A Court of Mist and Fury (Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

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 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

[Sam@WLABB]

Love - love was a balm as much as it was a poison.

This was just such an epic story about love. This idea that love is a give and take relationship. Love is not controlling. Love allows one to grow and become the best person that they can be. Love does not lock you up to keep you stunted and hidden from the world, but rather, fortifies you to face hard times and survive. Love is sacrifice, which may be painful.

he'd fought for me -- but I'd fought harder for him.

After her "rebirth", Fayre is struggling with who she is and what she wants. She is tormented by what she did under the mountain, and in the throes of a deep depression. She is questioning who she is, what she wants, and this "love" that is between her and Tamlin. As always, SJM gave us an action packed story with amazing characters and some really hot parts too. I was even crying, like really crying, my mascara was running around 90%-ish. I also fell in love with Rhys, his inner circle, and the Court of Dreamers. My heart was bursting with love and hope and all sorts of good stuff so many times during this book.

Not as my heart -- my heart -- ached, so viciously that I realized it'd somehow been repaired in these past few months. Repaired by him.

What I loved though, is that she gave us closure, while setting up the next book. We are pointed in the direction of the fate of the MCs, and don't have to be all stressed out until September. But man, I cannot wait to read the next book!

I was his and he was mine, and we were the beginning and middle and end. We were a song that had been sung from the very first ember of light in the world.

I am so glad there is a book like this out there, which tells a fantastic story, but also can set an example of real love, and show young women that when a real man loves a women, he empowers her.

"Welcome to the family, Feyre." And I thought those might have been the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

5★ Audiobook ⎮ Let me just say that I didn't want to like this book as much as I did. I read the first installment, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) about nine months ago and rated it five stars. By the time this installment was released, my enthusiasm for the series had greatly waned. Hey, that happens sometimes. Over time, some stories "savor" and some "sour" in my mind and only time will tell if my initial reviews hold up. In my initial reviews (the one written right after completing the audiobook), I rate stories based on my level of enjoyment while listening to them. ACOTAR was a story that had me in the palm of its hand almost from the get-go. But as the months went by, I began to dissect it and allowed some other reviewers' feelings to influence my own. I never changed my initial five star rating, because I don't believe in re-rating, but my opinion of the series was definitely diminished by the time this installment (ACOMAF) came out. The only thing that made me want to continue with the series was the hope that the instincts that led me to give ACOTAR five stars way back in September weren't wrong.

It took me well over a month to finish this audiobook. Not only is it extremely long (22 hours+), but I found the first 65-70% to be as slow as molasses in January. It creeped along so painfully slowly that I kept putting it down in favor of other things. I think I finished three other audiobooks in the time it took me to finish this one. I mean, it was good. But to go from such a high intensity ending in ACOTAR to this slow, dare I say stagnant, beginning in ACOMAF was painful as watching paint dry. However, I have no doubt that the negative feelings I accrued in the last thing nine months between installments was largely to blame for my listlessness. Someone reading these two installments back-to-back would likely have a much easier time with it. To be clear, I'm taking responsibility for not being as satisfied as I could have been with the first two thirds of this.

My one legitimate complaint was the amount of prominence given to the very lengthy and descriptive sex scenes. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but it was the only thing that really bothered me about the way this story was written. I don't consider myself prudish by any stretch of the imagination, but my issue with these scenes is that I didn't understand their point. Don't get me wrong, they were absolutely killer. And I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy them, but even after having completed the book, I still don't think they added anything to the story. I could possibly see the point of having one and then maybe some strong implications of continued relations ("fade to black" style) to reiterate the point later on, but the way these were written quickly became redundant and, in my opinion, it cheapened the story. Those repeated scenes made me feel like I was reading fan fiction, not a best-selling novel (...that isn't 50 Shades). They have a lot of sex. Okay, I get it. But I don't need a play-by-play every time they do. We all know sex sells and there's clearly a reason, but most of these scenes seemed like a forced, unnecessary way to get "cheap pops" (bonus points to those who get that reference!). Most annoyingly of all, these scenes added absolutely nothing to the overall plot.

