this book, but is he really? I did a re-read of ACOTAR right before this came out and I can totally see his extremely controlling tendencies. I believe he had to keep it in check if Feyre was going to break the curse, but he was always extremely controlling of her from the very beginning. Does anyone else remember all the times when he said he just couldn't control himself and had to apologize for things? Does anyone else remember when they were going to have sex and he told her he couldn't stop if they went any further? Bullshit. I think that once Feyre had broken the curse and Tamlin no longer needed her help, he was able to show how extensive his controlling nature went and I, for one, am SO glad that Feyre escaped from him!
And then there's Lucien. I know there are a lot of mixed feelings about Elain being his mate, but I am super excited to see where this goes in the next book!
I actually loved almost every character in this book, whether I loved them because they were so perfectly wonderful or horrible. The villains are just as terrible as they should be (although Amarantha is going to be damn hard to beat) and the new characters that Feyre aligns herself with grew on me as the story progressed. Surprisingly, I came to like Nesta much more than Elain, which is the exact opposite of how I felt about them in A Court of Thorns and Roses.
One of my favorite things about A Court of Mist and Fury (and honestly, there are so many) was the world building. In book one, we only got to see the Spring Court, Under the Mountain, and the human realm. This time we I got to travel with Feyre all over Prythian and, obviously, my favorite was the Night Court, which was anything but what I expected! Sarah J. Maas' beautiful writing style contributes so much to the love I have for this gorgeous world. I think a lot of other authors would have a really hard time making me care as much as I care about every single location Feyre visits. I'll admit, I usually skim when I get to descriptions of cities and such, but here I took my time to take in every single word on the page.
And then there's the story. Oh, the incredible, beautiful, heart-wrenching story. I loved every single agonizing minute of it. As I've already said, this book is about Feyre discovering who she is after Under the Mountain and she is stronger than anyone realized. There are multiple conflicts for her to deal with - mentally, in her personal relationships, and with a potential war brewing. The journey this book takes over 600+ pages is brutal and extraordinary and heart breaking and I adored it. I was actually a little worried that over 600 pages would be too much, that the story would get bogged down or that it would lag, but it didn't. There wasn't non-stop action, but everything that happened was relevant and I couldn't name anything that served only as filler.
Something to definitely keep in mind is that this book has significantly more sexual content than the first, but I'm totally okay with that. As a 28 year old lover of YA, I was thrilled for the authenticity this little bit of extra explicitness brought to this story. I mean, when characters are talking about marriage and are fighting wars, it's not out of the question that they're probably going to be having more adult relationships. But I do think it's important to point out for those readers who perhaps don't want to read steamier scenes. (I'm sure you could easily skip past them.)
As you can probably tell, I loved this book. I don't have a single bad thing to say about it, which is unusual for me, even when I rate a book five stars. I loved Feyre, I loved Rhysand, and I loved their constant bantering back and forth. I loved that Feyre learned to respect herself. I loved the gorgeous writing and world building and storytelling. I honestly cannot go on without becoming a total fangirl so instead I'll leave you with what I have dubbed Rhysand's theme song (you're welcome).
llamareads
Written on Oct 16, 2019
Look, I didn't like Tamlin in the first book, but I was annoyed by how he went from overprotective do-nothing to ridiculously abusive in like two seconds flat. PTSD, sure, but somehow it's OK for Feyre to make bad decisions because of what happened but not Tamlin? Not condoning what he did, at all, but geez, everything doesn't have to be black-and-white "he's the villain / he's the hero."
So Feyre now apparently has Super Awesome (TM) powers and OF COURSE Rhysand is like the Most Powerful High Lord EVER. Add in the wings, the whole Court of Nightmares/Court of Dreams stuff, etc and you can see why I couldn't help comparing this to the Black Jewels series... much like Feyre can't stop comparing Tamlin and Rhysand. Girl, we get it, OK? Rhysand is cinnamon roll perfection, blah blah blah. Despite that (!) I still enjoyed the romance, enjoyed watching Feyre come into her powers, enjoyed the world building. Most of all, I LOVED Rhysand's confession to Feyre and how all those bits and pieces from previous books could be seen from a different light.
