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ahousefullofbooks 's review for:
A Court of Wings and Ruin
by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars, rounded up.
_____
First, I have to say that reading this with one of my best friends was, again, the experience of a life time. So glad we're going to be reading more books together!
Then to ACOWAR itself: there were so many things I loved about this book, but I also had more qualms about it than I had about ACOMAF (and less than I had about ACOTAR, to give you an idea).
Read this (after the first two books, obviously) if you like:
- faes
- beautiful relationships
- great side characters
- politics/worldbuilding
- action scenes
And now to develop (which will be full of spoilers and maybe with kind of a colorful language sometimes, so read further at your own risks):
First, the characters :
FEYRE : OH. MY. GOD. She's just brilliant. Amazing. What I liked about her best in this book was how completely badass and vengeful she was (that first part in the Spring Court was so amazing), and how she still was able to realize how her vengefulness almost ultimately went against her goals and how that probably was part of why she (kinda? maybe?) forgave Tamlin. But obviously, I also loooooove her relationships with the Inner Circle.
RHYSAND : I obviously loved him. But also liked him less than in ACOMAF. I loved how powerful he was, how he acted towards Feyre as always, and towards the Inner Circle (though I really wish we'd see more of him and the Inner Circle banding together), and I loved so many of his great quotes (that I can't put here because, you know, physical book), but I didn't really like his self-sacrificing spirit, which, come on, culminated in HIS DEATH. However so brief. And the fact that he let Feyre fix the Cauldron, killing him in the process... He didn't even warn her, tell her. Granted, that probably would have stopped her and doomed them all in the process, but what she felt like after essentially killing him...
The INNER CIRCLE : Loved them even more than in ACOMAF, which is saying something! My favorite from the Inner Circle probably is Cassian, though he did display a self-sacrificing streak of his own. Part of this is because of Nesta (but I'll tackle that later on). Amren is a goddess, and I'd love to see even more of Azriel. And Mor... Mor. Honestly, she's the one I had some trouble with here. Again, because of another character, namely Azriel, and so I'll tackle that later too. But let's just say that the story she told Feyre towards the end made so much sense even though it kinda felt like it was out of the blue... which was probably the point.
The ARCHERON FAMILY : I'm so going to rant about Nesta here, because she might be one of my favorite characters and yet I was still so mad at her in the first part of the book. She acted like such a bitch at the beginning, and then something shifted and she was back to that version of her that I had loved in ACOTAR: brash and honest and bitchy too, maybe, but also strong and loyal and oh so terrifying.
I liked Elain too here, a lot, though she had me really worried at the beginning of the book; she was just so... dead inside. And I didn't really understand (or remember?) why she became more aware and talkative and more herself, but I was definitely glad she did.
And then their father! I had honestly forgotten all about him (and maybe it felt like Feyre did too?), but his arrival and the throw back to why he had even left in the first place (because of the Hybern threat) made so much sense! I was kinda sad to see him go, but it would have been a lot more impactful if we had seen him again beforehand.
LUCIEN : THAT was the Lucien I wanted in ACOMAF! He felt like he was both wary of Feyre at the beginning (with reason, obviously), and like he wanted to go back to being her friend, which I felt was a great contradiction. And I also really liked how bitter he was with Feyre during the Autumn Court journey and at the beginning of his stay in the Night Court, because it felt really realistic. What I liked best, though, was to see his (albeit brief) evolution in how he felt towards Rhys and the Inner Circle, enough so to, in my opinion, shift his allegiance to them. But the problem is, I missed him for like half the book...
The HIGH LORDS : I actually really liked meeting the other High Lords that we hadn't seen yet. Most of them are likable, kinda, except for Beron (won't ever forgive him for being a general asshole and for what he said to Rhys during that meeting - a good thing badass!Feyre cut him down like she did). I'm also going to talk about Eris here, because yeah, he was an asshole, but I'm wondering (and apparently, Feyre is too) if that's all there is to him.
And finally, Tamlin, the other High Lord I don't really like (yeah, that's a lot softer than my words would have been if not for the last battle and how he saved Feyre in the Hybern camp). Let's be real, at the beginning of the book, he was back to his toxic boyfriend self, and I was so glad that Feyre betrayed him like she did. Then there was the High Lord meeting, and I was back to hating on him and glad of it. And then, the ending of the book, which made me pity him more than anything else. So yeah, for now, I'm kinda ambivalent about Tamlin.