In addition to not believing in "re-rating", I also don't believe in re-reading a story I've already completed, mostly because I have too many others waiting. With that said, I'm currently considering listening to ACOMAF again because I don't feel like my heart was in it the whole time. Again, I take responsibility for that. I was initially very perturbed (but also sort of excited?) that Maas was basically changing everything (setting, characters, love interest) for this installment and it's possible that I let some of those feelings interfere with my ability to immerse myself in this book.

Sidebar: I've read multiple reviews from fuming fans of ACOTAR who actually DNF'd this installment (or outright refused to give it a try) because of all the changes or because of ship-related issues. Without getting into spoilers, suffice it to say that if they had actually bothered to finish this installment, a lot of words would have been eaten by now. I ate quite a few of my own words during this installment as well. Maas apparently took it upon herself to teach us all a lesson in patience because so many of the complaints levied at her over ACOTAR were rendered null and void in ACOMAF.

Now that I have a better grasp on the new characters and whatnot, I actually really want to try listening to this again. I think the best time to re-listen would probably be just before the next installment is released next year. If I can wait that long.

Narration review: Jennifer Ikeda has yet again proven herself to be a premier narrator. I'm so pleased that she returned for this installment, not just because a new narrator would have compounded all of the aforementioned changes and probably sent me into a tailspin, but because Jennifer=Feyre to me now. I've become so accustomed to hearing her as Feyre that I'm currently having a bit of a problem adjusting to her narrating Diana in A Discovery of Witches. Feyre matured so much in this installment and I really feel like Jennifer Ikeda was able to capture that new maturity and development in her narration. She also does an absolutely fantastic job of providing voice distinction for all of the characters. I've never had trouble discerning between Amren and Mor because their personalities are clearly evident in the way she voices them. ♣︎

Ah, A Court of Mist and Fury. How dost I describe my feelings for thee?

I both loved thee with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.....and hated you with equal fervor.

Part of me is like this:

and then part of me is like:

So, basically, I am both Meryl Streep AND John Krasinski in this GIF

Okay, so I guess I should actually tell you why I feel this way.

WHAT MADE ME SQUEAL:

1. #SquadGoals:
   But seriously though. This book is ultimate #SquadGoals, okay? I have ALWAYS been a sucker for brotherhood, honor, loyalty, and making your own family. And this book has it ALL. I was rooting for them all and wanted to give them hugs (even though they'd probably attempt to gut me) and THEY'RE ALL PRECIOUS, OKAY?! These #squadgoals gave me feeeeeellings. The loyalty. THE BROTHERHOOD! S. J. Maas is QUEEN of making awesome, kick-butt friendships (ToG anyone?) and this book is no exception.


2. GIRL POWER FOR THE WIN:
   Okay, this goes along with the above point, but it also needed its own. S. J. Maas is also queen of making awesome female friendships for the WIN! Forget the catty pettiness. She makes strong female characters, not solely in the physical sense, but women who are strong in who they are as a person. If that's not strong female representation, I don't' know what is.


3. Rhys - the tortured (quite literally) soul who secretly has a heart of gold *gasp*:
   Okay, so weirdly enough he's also why I didn't like this book that much. But that's for later. Right now, here's why I absolutely adore him. I can't even lie, in ACoTaR, I was kinda feeling team Rhys. But this book. Guys, THIS. BOOK! Rhys is just like a tortured porcupine. All prickly on the exterior but its just hiding an ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS SOUL. He's the fiercely loyal, stoic, and kind-hearted type I adore. His self-sacrificial attitude is just beyond honorable and he'd do anything for those he cares about. Also, he really encourages and treats Feyre with the respect and dignity she deserves. IT JUST MELTS MY HEART, OKAY?!


4. Touched on Depression and trauma:
   Let's face it - after all the crap that went down at the end of ACoTaR, it's is absolutely no suprise that Feyre is dealing with a LOT of difficult stuff. And this book represents. It doesn't gloss over it. No - it showcases it in a way that is sympathetic, understanding, and authentic. You can actually feel the emotions that Feyre is going through. The lack of interest, just going through the motions, lack of desire. I'm glad that it wasn't glossed over because it makes it realistic.

