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A review by xcrissy67x
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think I'd have to agree with the majority and say that the second book has been the best in the series at the moment. This book wasn't mind numbingly boring but I do have a few qualms with it.
After Feyre gets taken back to the Spring Court with Tamlin, she plans to destroy the Spring Court from the inside and burn it down. However, in the Night Court, tensions are still rising at the threat of the Couldren and Hybern presents on the mortal world.
From that summary, you'd think that the internal throwdown of the Spring Court would be tense, exciting, amazingly and wickedly mind blowing and heart racing. Hahaha nope. The first part of the book was so terribly boring and mainly consisted of a neverending internal monologue of why she's so mad and so angry etc etc. Wasn't the best way to start the book and I was so relieved when I saw she was about to escape and I was anticipating some really good action and excitement.
Alas I was wrong. I have never been a big fan of politics or strategy talk and majority of the book felt like it was only that. There are a few action scenes and those were pretty good, but otherwise it all felt quite slow paced and dragged on. I think this book was unnecessarily long and could have been edited down by well over 100 pages.
Another thing that bothered me about the plot was just how incredibly convenient it was. Let's list a few shall we?
• Bryaxis - it took a window to solve the issue? A freaking window? Really??
• The Mirror - the big scary mirror that everyone is terrified of and went mad at? Yeah that's bs. They must have just had a really ugly face in that case. Maybe if there was a bit more description of what she went through but otherwise, I call bs.
• The ENTIRE ending - I'm not even gonna get into that cause I'll be here for a while and at risk of spoiling.
I cannot stand when things just seem too convenient. Everything falls into place for them even though it realistically shouldn't have, and there doesn't feel like there was much effort or turmoil. I'm sure there is some turmoil, but it's so glossed over that it doesn't feel that way at all.
Despite this, I did adore following the characters along this journey. The plot itself wasn't necessarily bad but I wouldn't say particularly hooking. I think the main stars that kept me coming back were the characters and the relationships and banter. I absolutely loved the growth we see in Nesta as well as Elain in some aspects.
I do respect that Maas doesn’t just instantaneously make Feyre an incredibly all-powerful Fae without training. She emphasizes how important training and honing your powers is, and I love that because many authors tend to make their main character an immediate expert because it's convenient for their story, but that just isn't realistic. The same can be said for Nesta as well. She undergoes training and even then, due to limited time and training, she isn't made out to be some all-powerful being.
I also love that Maas doesn't just shine the light on Feyre. Nesta is quite important in this story and it is evident throughout the book. However I do feel as though Elain was very dismissed and underutilized. I think she could have been implemented a lot more into the story.
Now let's talk about the star characters. Rhys and Feyre. I do love their relationship, and they have such good banter. As for the sexual tension, I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I quite like the subtly of the spicy scenes but there isn't really much build up prior. There's no tension and waiting so I don't really care much for those spicy scenes. However, their relationship in general? I love. They really are a power couple and one doesn't dominate the other.
Overall, the characters and the relationships built within those characters were absolutely amazing. I always live seeing the banter and the interactions between them all. However, the plot was a little dull at times, and certain parts just far too convenient which had me rolling my eyes. It still had me interested, however I had to drag my way through this book a little.
After Feyre gets taken back to the Spring Court with Tamlin, she plans to destroy the Spring Court from the inside and burn it down. However, in the Night Court, tensions are still rising at the threat of the Couldren and Hybern presents on the mortal world.
From that summary, you'd think that the internal throwdown of the Spring Court would be tense, exciting, amazingly and wickedly mind blowing and heart racing. Hahaha nope. The first part of the book was so terribly boring and mainly consisted of a neverending internal monologue of why she's so mad and so angry etc etc. Wasn't the best way to start the book and I was so relieved when I saw she was about to escape and I was anticipating some really good action and excitement.
Alas I was wrong. I have never been a big fan of politics or strategy talk and majority of the book felt like it was only that. There are a few action scenes and those were pretty good, but otherwise it all felt quite slow paced and dragged on. I think this book was unnecessarily long and could have been edited down by well over 100 pages.
Another thing that bothered me about the plot was just how incredibly convenient it was. Let's list a few shall we?
• Bryaxis - it took a window to solve the issue? A freaking window? Really??
• The Mirror - the big scary mirror that everyone is terrified of and went mad at? Yeah that's bs. They must have just had a really ugly face in that case. Maybe if there was a bit more description of what she went through but otherwise, I call bs.
• The ENTIRE ending - I'm not even gonna get into that cause I'll be here for a while and at risk of spoiling.
I cannot stand when things just seem too convenient. Everything falls into place for them even though it realistically shouldn't have, and there doesn't feel like there was much effort or turmoil. I'm sure there is some turmoil, but it's so glossed over that it doesn't feel that way at all.
Despite this, I did adore following the characters along this journey. The plot itself wasn't necessarily bad but I wouldn't say particularly hooking. I think the main stars that kept me coming back were the characters and the relationships and banter. I absolutely loved the growth we see in Nesta as well as Elain in some aspects.
I do respect that Maas doesn’t just instantaneously make Feyre an incredibly all-powerful Fae without training. She emphasizes how important training and honing your powers is, and I love that because many authors tend to make their main character an immediate expert because it's convenient for their story, but that just isn't realistic. The same can be said for Nesta as well. She undergoes training and even then, due to limited time and training, she isn't made out to be some all-powerful being.
I also love that Maas doesn't just shine the light on Feyre. Nesta is quite important in this story and it is evident throughout the book. However I do feel as though Elain was very dismissed and underutilized. I think she could have been implemented a lot more into the story.
Now let's talk about the star characters. Rhys and Feyre. I do love their relationship, and they have such good banter. As for the sexual tension, I'm still waiting for it to arrive. I quite like the subtly of the spicy scenes but there isn't really much build up prior. There's no tension and waiting so I don't really care much for those spicy scenes. However, their relationship in general? I love. They really are a power couple and one doesn't dominate the other.
Overall, the characters and the relationships built within those characters were absolutely amazing. I always live seeing the banter and the interactions between them all. However, the plot was a little dull at times, and certain parts just far too convenient which had me rolling my eyes. It still had me interested, however I had to drag my way through this book a little.