I wish Maas had used the same precision with the actual plot, because oh boy, it's a mess. I have no idea how this is all going to be wrapped up, and thanks to the cliffhanger ending, I'm happy I'm reading this when the next book is already available.
So, in conclusion, romance with Rhysand, good, everything else, meh.
mitabird
Written on Jul 10, 2019
maggiefan
Written on May 31, 2019
Jennifer | Pushing Pages
Written on Feb 7, 2019
Let's see where else I go on this journey...
Some of my inspiration and visceral might seem unwarranted to the Maas fans who love to come into these reviews and say, "I agree with you, but also I loved this book". But let me tell you folks. I'm not the one.
-----
[b:A Court of Mist and Fury|17927395|A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406996l/17927395._SY75_.jpg|25126749]
There are many different types of readers. I like to think I can be quite the casual one, depending on what I pick up. For example, as much as I find it fun to dissect the Twilight series - on a literary level - I actually remember enjoying the first book of that series in high school. I've even considered going back and reading that series again, to see what I can spot with my special-adult-eyes that I couldn't before. When you're casually reading something for entertainment, that series - and even this one, on some level - pass for okay. Even amusing.
I say that, because I don't want to seem as though I am looking down on someone for enjoying themselves with subpar entertainment quality. I mean, I watch reality TV while also drooling over classic literature. So, I like to think I can be fair and balanced for my bad taste and good taste.
But we have to be honest here: This was just such a bad book, and I'm very disappointed. Still.
I want to go on record as to have said, I really adored A Court of Thorns and Roses.
[b:A Court of Thorns and Roses|16096824|A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406962l/16096824._SY75_.jpg|21905102]
That one.
That specific, first, book. I loved it.
I’m a sucker for Beauty and the Beast re-tellings. I did multiple papers on the topic in college; I read everything I could get my hands on that was classified, in a literary sense, as a BatB story. When I found out Maas provided that for me, I was head-over-heels in love.
But…
I loathed A Court of Mist and Fury, and I have not even bothered with the rest of the series, if I ever will. Maybe one day I’ll work up the nerve to read the rest; but Maas’ stories are a lot of pages of self-loathing, and I am just far too greedy with my time.
The point is, ACOMAF is where Maas lost me, and she did it so quickly through her strange backtracking with both Tamlin and Rhysand. Which seems to be the main problem with Maas as a storyteller. She's what I would call a one-hit wonder. Not to say she can't be a good writer. She's done it before. The problem is she has one great idea, and it should end with the first book, but instead it's stretched out into a multi-part series (and sometimes in the case of that Throne of Glass series, you have more spin-offs than even GRR Martin can conceive).
[b:Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1495278054l/7896527._SY75_.jpg|11138426]
Maas lacks consistency. The only thing she's consistent in is how inconsistent her storytelling is.
Writing is not an easy task - which is why I don't think I'll ever be serial myself - but there's a great bit of responsibility involved with telling a story. Your audience expects you to be able to stay true to your setting, themes, voice, characters, history. When you create a fantasy world, you take on something bigger than yourself.
Nearly everything Maas established from ACOTAR, she demolished by ACOMAF. (Or, if you also have a bad editor as she did in her others books, you might inappropriately use "decimated" here. Because... Sure, why not.)
Let's dive in.
Post-traumatic stress is a real thing. Especially in a world where they faced a terrible villainess who tortured and killed so many. While I do commend Maas for trying to tackle the looming nature of PTSD, there was something incredibly off-putting about the way in which she did it. That's probably because it took 20+ chapters before we got to the actual point of this book's plot. (Please note that it took me 8 months to finally put this book down. It was... difficult.)
ACOMAF opens with Feyre and Tamlin's upcoming wedding. The pair are still struggling with their own traumas and guilt from the last book. Feyre feels guilty for having this new halfling lease on life she feels she doesn't deserve - not to mention the actual experience of torture and death. Tamlin went through his own experiences with torture and watching the one he loved most die in the trials.
It makes sense that in the opening of ACOMAF they are still trying to navigate this new world. There is peace for once, but it's a true reflection of what a post-war world looks like. You're still mourning, you're still healing, you're still fighting. Things aren't going to be perfect. I'll even give Maas that Tamlin would feel compelled to be more protective about where Feyre goes and what she does. He's scared because he loves her so much.