WHAT MADE ME SCREAM:

*Note: These may contain some *slight* overview spoilers. If you don't want to know anything, then don't read.

1. Rhys the TOO. ANNOYINGLY. PERFECT. fae:
   "'WHAT?', you cry. Didn't you just say how much you loved Rhys?" Why, yes. Yes I did. And I do. He has quite a few qualities I absolutely adore. The problem is 1) He does a complete 180 from the last book and 2) he is almost faultless. Yes, he is still the dark, brooding, sassy fae we all came to love in book 1 but *insert cliche tortured soul with a heart of gold here*.ANNNNNNNDDD he can basically do no wrong. Like, I don't mind a tortured fellow who is actually quite loyal and sweet, even if he is harboring a dark past, but he can in NO WAY be perfect. Rhys was portrayed as being bascially faultless in this book. Everything he did, everything he said, was PERFECT. No missteps, whatsoever. No accidentally saying the wrong thing. Oh, and everything he did was reasoned away. Look, I get that he did a lot of things out of selfless nature, but he also did some bad things and Feyre just reasons everything away. Like suuurrreee he did that, BUT HE'S OH SO SELFLESSSSSSS! I call bull-crap.


2. Book 1 is basically pointless:
   This book basically makes book 1 utterly. pointless. Like, "HA! You thought it was Tamlin/Feyre for life? SIKE!" And, look, I kind of like the narrative of the first person you fall in love with, not being the right one. Cause look, it happens. And I also like the narrative of sometimes falling for someone due to circumstances. BUT I hate how the first book was all I LURRRRRVVVEEE YOU and then this book is like ummmmmm jk. This leads too......


3. Same thing she did with QoS:
   Okay, so without being too spoilery(ish), she did the same thing here that she did in QoS - she takes the love interest where they are so. totally. in love. and it makes you SQUEEEE then, again the whole 180 twist, and the MC falls in LURRRRVVVEE with someone else.The problem is there's not much...leading to the switch. I guess, in both instances, I feel like it was very sudden. Nothing really leading to the switch. (If you can't tell, I'm CHAOLAENA FOR LYFE). Like, something happens but instead of slowly leading to the switch in love interests its like 1) I LOOOOOVVVVEEE YOU 2) oh, you did something 3) NOW I LOVE ANOOOTTTTHHHEEERR! No steady transition here. One moment in love. The next, not so much.


4. I don't think Tamlin would do that:
   Okay, I can't say anything about this part without giving something away, but I think what ultimately happens is WAY out of character for Tamlin. Like, no. He would NOT do that.


5. WHERE IS MY PRECIOUS LUCIEN?!:
   I ADORED Lucien in the first book. In this one? Not so much. Not only is he basically non-existent, but none of his sass and sweetness was illustrated.

Honestly, the worst part is that the more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I just feel like it was a completely different book, a completely different series. Book 1 felt pointless. People did 180s without reason in my opinion and just......*le sigh*. I wanted to love it. I really, REALLY did. And this book had quite a few great parts (FRIENDSHIP!), but ultimately it left me frustrated. I guess if you're fully #TeamRhys, then you won't care. But even though I really liked him, I still didn't love this book.

Alright fellow readers - surely I can't be the ONLY one who didn't like this book. I am? *crickets* *Slowly backs away from ravenous horde of ACoMaF fangirls and hides in cave for rest of life*

 

 This review was originally posted on Oh, For the Love of Books!

[Artemis]

The Artemis Reader

I started this mere minutes after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses. And I read this in the span of two days. Maas impressed me enough to also go out and buy Throne of Glass. I'm already dreading the year long wait for the third book!

A Court of Mist and Fury begins shortly after the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and brings you heartbreaking romance, new characters, excellent character development, and more of the mysterious Prythian. Thanks to Maas I now fully understand the "book hangover" after binging on this book. Although the pace is slow, Maas loads up this sequel with an incredible amount of character development

 

I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal.
I was a survivor, and I was strong.

