merrow 's review for:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

4.0

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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After the initial portion of the book dragged somewhat, it began to really pick up and become genuinely romantic. By the end, even with limited love for the characters or even the plot, I found myself strongly caring for their relationships with one another, which is absolutely the highlight of the book.

I feel like Rhysand is let of lightly for some of his actions, but the book does do a brilliant job of re-evaluating Tamlin’s behaviour as it progresses and helping the reader also acknowledge the toxicity if needed. The end did feel a bit weak though, with a lot of piling up dramatic stakes one after another without break to  take it in until none of them really felt as impactful as they should.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence

Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism