Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review:  A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. MaasA Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Also by this author: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1), A Court of Wings and Ruin
four-half-stars
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on May 3rd 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 624
Also in this series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1), A Court of Wings and Ruin
Source: Purchased
Amazon
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:  Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has 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, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

My Review:

I have to confess I’ve been putting off reading A Court of Mist and Fury, partly because I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses so much that I just didn’t think the second book could possibly live up to the impossibly high expectations I had for it.  I finally broke down and read it this week for the Beat the Backlist challenge I’m participating in and all I can say at this point is WOW and OMG, how long do I have to wait to get my hands on the third book?!

I had actually managed to avoid spoilers for ACOMAF so I had no clue what to expect going in and man, was I shocked! Based on the events of ACOTAR and the direction I was anticipating the series moving in, in my mind, this entire book was a giant plot twist.  And what a glorious plot twist it was! I truly loved pretty much everything about it.

Here are a few of the biggest highlights for me:

 

Rhysand!

Rhysand was actually one of my favorite characters from the first book and I remember lamenting that I wished there had been more of him in that story. Well, I got my wish in A Court of Mist and Fury because Rhysand and the Night Court feature prominently in this book.  As much as I adored him as the handsome but amusing rogue we met in A Court of Thorns and Roses, my love for him grew tenfold as we got to actually learn more about him and the sacrifices that he has made for his people.  He may present himself as a devilish figure, but there’s really just so much more to him than that.  He’s a fierce warrior, a loyal friend, and a compassionate ruler.

Theme of Female Empowerment:

The theme of female empowerment really resonated with me in this book.  As much of an epic romance as Feyre and Tamlin seemed to have in A Court of Thorn and Roses, they are clearly not the same two people they were after everything they went through “under the mountain” at the hands of Amrantha.  After nearly losing her, Tamlin becomes so overprotective of Feyre that their relationship takes a very unhealthy turn and he basically imprisons her in his home, perhaps the worst thing he could have done to someone who is already reeling from having been imprisoned and forced to do things she never thought she would have to do.  As sad as it was to see their relationship fall apart, I liked that Maas had Feyre make a conscious choice to walk away from the unhealthy relationship that is practically suffocating her.  I thought that was a positive message for Maas to send out there to her female readers.

And even though she does end up in another relationship, this time it’s a healthy relationship where she is allowed the freedom she needs and where she is treated as an equal, not as some pretty plaything that needs to be protected and sheltered.  Plus, it wasn’t as though she just rushed from one to the other; it took nearly the entire book for her to embrace the idea of beginning a new relationship.  I found the way the relationship developed to be very realistic and I really loved Feyre that much more once she evolved into an even fiercer version of the Feyre we met in the first book.  She’s a real badass by the end of A Court of Mist and Fury!

Rhysand’s team:

OMG, I love these guys so much!  One of the things that really makes a book work for me is when the author creates a fantastic group of secondary characters and Maas really outdoes herself here. ACOMAF probably has one of the best I’ve read in recent years with Mor, Cassian, Aziel, and Amren.  I loved the dynamic between them.  They could laugh and poke fun at each other in one breath, but when it mattered, they would clearly fight to the death to protect one another.  They are so much more than just the High Lord’s chosen team; they are his family.  Each character was so unique, fascinating, and so well fleshed out that I found myself wishing Maas would give each of them spin-off series of their own.  I’d totally read them if she did!

So Much Action!

I don’t want to give away any details, but this book clearly isn’t just about Feyre recovering from what happened to her in the first book and finding love with a different man than we were expecting her to.  If you like lots of action, epic battle scenes, unexpected betrayals, and lots of plot twists, you’re going to love this book because it’s all here.  The book starts off at a fairly slow and steady pace as we watch Feyre begin her recovery, but once she leaves Tamlin, the pace really picks up and by about the halfway point, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Anything I Didn’t Like: 

As I said, I loved pretty much everything about the book. That said, however, I was a little disappointed in the direction that Maas chose to take Tamlin in.  He wasn’t my favorite character by any stretch in the first book, but it bothered me that he was made so unlikeable in this one.   I kept wondering if that was really necessary.

Who Would I Recommend A Court of Mist and Fury to?

I’d recommend this book to pretty much anyone who enjoys fantasy that is filled with action, adventure, and complicated relationships.  I’d personally probably only recommend it to older readers of YA fiction just because it does contain some pretty graphic sexual encounters.  It’s a great read though so I’d highly recommend it to anyone else.

 

Rating:  4.5 Stars

four-half-stars

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel, released on September 6th, 2016.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

14 replies
  1. Resh Susan
    Resh Susan says:

    Glad you loved it so much. I did not like feyre in general from ACOTAR. I felt the characters seemed different from the first book. But I am looking forward to ACOWAR

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I definitely preferred this book over the first one even though I enjoyed them both. I’m also very curious to see if Maas does anything to try to redeem Tamlin’s characters in ACOWAR.

  2. Prabhleen
    Prabhleen says:

    I hated the first book… but I do like this one a lot and am currently reading it 🙂 I just find all of SJM’s books SO OVERHYPED and I can’t. The sudden flip of Rhysand’s personality was too much for me to handle and Tamlin’s sudden change was something I didn’t like even though I hate him. I just feel the author trashed him just like she did with Chaol. *sigh*

  3. Amber
    Amber says:

    OH MY GOSH I LOVEEEE RHYSAND. I hate him in the first book to be honest. However, I feel in love with him pretty quickly in this book. He’s such a fantastic character. I also loved all the new characters that got introduced. So glad to hear you liked it! I agree… I didn’t think this book was going to be as good as Thrones and Roses but man was I wrong :3

    Amber @ Escape Life in the Pages

  4. Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads
    Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads says:

    This is one of my favorite reads so I’m super happy that you loved it so much! And I can only completely agree with all your arguments. Rhysand, female empowerment, the team and all the action were so amazing <3 Great review!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It was so amazing! I could kind of kick myself for waiting so long to read it, although I am glad it means I don’t have to wait quite so long for the next one.

  5. Di @ Book Reviews by Di
    Di @ Book Reviews by Di says:

    Yaaasss! You loved it! That’s awesome! 🙂

    I loved, loved, loved this book. In fact I’m just an SJM fangirl. 🙂 I actually can’t WAIT to reread these in anticipation of May!!! This book was my absolute favourite of 2016 and I’ve been hankering to reread it since I closed it last year!

    I adored Lucien in book one, and while I didn’t like the way Tamlin was in book two I felt there were plenty of pointers for it in book one that we missed because it’s from Feyre’s POV and she was… overlooking it? She needed to be rescued and so she saw Tam as she wanted to see him. He may not be all we think he is in book two, but I can’t deny that in my reread of book one (before reading book two) I saw him in a slightly different light than I did on my first read.

    Again, just so excited for ACOWAR!!!!

    Awesome review Suzanne!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yes, I thought it was brilliant! I can definitely see your point on Tamlin. Viewing him from Feyre’s POV in book one, especially with her state of mind being what it was at that time, could definitely have colored the view we were getting of Tam. I can’t wait to see what Maas does with his character in the next book.

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