If you are on the fence about starting yet another series that falls to the dreaded "love triangle" trope - do not lump this book in with the others. Feyre evolves into a completely different person, someone who is suffering and yet also discovering her own strength after the events of the first book. In that evolution she also realizes that what she wants and what she needs has changed. 

 

I'm thinking that I was a lonely, hopeless person, and I might have fallen in love with the first thing that showed me a hint of kindness and safety. And I'm thinking maybe he knew that - maybe not actively, but maybe he wanted to be that person for someone. And maybe that worked for who I was before. Maybe it doesn't work for who-what I am now.

I wish I had a more cohesive review of this book but honestly it made my mind melt. Maas' level of detail to every aspect of this story was incredible, and her development of these characters and additional new ones was more than one could have hoped for in this follow up to A Court of Thorns and Roses. I don't know how I will last until third book comes out in 2017! Guess I'll have to amuse myself with the Throne of Glass series until then.

[Chelsea]

Quick review:

Quick thought before I start: I would not consider this a young adult book. I thought I'd warn younger people who want to read this. There's lots of violence and sex and swearing that I don't think younger teens should be reading. I don't know why this is even classified as young adult.

This is a book that I kind of want to hate because of the writing and certain events but I can't because I was easily drawn into the story. Also how did I not see how much Sarah J Maas uses ... and - until now? She has a hard time writing complete sentences I think.

I loved the romance in this book. It was nice having a new adult book where the main character was able to play the field a little bit before actually settling down with someone. And with no love triangle? Bonus points for that!

I hated Feyre at the beginning of this book but I'm really glad she matured and became a better character by the end. The development was really nice withe her. Except it kind of drove me crazy that the author made her out to be the special snowflake who can do no wrong. It was really pushed too about how special she was.

I loved that we saw more of Rhys in this book because he was a favourite of mine last book. I also loved seeing another court because we got to see all the differences between a couple.

I'm one of the few people that had a problem with this book. The only reason it got 3 stars was because I really did enjoy reading it. It honestly should have gotten lower from me. I HATED what the author did to Tamlin. I found he was a completely different character in this book! I don't k ow what happened in between books 1 and 2 to make that huge change! For whatever reason his personality is almost changed with Rhysand's and they switch roles. Also both of them are kind of abusive which was a little weird for me because I wasn't expecting that. I thought Feyre was a much stronger character and wouldn't stand for any of that stuff. I guess it just felt like all of the characters had their personalities ripped apart and given new ones, though I still liked a few of them. Just don't go into this book expecting it to be like the first.

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I loved Feyre and Tamlin together in the last book. I was leery of a love triangle, which was hinted at in book 1. And there is one, but also not quite. I didn't like Tamlin's behavior at all, and while it was believable in some ways, it just bugged me. Feyre had changed in more than just her mortality and species. But Tamlin was basically treating her like a house pet.

But the one that irked me the most was Lucien. I loved him, and loved his interactions with Feyre in the last book. But in this one? I wanted to smack him so hard. And some of it didn't feel like it really fit with his character.

I adored Feyre's banter with Rhys. And her friendships with the other inner circle Night Court members was believable, and fit really well. The description of Starfall made me want to be able to see it. I also liked the slow burn of the romance, and how Rhys was trying to make Feyre as strong as she could be. By giving her choices and the tools to teach herself.

Feyre is darker in this book. But it fits. Both because of her change, what happened Under the Mountain, and the fading at the Spring Court. The change totally worked for me. And I can hardly wait to see what happens in the next book.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[Nessa Luna]

I've decided not to continue with this series, because I just could not get through this book. I will still read Sarah's other series, Throne of Glass, but I am just giving up on the ACOTAR series. Sorry not sorry.

[Leigha]

The sequel to A Court of Thrones & Roses has Feyre struggling to rebuild her life after her traumatic experience Under the Mountain.

This book had it all - action, adventure, romance, world-building, and well-rounded characters. Should I be surprised? Maas consistently draws me into these wonderfully constructed worlds with intriguing characters. I loved this book so much more than the first. It spent time illustrating Feyre's growth as a character and a fey. The secondary characters introduced in this book each brought something to the table as well as to Feyre's characterization.