When we met Tamlin in ACOTAR, he was very stoic at times, and he was hardly what one might consider communicative. Using the "Beast" model again, he was hard to read and hard to get along with at first. When he did finally open up to Feyre, and they began their love affair, this need to be cut-off from his emotions ended. Tamlin was still as poised as a High Fae would be, but he wasn't held back by a need to be some stoic entity to Feyre. He could be a partner and a protector.
I suppose Maas decided to make Tamlin uncommunicative again because dysfunction in a relationship makes for cheap thrills and drama. But Tamlin is presumably very old because he's an immortal High Fae. He's lived for years, seen other threats than just Amarantha, maybe taken multiple lovers, and he would have the wherewithal to be more for Feyre in these moments. Instead, while Feyre can't sleep, is vomiting all of the place, and emotionally unhinged, Tamlin just ignores her. One could say he was unable to be there for her because he was also coping, but as shaken and torn as the two might have been, Tamlin shouldn't have a reason to hold back. For someone so fiercely concerned about her safety, he should have been comforting and miserable with her. Not without her.
Frankly, I was so very bored with Tamlin and Feyre. It was glaringly and pathetically obvious how much Maas wanted to stick a wedge between her readers and Tamlin for no other reason than she wanted to explore Rhysand and Feyre together.
On multiple occasions, Tamlin and Feyre would say maybe two distinct words to one another, but then Maas would quick-cut to them having sex that night. When you're in a dysfuctional relationship, intimacy is the first thing to go. Unless Tamlin was coercing her to go along with it - which I never got that vibe from what I can remember - there would be no real desire for the two of them to be together like this. If Feyre could barely make it through the night due to night terrors, nor the day due to trauma, I really doubt she'd have the drive to be with Tamlin or anyone. But Tamlin would also be considerate of that.
She took a High Fae - the High Lord of the Spring Court - and completely neutralized everything about him that makes him a fantastical being. She watered him down into some weird Chad who throws tantrums that obliterate libraries at the smallest prick of irritation - which felt very much like Maas trying to pull a Michael Bay explosion for no other reason than theatrics - and added in odd amounts of sex between each scene just because she could. My guess is, she was told her sex scenes were good in the first book, so she had to milk that for all it was worth before splitting them up. But the sex was so boring and out-of-place, it became the perfect example of things you didn't need to include in the story.
If she even has an editor at this point, it's clear they aren't there for the quality of a story.
And again. I have to stress... That big outburst was so stupid. Tamlin has lived so long. That just shouldn't have even been in the book. She spotlighted his power in that scene so much, just to have Feyre run off again and not speak to him as a result. It didn't spark anything, it only served the purpose of: "What mediocre thing can I do to get Feyre back to the Night court"?
Another meaty character who was tenderized and cooked until abominably well-done was Rhysand.
Rhys is a low-hanging fruit bad boy trope. We all know it. I’m not going to sit here and act as though he wasn’t that. He was the antithesis of everything Feyre recognized in Tamlin. Rhysand does everything a YA borderline-smut fantasy book would do with a character like that. He’s the dream of every teen and young woman pretending like they don’t have a bad boy phase, and for some older women he is the hot, young snacc of their cougar dreams. Maybe even Maas’.
Somewhere between the mouth noises Feyre wouldn’t stop making in ACOMAF, and the strange tantrums Tamlin kept throwing, there were cut-scenes of Rhys in his element. He was no longer held down by Amarantha, and he was free to continue to cockblock Tamlin and Feyre every chance he got. However, what started off in ACOTAR as sexual innuendo, and the indication his ventures with Feyre would include adultery, quickly turned into elementary reading lessons and brooding in gothic guest rooms.
In fact, once Feyre paused to chew between inner monologues, and we got to the point of ACOMAF – again, a mere 20 chapters in – I just couldn’t be bothered to care.
What happened to the Rhys who promised us danger and intrigue?
If we’re being absolutely honest with ourselves, his entire “bargain” with Feyre was laden in what could easily turn into sexual abuse and/or – as mentioned – adultery.
