A review by maxgardner
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a cute addition to the series—Maas's writing continues to be accessible, her characters well drawn out, and the world she's created is fun to be in (albeit continually light on the fantasy and lore and heavy on the deus ex machina). In this one, we follow Feyre, Rhys, and co as they prepare for and experience Winter Solstice, which is definitely not just Christmas lazily repackaged to be a unique Prythian holiday. I enjoyed the slower pace coming off the action-packed ride that ACOWAR was, and I liked seeing everyone have a moment to settle into Velaris again and begin to dream of and build their lives world post-war. I also like that, while not a ton happens plot-wise, it intrigues by setting up several side plots that Maas surely will cash in on later (as I already knew with Nesta and Silver Flames, but specifically, I'm looking at you Mor). The only thing I actively hated about this and still think was too far was

Feyre flashing an image of her and Rhysand's future offspring to bring Rhys to an earth-shaking climax in the only sex scene of the book

.  I have no idea how that slipped past editing, and though I can speculate at what Maas was trying to accomplish, I do believe this was a colossal error. It's ok, I'll just pretend that moment doesn't exist.