JURIAN : I... wasn't really expecting him to be on Feyre and Rhys's side all along. (Or maybe I was, but that's because I'm a reader who reads so many spoilers before the book itself *rolls eyes at self*) My point is, while I really liked his character, his real allegiance came as a bit of a surprise, and not really in a good sense. (And who knows, maybe I would have liked him as a villain too?)
The KING OF HYBERN : THE villain here, and I loved seeing him on page, because he was so heinous and terribly powerful. And I really liked the fact that even though he was THE villain, he didn't appear a lot. It kinda made him more mysterious and more horrible when he did appear.
So overall, I loved most of the characters, who were really well-written, but I had a (rather big) problem with some of their choices, which could have made me like them less if not for how they were justified. (And I also loved hating on the characters I disliked, because they were so well-written and it made me like disliking them.)
Second, the relationships :
FEYRE/RHYSAND : Made my heart swoon, as always. But I got very tired about all their self-sacrifice talk very quickly. It's the only side of them that I dislike, and I honestly think that it could devolve into something ugly if they're ever faced with a life-threatening enemy (which come on, I think they will). Especially if I'm understanding that bargain at the end correctly - if one dies, the other does too?
FEYRE & RHYS & THE INNER CIRCLE : I live for that found family. I live for it. It's as simple as that. For the characters themselves and the bonds between them.
CASSIAN/NESTA : Pure gold. I might have even preferred them to Feyre and Rhysand in this one. The way they bickered, and then their relationship became more profound, culminating into that kiss and that declaration, was amazing.
The ARCHERON SISTERS : I really love them and how protective they are of each other. Especially Nesta towards Elain. But I think it kinda transferred to Nesta and Feyre too towards the end, especially the other way around. And I loved the fact that in the very last chapters of the book, it was Nesta who needed help more than her sisters - even more than Elain.
MOR & AZRIEL (& CASSIAN) : Honestly, this might have been my least favorite "relationship" or weird "love triangle" in the book. And I wondered when Mor would finally let Azriel know that he should stop pining for her (and she still hasn't), because I think it could destroy their relationship in the future if she doesn't. Unless Azriel turns to Elain instead, which would be... weird. (And also, Cassian belongs with Nesta for me, so there's that.)
ELAIN & LUCIEN and ELAIN & AZRIEL : I'm still very ambivalent on the whole Elain/Lucien thing. It seems like the only reason Lucien even wants to be with Elain is because she's her predestined mate, not because he wants to be. But their interactions at the end were a lot cuter than at the beginning, so there's that. And I also feel like there's a possibility Elain and Azriel could become a thing, and my main problem with that is the same as for Elain and Lucien: where did that come from?? (I'd still prefer her to be with Azriel or Lucien over that asshole Graysen, who really does not deserve her.)
I feel like Amren and Varian also deserve an honorable mention because I, 1) predicted their relationship long before it ever happened; and 2) Amren's "death" scene and Varian's reaction to it broke my heart. And also, because my friend and I wondered if they really loved each other or would only be with each other for sex. Which I guess Amren's "death" scene answered xD
And I really liked how LGBTQ+ relationships were relatively important in ACOWAR.
To be completely honest, I think my favorite thing (almost) in any Maas book I've read are the relationships in it, because they're so beautifully written and while this book wasn't entirely focused on them, less so than ACOMAF anyway, they were still essential to the story itself.
Now, more about the plot itself: this book was a lot more focused on politics, with the forging of possible alliances and even Feyre's spying in the Spring Court at the beginning fitting into this. And while it partly made the book more captivating, it also made it a little more awkward when it came to the pacing , at least for me.
What I mean is, so many things, including some action, happened in the first (relatively short) part of the book, and then it became more about the political alliance for most of the book, and then the grand finale happened, which was also full of action. And for it to have a more consistent pacing, I would have liked some action to happen in the middle part of the book too.
Which is one the problems I had with the book, and why I docked half a star.
But the main problem I had with it, if I'm completely honest, lies with some of the characters who were very important and either disappointed me (Mor for most of the book, to be honest) or were too brushed over to really do something to me when they happened to die (yup, I'm definitely talking about Feyre and Nesta and Elain's father here... we don't even have a name for him!).
So yeah, I might have really liked this book, but for now, ACOMAF is still my favorite in the series (maybe because it focused more on the relationships between the characters, and the characters themselves? What can I say, I love introspection).