This, with the caveat that if it isn't abuse, she’d probably hate herself for being into it – or she would have to admit to herself she’d always considered him and enjoys it from the start – but still. The fact that we’re supposed to trust Feyre, when she regularly told audiences how much she hated him for getting between she and Tamlin in the first book, should tell you more about what their initial encounter would realistically be.
If abuse, this isn’t exactly excusable, and I’m not saying I would prefer it to have happened in the books. But it’s a little odd this is what Rhys leaned into only to… Waste our time and just “save” Feyre whenever she was complaining about her fiance…
I recognize that Rhysand’s imprisonment affected his facade in ACOTAR. So much of who he was included ploys devised by Amarantha, and the general loathsome life he had with her. We even see glimpses where he seemed to feel bad for Feyre as she struggled through her trials towards the end of the book. At one point, he fights for her. He had layers, I’ll give him that. Yet, every single scene with Rhysand in ACOMAF, up until they finally start to make plans to take action – AGAIN, 20+ chapters in – was so dull. Occasionally he might smirk between caustic words towards those who should be his allies - a glimmer of that dry humor and cunning. Still, like Tamlin he seemed so regularly unhinged and on the verge of throwing a fit, it made every male character in this book seem overbearingly juvenile.
The truth is, for Maas this had to be done. It's asinine logic, but there it is.
Similarly to the way E.L. James’ eventually castrates an already bland Christian Grey – with no offense meant towards the Spider or other lovable eunuchs out there – Rhysand had to be watered down into a loving partner in order to be palatable for the one who wrote him and the people afraid to just fall for the “wrong” character. It’s not chic and Pinterest-cute to lust after the reprehensible villain. But it’s as if he suddenly became a lovesick puppy – clipped and lobotomized.
Nothing says true love like all the aesthetic and none of the substance, am I right, women?
Speaking of lobotomy.
In ACOTAR, we established the "ritual". You know the one. Calanmai, the Fire Night. It's the night that turned things hot and heavy for Feyre and Tamlin, but it had a rough history. That's how we were introduced to it. In spite of myself, I chose to believe Maas that it was something of a little thrill but a lot of scary considering in the POV of Feyre - a mere mortal - something like this could seriously harm her. As noted in that book, the Great Rite overpowers the High Fae, and he goes on a quest to find his Maiden to signal in spring and fertility for the court's crops and people. All-in-all, for an animalistic-based fae story, this works out pretty well. Has a little fantasy cheese in there, but I really enjoyed that ritualistic introduction in ACOTAR. It gave the Spring Court even more history and character.
This however opened up the doorways for Maas to layer in instances of sex with problematic behaviors. I'm not sure if this is a misunderstanding of how you can have thrills while having a dutiful partner - because there are too many forms of media to count that confuse this - or if she thinks she has to make her writing so opaquely juvenile because of its genre. Either way, she doesn't get a pass from me for this.
By ACOMAF, as mentioned, Chad and Feyre were busy randomly having missionary-styled bland sex between trauma-strokes - which that in itself feels awful to read, not only for its poor timing in prose, but when we knew the couple as they were.
Then, as mentioned, the promise of some sexual adventure with Rhysand turned into reading lessons and boring dinners. However, once Maas did go so far as to give me a backstory for this Night Court bat, all she was really doing was heading towards me with orbitoclast in-hand.
Rhys' mother had a really rough story. Amongst the Illyrian war-camps women were used for breeding and labor. They even went so far as to clip their wings so they couldn't escape, which also crippled them. Despite Rhys' mother's efforts to fly under the radar, she was discovered when she got her period, and the Night Court assumed the "mating bond". This ritual was described by Rhys has horrendous for the women of these camps, and it was a tradition the Night Court still kept. More of his personality - that I could actually support - came out when he told this story. It was obvious he hated the entire thing because of how his mother was the victim of it.
Unbeknownst to Feyre, from the time of her resurrection in ACTOAR, through some mystical whatever, Rhys and she were destined to be mates. Because sure. He kept this from her to try not to anger her, but after she found out and pitched a fit, they still mate anyway making the bond permanent.
Because when you're High Fae, and you hate the rituals of the court you preside over, and the memory of your mother's misery still haunts you, the first thing you want to do is inflict that on your crush right?? RIGHT?????
