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Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
The protagonists - standard-issue YA girlboss Feyre and her mysterious masked fae love interest are both dull as rocks. There was nothing that compelling about their courtship - no electric chemistry or real companionship. All of the men are apparently uber-hot (but not with any kind of specificity that would make them feel real) and also controlling, patronizing, and manipulative, constantly providing rules for Feyre that she inevitably breaks. And Feyre acted so nonsensically that it made me think they might all have a point. I couldn't even call this a weird, fun monster romance because the fairies weren't that weird, acting more like human nobles than anything else, and the "beast" in this very shallow Beauty and the Beast retelling wasn't really all that monstrous (he was essentially just a hot guy with a mask). The villain was cartoonish and mustache-twirlingly evil, and while there were a couple interesting side characters none of them got that much screentime.
I didn't expect the most intricate worldbuilding, but Maas could have at least had a little more fun with it. We spend about half of this book in a noble fairy court and it's shockingly devoid of life - all we meet are two boring pretty bois and one servant. Where are my weird fairies? Strange architecture? Exotic luxuries? There were a few attempts made which I enjoyed - some very interesting creepy monsters and a court in the last third of the book that was much more lively, but I needed more, or at least some good character development or intrigue in the interrim.
I will say that despite all of my complaints, this book was incredibly readable. The prose was a bit purple but not terrible, the plot had just enough hooks and plot twists to keep me from DNFing, and while the last third of the book wasn't necessarily well-written it was certainly fun (which is more than I can say about the rest of it).
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Slavery, Sexual harassment
Minor: Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Murder
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape
I really wish the show didn’t get scrapped- I’d kill to see what Tamlin would look like!
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Classism
Minor: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, War, Classism
Minor: Infertility
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail