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A review by bubblegumbruno
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I won’t lie I thought during most of the entire first HALF of this book that I would be giving this book no more than a 2 star rating. But the second half of the book was so good that I have to bump the rating up.
I didn’t like nesta at the beginning. And I mean, she wasn’t written at the beginning to be likeable, but that’s not really what I mean. I felt like the portrayal of her ptsd was, as someone with ptsd, at times jarringly unrelatable. There were lines and moments that were so real and written in a way that felt well informed to what it’s like to have ptsd, and lines and moments that snapped me out of that so entirely. The extent to which she was purposelessly cruel to the people around her just bc she hated herself and what happened to her just did not feel well done or like a fair or intelligent representation at all.
But her journey of healing and her inner monologue were really fantastic to read anyway. The friendships she formed with emerie and gwyn, watching their healing and their stories and watching all of them train to be valkyries. All of the chapters and scenes with emerie, gwyn, nesta, the house, and the Valkyrie training would have been enough to boost this book up to 4 stars………
But the sex and the horniness was written so uncomfortably and raunchy and cringe that I literally cannot bear to put this at 4 stars. I legitimately skipped the sex scenes. They stretched on and on and on and read like actual just straight up pages of porn from a fanfiction website. Im not prude, it was all just so painfully cringe that I was literally crinkling my nose before I gave up entirely on trying to read through the sex scenes. Thumbs down. Stop that, SJM. I felt violated everytime I had to glance over the words “his seed”. Yuck!!!!!!! That was so uncomfy.
Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, the House, the rest of the priestesses/valkyries are pretty much the sole reason this book got a 3.75 rating from me. Love the girlies thank you for carrying this book on your shoulders
Oh also a warning that there is a lot of talk of sexual assault/violence, rape, a loss of control and agency and autonomy in this book. Most of it is simply talked about, so i found it in that sense tastefully and well done. BUT. There was one scene/chapter that was a bit more of a graphic portrayal of sexual violence than we got in the rest of the book. So if that bothers you, just be wary of the chapters in the bog of oorid. The chapter with the kelpie was difficult to read.
I didn’t like nesta at the beginning. And I mean, she wasn’t written at the beginning to be likeable, but that’s not really what I mean. I felt like the portrayal of her ptsd was, as someone with ptsd, at times jarringly unrelatable. There were lines and moments that were so real and written in a way that felt well informed to what it’s like to have ptsd, and lines and moments that snapped me out of that so entirely. The extent to which she was purposelessly cruel to the people around her just bc she hated herself and what happened to her just did not feel well done or like a fair or intelligent representation at all.
But her journey of healing and her inner monologue were really fantastic to read anyway. The friendships she formed with emerie and gwyn, watching their healing and their stories and watching all of them train to be valkyries. All of the chapters and scenes with emerie, gwyn, nesta, the house, and the Valkyrie training would have been enough to boost this book up to 4 stars………
But the sex and the horniness was written so uncomfortably and raunchy and cringe that I literally cannot bear to put this at 4 stars. I legitimately skipped the sex scenes. They stretched on and on and on and read like actual just straight up pages of porn from a fanfiction website. Im not prude, it was all just so painfully cringe that I was literally crinkling my nose before I gave up entirely on trying to read through the sex scenes. Thumbs down. Stop that, SJM. I felt violated everytime I had to glance over the words “his seed”. Yuck!!!!!!! That was so uncomfy.
Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, the House, the rest of the priestesses/valkyries are pretty much the sole reason this book got a 3.75 rating from me. Love the girlies thank you for carrying this book on your shoulders
Oh also a warning that there is a lot of talk of sexual assault/violence, rape, a loss of control and agency and autonomy in this book. Most of it is simply talked about, so i found it in that sense tastefully and well done. BUT. There was one scene/chapter that was a bit more of a graphic portrayal of sexual violence than we got in the rest of the book. So if that bothers you, just be wary of the chapters in the bog of oorid. The chapter with the kelpie was difficult to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape and Eating disorder