A review by saw_knee
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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

5.0

Yo! This book! The first one took me a while to get into. This one blew me away from page 1; so much so, that I read all 600 pages in about 4 days. Sarah J Maas really digs into the repercussions of trauma and Feyre is able to begin to heal in a realistic and honest way. Initially, I found this book similar to New Moon (book 2 in the Twilight Series), but while Bella becomes consumed by a depression that honestly didn't match the stakes of the book, Feyre is challenged to work through her depression and PTSD. Overall Feyre became a much more multi-dimensional and likable character over the course of the book. Don't get me started on Rhysand...
The way he knew what Feyre needed, never pushing her too far, and always ALWAYS allowing her to make her own decisions just completely melted me.
 

Plot-wise, Maas is able to raise the stakes without seeming too melodramatic. She adds depth to the existing faerie lore smoothly. We learn many new things through Feyre's eyes, as she is new to faerie life. I believe it is evident that Maas had a plan from book 1, and so no twist seemed too unbelievable, no plot device, too random. I really appreciate this, as so often in YA it is obvious the author wanted to make a series and thought out the 1st installment, but then is left floundering on how to conclude the epic story (Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.). I hope this remains true in the remaining ACOTAR books -- the dramatic shift in page number per installment does make me a little worried. 

I know we are only two books into this series, so there is a lot of plot left, but this one seems like it will be hard to top. 
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