And then there was the romance. Let me be honest - I'm usually a Plot A romance person. When two people are introduced as the "big love story" for a series, I rarely deviate from that pairing. However, I have deviated from my norm with both of Maas' series. The romance in this book was built brick-by-brick between the two characters. I absolutely adore stories where the romantic partners start as friends and move to another level.

FYI - I would classify this book as New Adult and not Young Adult based on some sexually explicit scenes and graphic violence.

tl;dr A must read for people looking for a strong heroine, an amazing romance, and an intriguing plot/setting.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

I should have seen this coming. I didn't want to believe this is how A Court of Mist and Fury would go, based on the event of of A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I guess deep down I always suspected Maas was going to hang Tamlin out to dry.  After all, here is how I ended my review of book #1:

The downside to this section of the book, however, is that love interest Tamlin entirely disappears while Feyre takes center stage.  Readers are then introduced to a different male character very much in depth, who quickly becomes far more interesting than Tamlin.  When Beauty and the Beast are finally reunited…I found myself not really caring.  I wanted the other guy.  It looks as if I’ll be getting my wish in the second book to see more of the new guy, but that doesn’t satisfy me.  I can’t help docking stars from a book that drops its own love interest and makes the ending super anti-climatic, no matter how much I liked the rest of the book.

And so this is my major issue with A Court of Mist and Fury. I really like Rhysand--I liked him even in ACOTAR--but Maas has to do so major work to convince readers that Feyre's prancing off with him instead of Tamlin, instead of the man she risked everything for and was willing to die for, is a good idea and a romance we should be invested in.  Because, frankly, it's a really tough sell to say that the actions Feyre took in book #1 were meaningless or misguided or directed at the wrong man. If someone would do all that for a guy who was completely wrong for her, what on earth does true love look like?

It's a conundrum, so Maas relies on two major crutches to try to fix it all. 1) Do a bait and switch and suddenly make Tamlin a villain. Sure, she foreshadowed some protectiveness in ACOTAR and used the ending to imply maybe Tamlin's not as great as we thought he was--but implying Tamlin just isn't right For Feyre at this point isn't enough. Maas relies on a time-tested cliche: making the former love interest so villainous that readers and the protagonist simply can no longer consider him a viable option. 2) Maas squeezes the world-specific concept of "mating" for all its worth.  Love, marriage, and mating all all separate things in this place, but mating is binding and surpasses everything else.  Thus, readers are forced into believing Rhys is best for Feyre because they are mates. Anything else she experienced in a romantic relationship before might have been true--she may have really loved Tamlin--but it's all superficial compared to the mating bond.

Now, my personal problem is that I actually do enjoy Rhys as a love interest. He's caring, intriguing, playful, complex.  But the cost of making Rhys complex for Maas is making sure that Tamlin is not.  Anything characterization Tamlin had in ACOTAR disappears; readers and Feyre are left only with a man who is a selfish abuser and appears to have minimal reason for being one, despite the meaningless speculations Feyre tries to make that maybe he was "broken" Under the Mountain, too. Because in this book, Tamlin's brokenness doesn't matter; the references to it have no substance.  Apparently, only the brokenness of Rhys and Feyre is worth being explored.

So, yes. I enjoyed reading about Rhys and Feyre. I'm interested in seeing more (and I can only assume Maas isn't going to pull a bait and switch on readers again since Rhys and Feyre are mates). However, I think the way the romance was accomplished was a bit disturbing.  Tamlin is being thrown under the bus for the sake of plot, and it seems unfair.

That said, the plot of ACOMAF is breathtaking. One of my major complaints about ACOTAR was that there didn't seem to be much of a plot at all under Feyre went Under the Mountain (so, you know, for most of the book). Here. Maas compensates for that spectacularly, and I can't wait to see what happens at the end of the series.

[Stephanie]

Whew, was not expecting that. Minus one star for the eyeroll-worthy sex involved.