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

by Sarah J. Maas

[girlinthepages]

Here- here was the most powerful High Lord ever born.
The face of dreams and nightmares (408).

*Disclaimer: The first part of this review will be *relatively* spoiler-free, but may have a few minor ones. You've been warned!

I am a book blogger. I read a large volume of books every year. I review almost all of them. Some I love, some I hate, few I flail over. Yet when I do find a book that completely enraptures me, I am always convinced it's going to be the best book of the year, that I'll never be able to get over it, that the book hangover will be unbearable. Yet I always manage to power though.

Until now.

I had grave reservations about this book. I absolutely adored A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I knew this book would shift away from the Spring Court and focus on the Night Court, on Rhysand- and I was not about to root for another angsty love triangle situation in YA. However, this book really turned all of my preconceived notions on their head and tells a story so beautiful, and painful, and important that it's left me reeling and I don't know whether I want to sob or run around in circles of joy or both at the same time.

When I wrote my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses last year, one of the major elements I noted looking forward to in its sequel was how the trauma of the events that happened Under the Mountain would impact Feyre and the rest of the characters. I wanted it to be dealt with, and not pushed aside in favor of new plot points. I'm pleased to say that right away, Sarah addressed the PTSD that plagues all of the characters who suffered Under the Mountain, through heartbreaking nightmares, crippling phobias, and drastic personality changes. The trauma Amarantha caused sets the stage for A Court of Mist and Fury, where all of the characters must relearn themselves and deal with the new people they have become after that experience. While definitely heartbreaking to read at some points, I thought it was executed well, as such an experience is expected to leave such permanent damage on Feyre, Tamlin and Rhys after the horrors they endured. They are different people (or should I say Fae?) with different priorities and wants and needs now, and its riveting to read the plot with such pain and growth driving it.

As expected after the end of ACOTAR, Feyre is brought to the Night Court to fulfill her bargain with Rhys. While I anticipated not getting to spend much time at the Spring Court in this book, it was more than made up for with the major exploration of other parts of Prythian in stunning and evocative detail. The Night Court is devastating in its beauty, both great and terrible, with The Court of Dreams and The Court of Nightmares. Rhys' mountaintop palace reminded me a bit of the Moon Palace from Sailor Moon, with it's mild weather, walkways open to the night sky, and sense of tranquility and calm that it evoked. There's the Illyrian war camps, the mountain prison that holds horrors such as The Bone Carver...the territory is so vast and you don't realize quite how sheltered Feyre was until you read ACOMAF, how little of the Fae world she was allowed to see. Feyre also gets to explore the Summer Court, which I think held some of the most stunning descriptions I've ever read in a fantasy novel. Reading about Adriata was a true sensory experience, with the call of the sea tugging at Feyre's power, and the seashell covered walls of the palace and hidden grottos of treasure. My sincerest hope is to be able to see the rest of the courts before this series ends.

Speaking of Feyre's power, it became a fascinating focus in ACOMAF. Physically and emotionally, Feyre has been forever changed by her time Under the Mountain, racked with guilt over the tasks she performed, trying to navigate her new immortal existence, the powers of all seven high lords warring and festering within her and begging to be used and released. Her wasting away at the beginning of the novel was difficult to read, and I found my initial reluctance of Rhys and the Night Court fading when I saw how differently he treated Feyre compared to Tamlin. Oftentimes when a romantic interest changes in a series, it leaves me unsatisfied and reeling, as I'm not one to jump ships very often. But Sarah J Maas has me jumping ships like crazy in her series, and ACOMAF is no exception. Like in her Throne of Glass series, Sarah writes protagonists who grow and change over the course of her novels and the people the evolve into are not always the right fit for their initial love interest. Enter Rhys. Sure, he was a total bastard in a lot of ways in ACOTAR, as many Fae under the mountain were in order to survive. Sure, he can be cunning and wicked and arrogant. But he is also the breath of fresh air that this book needs after the trauma Under the Mountain and a continent full of paranoid, possessive males. He appreciates strong women, and his first and foremost concern is Feyre learning to read when she comes to the Night Court, which right off the bat indicated the sort of person he is. He never "allows" her to do anything, and does not stifle her powers or make her decisions for her. He's powerful without having to take powers from others in his relationships.

And now for my Rhysand appreciation paragraph: I am in love. I am over the moon. I am beyond thrilled to see a convincing, consuming love interest who is sexy and powerful and also just, intelligent, and a huge promoter of female rights. Rhysand provides the much needed real talk of this novel:

The issue isn't whether he loved you, it's how much. Too much. Love can be a poison.

The tension between him and Feyre was insanity, but while the physical attraction and witty banter was charming (as expected), it was the emotional trust-building and concern for one another's well being that made me root for Feyre and Rhysand. That sort of emotional health in a relationship is so incredibly attractive and NEEDED in YA and NA, and the romantic elements were made that much better because of it. Sarah also doesn't skimp on the physical intimacy in this book either, and there were swoon-worthy encounters that felt so perfect for the course of this novel. She doesn't hold back because of the book being marketed as YA, and I appreciate the raw and passionate intimacy portrayed between Rhys and Feyre. This book is unapologetically sexy, people.

I will say though that my one, tiny complaint about this novel is that I feel that Tamlin's character was pushed to the extreme in order to drive the plot forward. We definitely see the negative aspects to his personality in A Court of Thorns and Roses (such as his temper, but as it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling I found it very unsurprising). However I feel like some of those negative traits were exacerbated for the sake of driving other story lines forward faster. Overall I think my mind and heart would be in the same place after reading ACOMAF, but I do wish there had been some more nuance, or explanation, for Tamlin's choices at this point in the series. [spoiler]Also, RIP my old ship because it's been blasted out of the water by my EPIC feels for Rhys and Feyre. Just saying. [/spoiler]

Unsurprisingly, Sarah J Maas also introduces a whole new cast of secondary characters in this book via the Night Court that are just as fantastic and fleshed out as her initial characters. Mor, Azriel, Cassian, and Amren make up Rhys' inner circle, and the relationship they all have, a true, chosen family, is incredible. I could read a whole book just on their relationships and their upbringings (I NEED a book about Mor. NEED.), and their inclusion and existence really resonates with Feyre, who I think is the epitome of a person who believes you can choose your family when your real, biological relatives are not there for you in the way that you need them to be. Yet Feyre's family is not wholly absent either, and Nesta and Elain are seamlessly integrated back into the plot in this novel as well.

You know, I think I've managed to pretty coherently articulate my thoughts on what is probably my favorite novel that I have ever read, but I also feel it's my duty to express to you that I was an absolute mess when I finished it, and you may well be too. The ending ripped me apart, and while not a cliffhanger so to speak, it gutted my soul and I literally do not know what I'm going to do for the next year.

Basically this novel was brilliance and if you like retellings (this one is reminiscent of Persephone and Hades), swoons, sexy times, badass characters, and devastatingly beautiful settings, you should run, not walk, to your nearest bookstore and acquire it. And then tweet me so we can rage/rave/grieve/celebrate together.