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rubybooks 's review for:
A Court of Silver Flames
by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I pre-ordered this, but it came out back in February while I was away at university so I'm happy to finally have read this book. I reread the original ACOTAR books last year and finally finished that arc of the series, and it was really great to be back in that world again. Nesta is the main character of A Court of Silver Flames, and the book follows her coming to terms with her life as High Fae. She suffers from trauma after the war that happened during A Court of Wings and Ruin, and she struggles to get along with the other inhabitants of the Night Court - she is especially riled up by Cassian, who she now has to work with. Their relationship develops, as does Nesta's understanding of herself.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, but it made me really nostalgic and it was comforting reading about characters I already knew. The actual plot wasn't that important to me and it was a bit predictable at times, but I didn't actually mind that much because I just had a lot of fun while I was reading. Sometimes it's nice not worrying too much about what will happen - you can just focus on the characters. There were some great new characters introduced too - I especially loved reading about Gwyn and Emerie, as well as the bonds they formed with Nesta. Meaningful female friendship is one of my favourite things to see in a book so I loved the focus. Can we please get more of Emerie and Mor in the next book series? There were a few hints but not enough for me and I just want to see them both happy!
There was a big focus on mental health, and the book dived deeply into Nesta's character. This is definitely a character rather than plot focused book, but I think it works better because of how complex Nesta is. She frustrated me so much in ACOTAR, but I really appreciated the insight into her character here and I was definitely rooting for her. She doesn't magically get better in 100 pages - it's rough and difficult, but it makes the end more special. It was heart-breaking to read at times, especially when we get to know Gwyn and Emerie more too. As I said before, their plotlines were my favourite and their friendship was beautiful. I already loved Cassian, but I loved him even more after reading this book! I'm hoping to see more romance and sweet moments between him and Nesta in the next book.
I did have a few small issues, but they were minor problems really. Feyre and Rhys felt a bit out of character to me - maybe it's because I'm used to them being the main characters so seeing them in the background not doing much felt a bit odd, and Rhys seemed so different and made some weird decisions. But I suppose we saw them through Nesta and Cassian's eyes, so the perspective might be different in the next book. I also think the side characters were really under utilised and I wanted to see more of them! Especially Mor - I felt like everyone was always talking about her and she was barely there. I love her character, and I'd also like to see more of Azriel and Amren, and basically just the whole gang together which will hopefully happen now Nesta has had some character development.
Overall, I found this book really fast paced and I flew through it! It wasn't perfect but I enjoyed reading it so much and it was exactly what I needed at the time - the series is very addictive and this book was no different. ACOTAR is often miscategorised as YA, but be aware that this is definitely an adult fantasy! The book has sex scenes, as well as content describing trauma, sexual assault, death of family members, depression, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, and violence.
4.5/5 stars
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, but it made me really nostalgic and it was comforting reading about characters I already knew. The actual plot wasn't that important to me and it was a bit predictable at times, but I didn't actually mind that much because I just had a lot of fun while I was reading. Sometimes it's nice not worrying too much about what will happen - you can just focus on the characters. There were some great new characters introduced too - I especially loved reading about Gwyn and Emerie, as well as the bonds they formed with Nesta. Meaningful female friendship is one of my favourite things to see in a book so I loved the focus. Can we please get more of Emerie and Mor in the next book series? There were a few hints but not enough for me and I just want to see them both happy!
There was a big focus on mental health, and the book dived deeply into Nesta's character. This is definitely a character rather than plot focused book, but I think it works better because of how complex Nesta is. She frustrated me so much in ACOTAR, but I really appreciated the insight into her character here and I was definitely rooting for her. She doesn't magically get better in 100 pages - it's rough and difficult, but it makes the end more special. It was heart-breaking to read at times, especially when we get to know Gwyn and Emerie more too. As I said before, their plotlines were my favourite and their friendship was beautiful. I already loved Cassian, but I loved him even more after reading this book! I'm hoping to see more romance and sweet moments between him and Nesta in the next book.
I did have a few small issues, but they were minor problems really. Feyre and Rhys felt a bit out of character to me - maybe it's because I'm used to them being the main characters so seeing them in the background not doing much felt a bit odd, and Rhys seemed so different and made some weird decisions. But I suppose we saw them through Nesta and Cassian's eyes, so the perspective might be different in the next book. I also think the side characters were really under utilised and I wanted to see more of them! Especially Mor - I felt like everyone was always talking about her and she was barely there. I love her character, and I'd also like to see more of Azriel and Amren, and basically just the whole gang together which will hopefully happen now Nesta has had some character development.
Overall, I found this book really fast paced and I flew through it! It wasn't perfect but I enjoyed reading it so much and it was exactly what I needed at the time - the series is very addictive and this book was no different. ACOTAR is often miscategorised as YA, but be aware that this is definitely an adult fantasy! The book has sex scenes, as well as content describing trauma, sexual assault, death of family members, depression, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, and violence.
4.5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent