Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

11 reviews

the_chaotic_witch's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

699 pages; 2017; 4/5 stars; 7.86 CAWPILE; spoiler-free 

This book. Oh, this book. The first time I read it, it sent Me on a roller coaster of all different emotions. And though I've read it four times now, I still experience that extreme emotional response; it's quite probably a Me thing. I think this is my favorite book in the series, and though I haven't read A Court of Silver Flames yet, I don't think that's likely to change. 

Were there parts in this book where I was like, "Fuck, really"? Of course. Were they plot/character-related and realistic and reasonable in the story? Yes. Were they mainly due to some of my personal views? Yes. (Come on, that can't be a normal allo thing, right?? Right?? It's so. so. often.) 

While we had a whole group of new characters to explore in book 2, here we also get a few new ones. But we Mainly deepen the ones we have already got. I feel like because of that; the development wasn't as strong as in the second book. Still, due to the new characters we got, however briefly, I feel like they got enough depth without seeming too strained and added to the story in a way that brought it forward and left room for further development in the future. 

I am not saying the development of pre-existing characters in this book isn't good. They are developed, deepened, and intriguingly written and portraying interesting and essential facets of life and diversity. 
Though I wished we had gotten a bit more insight on some characters and will forever be bitter, we got so little of my Az baby. 

As the plot of this third book; it is a culmination of the brewing conflict, a strategical battle of wits and force and a fight to keep those you love safe - as I said before: I suffered. I was devastated the first time I read it. The third time was the first I cried at the end. I did so again this time around. (Trigger warnings:) This book deals with war, violence, abuse (physical, verbal, mental), sexual content, racial slurs (in a way), death, and bigotry. Because this third installment deals with war, with all things ugly, they are trying to fight, with strategic elements and tensions. Besides the comic relief, the found-family aspect that you know I love, this tension gets disrupted by sexual content and mental illness representation (depression, PTSD). 

I like this installment not only for its strategic elements and the sense of danger and dread it conveys but because it is interlaced with a feeling and knowledge of why we - the reader - should care and what the characters are fighting for. And that goes beneath "they are evil, and we have to fight them because of it." 
The world-building in this installment goes not necessarily more in-depth than in book two but further. While in the first book, we explored the Spring Court and the Middle, in the second, we looked at the island in the broader view, here we delve further into the different regions on the island and a bit onto the continent. We explore what was there before this thing called Prythian and where some creatures might have come from. In a way, we also explore the very fabric their world is made of. 

Also, while the first book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the second a Hades and Persephone retelling, this one isn't one straightforward singular reimagining of a known story. But it incorporates different parts of different stories. Or at least that's what I noticed while reading. 
For example, you could read part of the story as a Snow White retelling of what happened to the Evil Queen, and you can find clear parallels to the Moses story in the Old Testament. And if you want to go deeper, you could also interpret (though this is nowhere confirmed) that the Old Testament / Dante-esk angels and world make an appearance as well. While I have no idea if any of this makes sense, this is what I found pretty prevalent this time around reading this book. 

This time around, there are also little lessons and philosophies intertwined with the plot that I personally very much enjoyed but that I have seen have gotten a lot of crap from people for being too obvious, too much, or simply too connected with the plot. I think they make sense in the story; they fit the characters they are associated with and add to the plot. 

As for the plot: While in the past reads of this story, I found it marvelously paced, and I found it incredibly strategically thought through; this time around, I found it less so. This entire reread makes the whole story appear much more fast-paced than I had usually found it and the strategic aspects, while still very good, are more luck and convenience than actual action. 

Don't get Me wrong. The parts the characters plan themselves are still good, and the tension and its relief are still strong and impressive but less so than I might have praised it for in the past. For some of the culmination at the end, it is for us to suspend our disbelief a bit, but other than that, emotionally, strategically, multidimensionally, and logically I very much enjoyed the plot of book 3. 

I don't think I have to talk about the intrigue and enjoyment here a lot. I mean, it's pretty apparent that I love this book with all my heart, that I love these characters, this world, and will forever think that we can never get enough content from them. I would be happy to follow them through millennia of mundane tasks and everyday life just to have more of them. Did I worry at the beginning of the book? 100%. Did I worry at the end of the book? 100%. Was there fun, and love, and emotion, and heartbreak, and anger? 100%. And that's why I love it. 

That's Me signing off. Be kind, especially to yourselves! Bye ♥ 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...