The amount of times that Maas used sex in ways I don't even think she's fully explored psychologically is fascinating. Every time she's thrown trauma to the wind for gratuitous sex, or taken something that's supposed to be dark and dangerous and made it soft and secure, has been incredibly misguided and boring.
I didn't even come here for the sex. The sex in ACOTAR was a surprise. And you want to know why it worked? Because it actually mattered to the story and served a purpose. She even wrote it in ways that were fun to read and didn't come with phrases like "he put his shaft in her flower" or whatever the hell people do these days. The sex in ACTOAR wasn't just there to be there, but her readers were foaming at the mouth for more, and this is what you get when you ask for too much from a one-hit wonder.
In some ways, this series could have been completely saved if there had just been an epilogue that wrapped up Tamlin and Feyre, so we could move on.
As much as I enjoyed ACOTAR, and the way Rhysand toyed with Feyre and even hinted at something more for later was fun, if I had known this is what I had to deal with later on, I would have given a hard pass back when it was announced.
thepunktheory
Written on Jan 7, 2019
Full review on my blog!
I have so many feelings about this, I don't even know where to start.
From my first review, you know that I've never been a fan of Tamlin. However, I could never really pinpoint what it was that made me dislike him (apart from being utterly boring). Now I know: he's a total prick, that's why! While I only rolled my eyes while reading the first book, I just wanted to smack his stupid face once I got into ACOMAF.
He is stupid, annoying, selfish and has a serious problem with his temper.
While reading all those chapters set in the Spring Court I kept wondering when Rhysand might come to claim the bargain as learning about the Night Court was the only reason I actually picked up the book.
So I couldn't help but cheer when Rhys (who always knew how to make an entrance) saved her from marrying that idiot.
Let me just say, I knew there is more to Rhys and the whole Night Court from the very first minute! I actually wanted to scream at Feyre to get her head out of her ass and find out more about this place.
And Rhysand. Oh Rhysand. I'm fangirling all the way here and shipped Feysand already when they were Under The Mountain. Whenever they taunt each other and flirt shamelessly, I can't help but feel - as Feyre would - my toes curling.
But those two are not the only characters I am rooting for. The whole Inner Circle. Azriel, Cassian, Mor, Amren - I want to read entire books about their respective stories. I want to joke with them, be part of their group and chime in with the lovely insults only true friends can chuck at each other and get away with.
I was so disappointed when Feyre didn't really talk to Mor during her first visit at the Night Court. I knew from the first second that she'd be a fascinating character I want to get to know!
Emma (SCR)
Written on Nov 8, 2018
In the first book, I loved Tamlin. I'd seen a lot of people talk about Feyre and Rhys and I couldn't work out how she could go from Tamlin to Rhys. It just didn't seem imaginable. And then I read this book. After a few chapters, I HATED Tamlin and everything started to make sense. Tamlin pretty much ignores Feyre. He ignores how she's feeling and how she's coping after under the mountain. He can't see that she is struggling and worse still he doesn't ask or try. Tamlin does some truly unforgivable things in this book which I didn't see coming.
Rhys on the other hand, I wasn't sure about him in book 1. He seemed like the villain but there were hints maybe things were all that they seemed. In this book, I fell and I fell hard. Rhys is nothing like the person he seemed in the first book. When you get to see the real Rhys you see that he was putting on a front. Why you ask? To protect the ones he loves and what better reason is there than that?
Feyre changes so much over the course of this book. At the beginning, she is broken. So broken that it seems like there is no way back. But as she starts to heal she becomes someone new. She can't go back to the girl she was before under the mountain it's just not possible so she becomes someone new. I like this new Feyre. She is kick ass, she is stronger than ever before and she knows her own mind.
I also loved the introduction to the night court and all its members. I love each of them in their own way. They all have their own stories to tell and each captured a little piece of me.
The ending of this book broke my heart into so, so many pieces. I was so glad to have the next book because there was no way I could leave it like that.
ktshpd
Written on Oct 27, 2018
Only complaint is that I wish she'd use another verb than barking to describe pain. Because dang, every other sentence.
Vicki
Written on Aug 11, 2018