_____
First, I have to say that reading this with one of my best friends was, again, the experience of a life time. So glad we're going to be reading more books together!
Then to ACOWAR itself: there were so many things I loved about this book, but I also had more qualms about it than I had about ACOMAF (and less than I had about ACOTAR, to give you an idea).
Read this (after the first two books, obviously) if you like:
- faes
- beautiful relationships
- great side characters
- politics/worldbuilding
- action scenes
And now to develop (which will be full of spoilers and maybe with kind of a colorful language sometimes, so read further at your own risks):
First, the characters :
FEYRE : OH. MY. GOD. She's just brilliant. Amazing. What I liked about her best in this book was how completely badass and vengeful she was (that first part in the Spring Court was so amazing), and how she still was able to realize how her vengefulness almost ultimately went against her goals and how that probably was part of why she (kinda? maybe?) forgave Tamlin. But obviously, I also loooooove her relationships with the Inner Circle.
RHYSAND : I obviously loved him. But also liked him less than in ACOMAF. I loved how powerful he was, how he acted towards Feyre as always, and towards the Inner Circle (though I really wish we'd see more of him and the Inner Circle banding together), and I loved so many of his great quotes (that I can't put here because, you know, physical book), but I didn't really like his self-sacrificing spirit, which, come on, culminated in HIS DEATH. However so brief. And the fact that he let Feyre fix the Cauldron, killing him in the process... He didn't even warn her, tell her. Granted, that probably would have stopped her and doomed them all in the process, but what she felt like after essentially killing him...
The INNER CIRCLE : Loved them even more than in ACOMAF, which is saying something! My favorite from the Inner Circle probably is Cassian, though he did display a self-sacrificing streak of his own. Part of this is because of Nesta (but I'll tackle that later on). Amren is a goddess, and I'd love to see even more of Azriel. And Mor... Mor. Honestly, she's the one I had some trouble with here. Again, because of another character, namely Azriel, and so I'll tackle that later too. But let's just say that the story she told Feyre towards the end made so much sense even though it kinda felt like it was out of the blue... which was probably the point.
The ARCHERON FAMILY : I'm so going to rant about Nesta here, because she might be one of my favorite characters and yet I was still so mad at her in the first part of the book. She acted like such a bitch at the beginning, and then something shifted and she was back to that version of her that I had loved in ACOTAR: brash and honest and bitchy too, maybe, but also strong and loyal and oh so terrifying.
I liked Elain too here, a lot, though she had me really worried at the beginning of the book; she was just so... dead inside. And I didn't really understand (or remember?) why she became more aware and talkative and more herself, but I was definitely glad she did.
And then their father! I had honestly forgotten all about him (and maybe it felt like Feyre did too?), but his arrival and the throw back to why he had even left in the first place (because of the Hybern threat) made so much sense! I was kinda sad to see him go, but it would have been a lot more impactful if we had seen him again beforehand.
LUCIEN : THAT was the Lucien I wanted in ACOMAF! He felt like he was both wary of Feyre at the beginning (with reason, obviously), and like he wanted to go back to being her friend, which I felt was a great contradiction. And I also really liked how bitter he was with Feyre during the Autumn Court journey and at the beginning of his stay in the Night Court, because it felt really realistic. What I liked best, though, was to see his (albeit brief) evolution in how he felt towards Rhys and the Inner Circle, enough so to, in my opinion, shift his allegiance to them. But the problem is, I missed him for like half the book...
The HIGH LORDS : I actually really liked meeting the other High Lords that we hadn't seen yet. Most of them are likable, kinda, except for Beron (won't ever forgive him for being a general asshole and for what he said to Rhys during that meeting - a good thing badass!Feyre cut him down like she did). I'm also going to talk about Eris here, because yeah, he was an asshole, but I'm wondering (and apparently, Feyre is too) if that's all there is to him.
And finally, Tamlin, the other High Lord I don't really like (yeah, that's a lot softer than my words would have been if not for the last battle and how he saved Feyre in the Hybern camp). Let's be real, at the beginning of the book, he was back to his toxic boyfriend self, and I was so glad that Feyre betrayed him like she did. Then there was the High Lord meeting, and I was back to hating on him and glad of it. And then, the ending of the book, which made me pity him more than anything else. So yeah, for now, I'm kinda ambivalent about Tamlin.
