So I was kind of correct when I made my guesses as to what this book would be like. The atmosphere was similar to that of the first three books, which was great because I was ready for action again. There wasn’t a war, but everyone was preparing mentally and physically for what they believed was coming soon. And, there was a lot of groundwork laid in terms of spying on the enemies as well as trying to make alliances and allies.
I really liked that this book was mostly from the point of view of Nesta, with some Cassian point of view thrown in. Nesta is really complicated. She has always been unapproachable, unpleasant, fierce, fearless, and proud. She has gone through a lot of trauma in the short period of time since Feyre was taken to Prythian, not to mention the upset and embarrassment of the loss of her family’s fortune in the past. After what happened towards the end in A Court of Wings and Ruin, you would expect Nesta to have had a change for the better, but the exact opposite occurs. Nesta gets even nastier, destroying the very few friendships she had, isolating herself, and destroying her mind and body daily with drink, gambling, and men, and this is how the book opens up. We do find out why Nesta was acting this way very deep into the story and it is an incredible tale as we learn why she is the way she is as we see her begin to heal.
If I didn’t already know that a sixth book was being drafted, I would have either guessed that there was one in the making or I would have been disappointed at the idea of being left with so much unanswered. There is definitely going to be another war, either between Prythian and the continent or between some of the High Lords, that is very obvious. We are left wondering if anything is ever going to happen between Elain and Lucien, as they still do not talk much and Elain still seems incredibly reluctant to give Lucien a chance. There is a new female character introduced that I see forming a romantic relationship with someone in the inner circle. There was a pretty big hint in the book. And I suspect in the next installment that there will finally be some romance for Azriel, either with Elain, as a lot of people have been predicting, but I also kind of have a good feeling about Gwyn, and I honestly would prefer that pairing. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long to find out. But in the meantime, I now have a chance to start reading Maas’ third series, Crescent City, with just enough time to get through it before her third book in that series comes out in January.
If you haven’t been interested in my fantasy review ramblings, I do have a nonfiction book that I will be reviewing next week. As much as I love fantasy and sci fi, I do realize that I need to read something that is educational or enlightening once in a while to keep me grounded in reality.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 