Tag: Magic

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.

I cannot understand why people seem to dislike this book. I thought it was really nice. The story was nice and it was nice to see the characters get a break for once. I liked getting a glimpse of them living their normal day to day lives as they healed mentally while rebuilding their court. Depending on how the next book begins, I do see this as maybe being a book that you could skip over and not miss out on any of the plot as the story continues.

I found it to be a welcome break for my mind, one that I am grateful to have had when I looked at the size of book five. In fact, compared to the rest of the books in this series, this book is almost like a short story when you look at its length in comparison. This took me only a few hours to read rather than a few days. I can see how Maas used her love of fairy tales in the writing of this story, it was pretty tame when compared to the rest of them and had the most overall happy feeling out of all of them too. 

Having said that, I predict that A Court of Silver Flames will mirror the atmosphere of the first three books. I don’t think there will be a war, unless those mortal queens do decide to start something, I think it will be a lot of spying, planning, and prevention. I am looking forward to seeing where this part of the story goes, and maybe getting a glimpse of the continent that everyone keeps talking about.

It was so great to see Tamlin finally get what he had coming to him. He thought he was being so romantic and heroic, sacrificing his court and all of Prythian by making a deal with the devil in order to get the woman he wanted back. But he was just a crazy fool who lost everything because he was too stubborn to listen to reason and consider compromising, and too prideful to believe that maybe Feyre really didn’t want to be with him. I don’t even feel a little bit bad about what happened to him and his court. I think I might have a slight problem, in that I get entirely too excited when I hear or read about people getting justly punished for their wrongs. 

Besides my absolute glee over the first part of the book, the rest of it was amazing. Intrigue, intricate planning, secret missions, betrayal, one on one combat and huge battles, and, most importantly, romance and spice between Feyre and Rhys. And we finally get to meet all the High Lords of Prythian, along with their most trusted advisors, love interests, and family. I had to take a few notes when I got to the chapters detailing the meeting of all these characters. It was hard to keep up with who came from what court, what their special powers were, and who had a grudge against who for whatever reason. The best part was how feisty everyone from the Night Court got when Tamlin couldn’t keep his mouth shut about Feyre and when the men of the Autumn Court were too disrespectful towards Mor. I would love to read those scenes again for the first time. 

I was convinced that someone important, someone that I liked, was going to die in the huge battle that the book was leading up to. When the characters I had predicted might be on the chopping block were still alive at the end of the book I was both surprised and relieved. But, there are two more books in this series, and Maas is writing a sixth as we speak. I don’t want to think what might happen to some of these characters in the two books that I have left to read and the one that will be out in the future. Happy endings are great, but deep down, I think I might want a little more drama? Maybe I will get it in the fourth book, A Court of Frost and Starlight. Although, from what I have heard, fans of the series like this book the least. Maybe I won’t be amongst them.

I don’t usually do this, but spoilers ahead because I am just so incredibly excited about this book that I need to rave about the plot.

I am beyond elated that Feyre and Rhys ended up together because I was rooting for him pretty much the entire time. Back in A Court of Thorns and Roses, I liked Tamlin and Feyre as a couple. And I could understand why Tamlin acted the way he did Under the Mountain, emotionless and cold. He was doing it to try and protect Feyre as much as he could by acting like he didn’t care what they were doing to her, although in the back of my mind I was slightly wondering why. When Feyre arrived she immediately stated that she was there to claim her love. I think this alone would have let everyone there know that Tamlin felt the same way about her because he didn’t deny not loving her back. He could have done something, he should have done something, to help her. With the way the next book opened up, I grew an immediate dislike for him for his lack of help during her trials.

A Court of Mist and Fury immediately opens up with Feyre reliving what happened Under the Mountain in her nightmares, and we see that her waking moments are filled with just as much agony. She has had to adjust to a new life after living through trials designed to torture her body and mind, but she has not been given any time to heal. The wedding between her and Tamlin has been set for only three months after their liberation, really rushed in my opinion. Everyone around her is controlling her, giving her excuses as to why things need to be done a certain way, and why she cannot be allowed to do certain things. Rhys ends up saving her from making a huge mistake, and here is where I started to love him. He may have given you icky, gross, feelings Under the Mountain, but we find out that it was all an act that Rhys has been putting on for decades in order to save his people, Prythian as a whole, and ultimately Feyre as well. I don’t care what people say, he is exactly the person she needs by her side, supportive, encouraging, loving, and most importantly, non controlling. I’m still fuming at Tamlin for locking her in his mansion. 

I loved the ending. I don’t know if I have ever been more excited to read the next book in a series, and it took an amazing amount of self control for me to not open it before writing this review. I cannot believe I waited so long to begin reading these books.

I had to see what all the fuss was about. If people all over the internet were recommending this series, it had to be good. And having read Maas’ Throne of Glass series, and having enjoyed it immensely, I suspected that everyone was not exaggerating. They were not.

I live for fantasy novels. I love magic, spells and curses, other worldly creatures, strenuous quests, puzzling mysteries, and betrayals that make me gasp out loud. This book has it all. If you have read the Throne of Glass series and are looking for another great story to get obsessed with, this is it. It feels like a combination of Hunger Games and Throne of Glass, and also a little bit like the stories from Grimm’s fairy Tales, but it is still its own unique, adventurous fantasy. 

Feyre is just trying to survive the winter, hunting for her family, when she kills the wrong sort of wolf. Her mistake costs her everything, as she is forced to make the choice between immediate death or leaving her family forever, the very ones of whom depend on her for their survival. Thinking that even though her useless sisters and disabled father may die of starvation or exposure without her, becoming a captive is better than death, and she leaves the mortal world to live the rest of her life in the faery realm. She is immersed into a beautiful, but dangerous world, where she is so weak as a mortal that just about everything can kill her. All the creatures seem to be speaking to her in riddles, and her lack of knowledge about the ways of the faery’s makes trying to solve anything close to impossible. The build up is amazing, and when everything is finally revealed, it is delivered by an expert storyteller who leaves out no details. I don’t think I need to tell you that as soon as I am done writing the review for this book, I will immediately be opening up the sequel.