JURIAN : I... wasn't really expecting him to be on Feyre and Rhys's side all along. (Or maybe I was, but that's because I'm a reader who reads so many spoilers before the book itself *rolls eyes at self*) My point is, while I really liked his character, his real allegiance came as a bit of a surprise, and not really in a good sense. (And who knows, maybe I would have liked him as a villain too?)
The KING OF HYBERN : THE villain here, and I loved seeing him on page, because he was so heinous and terribly powerful. And I really liked the fact that even though he was THE villain, he didn't appear a lot. It kinda made him more mysterious and more horrible when he did appear.
So overall, I loved most of the characters, who were really well-written, but I had a (rather big) problem with some of their choices, which could have made me like them less if not for how they were justified. (And I also loved hating on the characters I disliked, because they were so well-written and it made me like disliking them.)
Second, the relationships :
FEYRE/RHYSAND : Made my heart swoon, as always. But I got very tired about all their self-sacrifice talk very quickly. It's the only side of them that I dislike, and I honestly think that it could devolve into something ugly if they're ever faced with a life-threatening enemy (which come on, I think they will). Especially if I'm understanding that bargain at the end correctly - if one dies, the other does too?
FEYRE & RHYS & THE INNER CIRCLE : I live for that found family. I live for it. It's as simple as that. For the characters themselves and the bonds between them.
CASSIAN/NESTA : Pure gold. I might have even preferred them to Feyre and Rhysand in this one. The way they bickered, and then their relationship became more profound, culminating into that kiss and that declaration, was amazing.
The ARCHERON SISTERS : I really love them and how protective they are of each other. Especially Nesta towards Elain. But I think it kinda transferred to Nesta and Feyre too towards the end, especially the other way around. And I loved the fact that in the very last chapters of the book, it was Nesta who needed help more than her sisters - even more than Elain.
MOR & AZRIEL (& CASSIAN) : Honestly, this might have been my least favorite "relationship" or weird "love triangle" in the book. And I wondered when Mor would finally let Azriel know that he should stop pining for her (and she still hasn't), because I think it could destroy their relationship in the future if she doesn't. Unless Azriel turns to Elain instead, which would be... weird. (And also, Cassian belongs with Nesta for me, so there's that.)
ELAIN & LUCIEN and ELAIN & AZRIEL : I'm still very ambivalent on the whole Elain/Lucien thing. It seems like the only reason Lucien even wants to be with Elain is because she's her predestined mate, not because he wants to be. But their interactions at the end were a lot cuter than at the beginning, so there's that. And I also feel like there's a possibility Elain and Azriel could become a thing, and my main problem with that is the same as for Elain and Lucien: where did that come from?? (I'd still prefer her to be with Azriel or Lucien over that asshole Graysen, who really does not deserve her.)
I feel like Amren and Varian also deserve an honorable mention because I, 1) predicted their relationship long before it ever happened; and 2) Amren's "death" scene and Varian's reaction to it broke my heart. And also, because my friend and I wondered if they really loved each other or would only be with each other for sex. Which I guess Amren's "death" scene answered xD
And I really liked how LGBTQ+ relationships were relatively important in ACOWAR.
To be completely honest, I think my favorite thing (almost) in any Maas book I've read are the relationships in it, because they're so beautifully written and while this book wasn't entirely focused on them, less so than ACOMAF anyway, they were still essential to the story itself.
Now, more about the plot itself: this book was a lot more focused on politics, with the forging of possible alliances and even Feyre's spying in the Spring Court at the beginning fitting into this. And while it partly made the book more captivating, it also made it a little more awkward when it came to the pacing , at least for me.
What I mean is, so many things, including some action, happened in the first (relatively short) part of the book, and then it became more about the political alliance for most of the book, and then the grand finale happened, which was also full of action. And for it to have a more consistent pacing, I would have liked some action to happen in the middle part of the book too.
Which is one the problems I had with the book, and why I docked half a star.
But the main problem I had with it, if I'm completely honest, lies with some of the characters who were very important and either disappointed me (Mor for most of the book, to be honest) or were too brushed over to really do something to me when they happened to die (yup, I'm definitely talking about Feyre and Nesta and Elain's father here... we don't even have a name for him!).
So yeah, I might have really liked this book, but for now, ACOMAF is still my favorite in the series (maybe because it focused more on the relationships between the characters, and the characters themselves? What can I say, I love introspection).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence