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

by Sarah J. Maas

[jeannamichel]

Wow. Utter perfection.

Feyre and Tamlin, finally home at the Spring Court, thought the worst was behind them. However, Feyre is plagued by nightmares, reliving her time Under the Mountain, and during her waking hours, she endures planning a wedding that seems a halfhearted attempt at true happiness. It is not until Rhysand calls in his deal with Feyre that she begins to find purpose in her life again. When Tamlin commits the unforgivable, she leaves for the Night Court and Rhysand introduces her to a world filled with promise, color and hope.

Right from the start, it is interesting to see the direction Maas decided to steer her characters’ relationships which left them in unexpected positions. Feyre is different, she has seen many things and she isn’t quite sure how to cope with all her past experiences. This layered development that we see blossom in Feyre rings raw and true, an unpredictable combination that will certainly change the story in ways we could have never imagined.

There are quite a few new characters introduced in this one and each are unique, making it extremely easy to differentiate between them all. The Inner Circle, Rhysand’s group, offers everything from gorgeous character development to hilarious comic relief.

I adore Cassian and his jibes. He is so light-hearted and good, an excellent player to the series. Amren is, also, another new character. There were always more questions than answers when it came to her. I never knew exactly what to make of her which was why I didn’t really warm up to her at all even though she was part of the Inner Circle. It was an interesting choice to throw a character, whom we and other characters know little about, into a group that seems formed on trust.

In my review for A Court of Thorns and Roses, I mentioned how Feyre and I could be best friends. That notion definitely still stands, now even more so. Feyre was magnificent in the first but I loved her even more in the second. She brings her spunk, her bravery and even her stubbornness to the sequel.

I am appalled at myself that I’ve changed my ships so quickly. I adored Tamlin in A Court of Thorns and Roses. So what happened? Who would have thought that a wedding crasher would have changed my mind so quickly? In the first one, Rhysand seemed as minor as Magnus Bane and as witty and gorgeous as him too. That all changes in the second one where he is given a much more prominent role that fans of the series will be sure to gawk over. He may not glitter like Bane does but the stars from the Night Court shines bright with this one. He is the character of my dreams. It is a rare occurrence to come across such a tremendously well-written character.

(This section has minor spoilers from the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses.)
I spent most of the book infuriated with Tamlin. In fact, I am still furious with him. A part of me would have loved to see his reaction to some of the things that were going on. However, I know even with more scenes with him and the Spring Court, I would have been so angry to even continue (though I did miss Lucien, a little bit). I know quite a few readers who refuse to continue with the series because of how A Court of Thorns and Roses dealt with Tamlin and Feyre’s relationship. And, similar to Feyre, I almost wrote off the signs of abuse that after rereading the first seems so clear to me now. It was difficult to come to terms at what the relationship had become. I was expecting a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast: the beast and beauty should confirm their true love with a kiss, break the spell and live happily ever after. That's not what happened.

It still disturbs me how blind I was to Tamlin’s charm, to his advances. And I realized that this is exactly how abusive relationships are. Feyre and I both were blind to Tamlin’s nature. I sometimes write notes while reading so I remember to mention something about that or this in my book review. I was rereading some of my old notes for A Court of Thorns and Roses. I kept returning to the scene where he bites her neck after the Calanmai celebration and how it irked me. Excuse me, Tamlin, but pushing you away is definitely not giving you the green light to continue. But I wrote it off as quickly as Feyre because out of nowhere she realized that she had feelings for him. I didn’t put my dislike for the scene in my review because I couldn’t find a way to fit it in. Instead, I mentioned the unbalanced nature of their relationship. So now after finishing A Court of Mist and Fury, it still bothers me that I was blind for as long as Feyre, making excuses for Tamlin and hoping for the best. I would have to say this book hits close to home. It rings true, so incredibly fresh that the book itself should probably come with a trigger warning.

I don’t want you to think this book is all about an abusive relationship. It most certainly is not. Instead, A Court of Mist and Fury is a gorgeous healing journey of self-acceptance, friendship, and true love.

I absolutely loved A Court of Thorns and Roses so going into its sequel, I had high expectations and I’m delighted to say that my expectations were met and then some. I was interested in every facet of the plot. The writing and superb world building intensifies the read, pulling you into the immersive landscape.

A Court of Mist and Fury gave me all the feels. I don’t know how readers survived without the next book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, on hand. I didn’t realize the sequel would tear me up like that. It was a magnificent, wild ride that I will not soon forget. Similar in the sense that Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken went beyond the limits of Passenger, A Court of Mist and Fury passed that of A Court of Thorns and Roses. This is no longer a retelling but an original masterpiece that is woven from the world built in the first book.

The ending was mind-blowing. The level was stepped up a notch, well beyond ten times the original level it had started with. This sequel will break you, leaving you shattered. Hopefully, A Court of Wings and Ruin picks up the pieces and puts you back together again.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is so perfect, so important, so filled with everything. I found myself going back and rereading parts that I loved, that I needed to relive again even if it was only moments ago. This book is a treasure.