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A review by foxo_cube
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Ah, I hate that this series has managed to get such a chokehold on me...
The politics in this one were particularly fun. Tamlin, god, it was so hard to know what side he was going to end up on.I'm glad that he finally wished Feyre well - begrudgingly, for sure, but he seems sincere. He's healing slowly. At least he's hopefully going to stop making his bitterness everyone else's problem now. There are so many unexpected alliances and the battles are great fun to read. The eldritch abomination gang coming to fight the battle was particularly cool. Bryaxis is such a fella. He just wants friendship and a window to look out of and I love him so much, even if he is Fear Itself.
It was lovely to see the character arcs of Nesta and Elain. I adore that Nesta gaslit gatekept girlbossed <i>so fucking hard</i> that she took a part of the Cauldron for herself. What a queen. Elain really grows into herself over the course of the story, too, and it's really great to watch her go from a total wet blanket to someone who, when push comes to shove, is as brave as you could ask for. And when their dad turns up, ah, the feels.
One thing I think really detracts from the ending was that I think there should have been more deaths of importance. Not because I hate happiness and love, I mean.I think the emotional impact of the end would have been WAY more effective had Amren actually been freed. Like, it was cool as hell when she left the High Fae body she was trapped in and died a hero. The fact that, when the Cauldron is fixed, and Rhysand is revived (which also felt like a cop-out, but I get why he had to stay alive), everyone's like "oh no poor Amren :(" and then Rhysand's like "take a little look in the Cauldron :)" and Amren-but-not-monstrous is in there. I love Amren and I was devastated that she seemed to be gone, but then she's back and it's like... well, good? but nothing was sacrificed, was it? It seems a bit cheap. I teared up at the Suriel's death at the start of the war, let alone an important supporting character, so believe me when I say I don't take character deaths lightly - but that would have been warranted, in my opinion. Still, it's a <i>nice</i> conclusion to the events of the series thus far, and it's an intense road to get there, too.
I felt that the series so far had been incredibly heterosexual, and I guess Maas thought so, too, because we got some queer characters in this one and I'm always happy to see that.Mor being bi and preferring women tracks. That is a woman who prefers women right there.
I'm <i>still</i> not sold on Feyre and Rhysand as a couple. I'm just not. I think Rhysand really loves Feyre and his whole family, too, but I think they all deserve better, honestly. And I know, I know, I'm bringing up the Pontiff Sulyvahn-ing* of Feyre again, but I rolled my eyes SO fucking hard when she gets her heirloom crown as was like "wow, even when I was being used as a sexy dancer against my will, he'd dress me in tiaras and diadems because he saw me as his equal the entire time <3". That is... not the conclusion most people would come to, but okay. Maas seems pretty based overall - the miscommunications-for-drama trope isn't really used in this series and the relationship is generally communicative and not too bad (although Rhysand could bear to tell the people he cares about more information to allow them to come to more informed decisions when "it's your choice!" is his whole Thing) - so it's disappointing that she digs herself an ever-deepening hole trying to justify Rhysand enslaving Feyre Under The Mountain.
*"to Pontiff Sulyvahn", as I use it here, is to force someone against their will to become a dancer, especially if it's done both for gratification and as a political power move. Sulyvahn is a character/boss in Dark Souls III and a complete bastard.
The politics in this one were particularly fun. Tamlin, god, it was so hard to know what side he was going to end up on.
It was lovely to see the character arcs of Nesta and Elain. I adore that Nesta gaslit gatekept girlbossed <i>so fucking hard</i> that she took a part of the Cauldron for herself. What a queen. Elain really grows into herself over the course of the story, too, and it's really great to watch her go from a total wet blanket to someone who, when push comes to shove, is as brave as you could ask for. And when their dad turns up, ah, the feels.
One thing I think really detracts from the ending was that I think there should have been more deaths of importance. Not because I hate happiness and love, I mean.
I felt that the series so far had been incredibly heterosexual, and I guess Maas thought so, too, because we got some queer characters in this one and I'm always happy to see that.
I'm <i>still</i> not sold on Feyre and Rhysand as a couple. I'm just not. I think Rhysand really loves Feyre and his whole family, too, but I think they all deserve better, honestly. And I know, I know, I'm bringing up the Pontiff Sulyvahn-ing* of Feyre again, but I rolled my eyes SO fucking hard when she gets her heirloom crown as was like "wow, even when I was being used as a sexy dancer against my will, he'd dress me in tiaras and diadems because he saw me as his equal the entire time <3". That is... not the conclusion most people would come to, but okay. Maas seems pretty based overall - the miscommunications-for-drama trope isn't really used in this series and the relationship is generally communicative and not too bad (although Rhysand could bear to tell the people he cares about more information to allow them to come to more informed decisions when "it's your choice!" is his whole Thing) - so it's disappointing that she digs herself an ever-deepening hole trying to justify Rhysand enslaving Feyre Under The Mountain.
*"to Pontiff Sulyvahn", as I use it here, is to force someone against their will to become a dancer, especially if it's done both for gratification and as a political power move. Sulyvahn is a character/boss in Dark Souls III and a complete bastard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship