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A review by thisnursereads
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
This is a hard one to write. I loved the book and also found issues with a lot of it and the portrayal of characters:
I love how Nesta was able to rebuild herself and grow as a character by physically and mentally rebuilding her body and mind. Watching her face her demons and become stronger despite her upbringing was overall beautifully done. I enjoyed the friendships she built and their unbreakable bonds. The female friendships in this book were my favorite of all the series and was a brilliant example of the bond of female friendships.
I found their traumas sadly relatable, not entirely personally but relatable to the pain women face and how we must learn to cope with those experiences. Also the difficulty, anger and pain in learning that we all have darkness and we either face that or let it destroy us. The parallel of fighting their inner past trauma and surviving the mountain was very in your face, but I still loved it and had tears in my eyes at their strength.
I would have loved to see more of Cassian and Nesta’s relationship after she faces her past, how she maneuvers this newfound confidence and strength within a relationship. I just think that dimension of their characters would be a bit more interesting rather than the majority of the book being a will they won’t they but they’re already sleeping together plot line. No doubt, I still enjoyed the spice. I’m still coming to terms with my thoughts on the ending and her giving away all her power for her sister. I understand it is a bit of a cathartic, finally just letting go, moment, but she also fought so hard to learn to control her power and yet she gave it all up…maybe I’ll think on it and edit this later.
Ok, some issues:
Do I think the blaming, punishing and shunning of Nesta’s trauma from the inner circle was a healthy portrayal of how to help someone you love? Absolutely not, and was abusive at times. Do I think that SJM could have approached Nesta’s character in a different way that still had her training and at the library? Yes. Did I wish that Mor or another female was there to train her and rebuild her rather than only Cassian? Yes. Do I wish Rhys had been able to step outside his own selfishness and had not despised Nesta but instead understood her trauma? Yes. Do I wish her sisters didn’t completely turn their backs on her, which I feel goes way against their characters!? Yes!! And the actions of her sisters was probably the most upsetting of it all.
Comment on this book compared to the series:
A lot of this storyline gave me flashbacks to the first two books, of a young Feyre broken, and having the males and loves of her life save her. I like the romance and the spice and the intensity of the mate aspect but I also wished that the female friendships earlier in the series had been BETTER. That Mor and Amren had just been better. But maybe that’s asking too much and was a comment on the societal structures of this male dominated world.
I think many story lines were left open while also rushing through plot points. The events all concluded in the last 100 pages! It was too fast and I was disappointed, it left me wanting so much more.
As much as I want to see what ends up w Lucien and Elaine, I really just want Azriel to find someone and be happy. If there are future books, I sense a love triangle. But also, besides the subtle sparks btw Elaine and Az, the whole Mor thing-can someone tell Az to grow the hell up and maybe not pine after someone for 500 years and get a hint bro. Move on. I digress.
Maybe the storylines were left for future books, maybe not. I felt much of it was left unfinished.
This book and series isn’t perfect.
But, I’d still recommend it all. I devoured this book. And I am saddened by the loss of their voice now that it is finished…
I love how Nesta was able to rebuild herself and grow as a character by physically and mentally rebuilding her body and mind. Watching her face her demons and become stronger despite her upbringing was overall beautifully done. I enjoyed the friendships she built and their unbreakable bonds. The female friendships in this book were my favorite of all the series and was a brilliant example of the bond of female friendships.
I found their traumas sadly relatable, not entirely personally but relatable to the pain women face and how we must learn to cope with those experiences. Also the difficulty, anger and pain in learning that we all have darkness and we either face that or let it destroy us. The parallel of fighting their inner past trauma and surviving the mountain was very in your face, but I still loved it and had tears in my eyes at their strength.
I would have loved to see more of Cassian and Nesta’s relationship after she faces her past, how she maneuvers this newfound confidence and strength within a relationship. I just think that dimension of their characters would be a bit more interesting rather than the majority of the book being a will they won’t they but they’re already sleeping together plot line. No doubt, I still enjoyed the spice. I’m still coming to terms with my thoughts on the ending and her giving away all her power for her sister. I understand it is a bit of a cathartic, finally just letting go, moment, but she also fought so hard to learn to control her power and yet she gave it all up…maybe I’ll think on it and edit this later.
Ok, some issues:
Do I think the blaming, punishing and shunning of Nesta’s trauma from the inner circle was a healthy portrayal of how to help someone you love? Absolutely not, and was abusive at times. Do I think that SJM could have approached Nesta’s character in a different way that still had her training and at the library? Yes. Did I wish that Mor or another female was there to train her and rebuild her rather than only Cassian? Yes. Do I wish Rhys had been able to step outside his own selfishness and had not despised Nesta but instead understood her trauma? Yes. Do I wish her sisters didn’t completely turn their backs on her, which I feel goes way against their characters!? Yes!! And the actions of her sisters was probably the most upsetting of it all.
Comment on this book compared to the series:
A lot of this storyline gave me flashbacks to the first two books, of a young Feyre broken, and having the males and loves of her life save her. I like the romance and the spice and the intensity of the mate aspect but I also wished that the female friendships earlier in the series had been BETTER. That Mor and Amren had just been better. But maybe that’s asking too much and was a comment on the societal structures of this male dominated world.
I think many story lines were left open while also rushing through plot points. The events all concluded in the last 100 pages! It was too fast and I was disappointed, it left me wanting so much more.
As much as I want to see what ends up w Lucien and Elaine, I really just want Azriel to find someone and be happy. If there are future books, I sense a love triangle. But also, besides the subtle sparks btw Elaine and Az, the whole Mor thing-can someone tell Az to grow the hell up and maybe not pine after someone for 500 years and get a hint bro. Move on. I digress.
Maybe the storylines were left for future books, maybe not. I felt much of it was left unfinished.
This book and series isn’t perfect.
But, I’d still recommend it all. I devoured this book. And I am saddened by the loss of their voice now that it is finished…