A Court of Wings and Ruin

The first third of the book was such a drag, I could have done without all the fluff. The ending was so good.
The number of times this book had the word mate, male and female is obscene. No one who uses male and female in any context other than medical has good intentions. Their vibe ain't right, and I would have disliked the book even more hadn't there been a queer character, a token queer but a queer nonetheless.

Not as awful as the second book; much closer to Book 1 in terms of quality. But still deeply flawed.

“Secrets no more we shall have,” declared the radiant, sparkling, beautiful queen!

“Agree says we!” Shouts the assembled court.

The queen then proceeds to tell lies and have secrets. Just these next fourteen times because she really, really, really neeeeeeeds to.

I kicked off my July reading this month with the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I've read this series quite quickly over the past month or so and it was my first experience of this author but I'd heard such great things that it drew me to this series and I am so glad that I did.

This third book in the series will be the final one Maas writes from the perspective of Feyre and her mate Rhysand, we are anticipating more books in the world Maas has built but they will be focusing upon different characters from the world and so this book was where Maas had to really bring together all the threads of Feyre and Rhysand's stories and make sure she also laid the groundwork for the book that is to follow.

This means that we pick up in this book immediately after the end of Book 2, with Feyre returning to The Spring Court with Tamlin having been torn apart from her mate Rhysand. Feyre is playing double agent though and has pretended she never felt anything for Rhys and is now going with Tamlin for the sole purpose of trying to infiltrate his court and find out all she can about their alliance with Hybern and the King of Hybern's plans to attack the human realm. This return to the Spring Court was a great opening to this book, it allows us to connect with those characters we fell in love with in Book 1, Lucien and Alis and to allow us to re-examine the relationship with Tamlin and see just how dysfunctional it could have been.

The subterfuge Feyre undertakes to cause disharmony in the Spring court is a wonderful opening to the book, the wiles she uses to make Tamlin trust her while sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of those close to him about his actions are brilliant. Feyre has reached the point in this book where she is strong and sure of herself, she has learned much about the strength of her powers and is willing to use them to ensure she protects the human world and to get back to the night court and Rhysand.

There is so so much that happens in this book, at nearly 760 pages and each one full of so much action it would take a long long review to break down each and every plot point and would also spoil for readers who haven't delved in yet, however, there are a few areas I feel worthy of discussion at this point.

Firstly is the way in which this world and it's characters have expanded over the course of the three books. When I think back to A Court of Thorns and Roses I now realise how small the world Maas painted was compared to where we finish at the end of A Court of Wings and Ruin. Throughout the books she has added to the world piece by piece and book by book until at the end of this series we have met such a rich cast that the world feels truly three dimensional. This is one of the things I have loved most about this series, Maas never makes any character feel short-changed from their time on the page. She takes the time to develop them all enough, to give them light and shade and a back story that we feel engaged in them, we like or dislike them enough that we truly care about their fate. This is really exciting because as we move away from Feyre and Rhysand in this series there are so many possibilities of who we could focus upon next that it is going to be so exciting to find out who Maas may choose. Will she follow Feyre's sisters and their mates? Will she follow the story of Myriam and Drakon, who's story was only hinted at near the end of this book? Will she explore Lucien's backstory and his uncovering of his heritage? Each and every option sounds amazing and this is because of the way Maas builds her characters and weaves them in so that you never feel overwhelmed or confused about who is who but she almost without you noticing builds a whole world fo you to lose yourself in.

The second thing about this book was the way in which the action unfolded, I found this book had a really strong start, it immediately was back into the story with no stopping to fill in any backstory just moving the story along. I did find a little dip around 100 pages in and I'm not sure if that was down to me and I had a little struggle for 50 pages or so then suddenly I was back the moment and I could not put this down. My husband took my children out for the day on their school holidays and I got some precious alone time and for the 4 hours they were away I read this solidly getting through 250-300 pages. When my daughter came home she asked me how I could read that long without getting bored and I said to her that this book had had me shouting out loud at it's pages. Punching the air in joy and at it's ending crying my eyes out. It took me through so many emotions that it left me feeling drained by the end. There were such wonderful high moments and then heartbreaking moments that Maas had been building to over the course of all the books. Characters we had only touched on had their moment in the spotlight and left us loving them in ways we never thought they would evoke from us.

Finally, I am going to be sad not to follow Feyre and Rhysand in the next book, I love them and their relationship. They have become one of my all time favourite couples in any books I've read because of the way in which they support each other without question through all they do. The way they each are happy to let them be their own individual people with thoughts and decisions of their own whilst they are absolutely devoted to one another. We are given a small and unusual glimpse of what is to come in their future in this book and that was one of the most touching moments for me. I would dearly love to touch on them from time to time as the series moves on but whoever Maas focuses upon next has a huge legacy to live up to in this couple. They have been a joy to follow and I know I am not alone in having them very high on my favourite literary couples list.

I am delighted I have discovered Sarah J. Maas as an author and will be taking time over the months ahead to delve into her Throne of Glass series also, although I have a couple of other series I'd like to complete and try first. I now fully understand why so many readers were excited about this series and can say these books absolutely do live up to the hype they have received.

Wow. This book is a ton plot-wise - just reading the goodreads recap before writing this review reminded me that the whole thing started with Feyre back in the Summer Court! Hah! Feels like forever ago in the timeline of this series. Is there such a thing as too plotty? If so, perhaps this verged on that. But I liked it. It's fine! The novelty of #1 is gone, clearly, the sexy suspense of #2 is past, and this is just a good ole-fashioned battle between good and evil. I will say that the major perk of this part of this series is that roughly 1/4 in, I was talking all things Pride with a friend and sharing my two cents that the ACOTAR series would be better if it was more gay...and then Maas made things more gay! I hope the trend continues in the remainder of the series. The cast of characters is now also more diverse. I do think a weird thing that happens in fantasy is that although it's pretty clear the primary protagonists don't think this way, others in the world distinguish between High Fae and Lesser Fae. Which perhaps is an intentional choice on Maas' part to reflect hierarchical structure in that society, but like, why? Why not, if one is world-building, build a world in which that society, whatever its flaws, doesn't have that particular one, and instead sees the Fae that populate the story as neither higher nor lower than anything else? There is enough animism in Maas' world already that it would be completely consistent (maybe more so) to extend that to flattening philosophical distinctions among Fae and between Fae and other creatures. ANYWAY. I'll keep reading, but this was enough of a temporary conclusion to a bunch of plotlines that I'll be reading some other stuff before #4.

I think I'll never be able to express my thoughts on this in a rational and objective way.
I doubt that all the feels will ever let go of me. And I don't really want them to.
I'm just so grateful to Sarah J. Maas for creating this world, this story and above all these characters.

Please, do yourself a favor and read it. I hope it will leave you in awe as well.

Another book I thoroughly enjoy although slightly stressed out by it, but that is the go with war, I suppose. I believe I have the same criticism for this book as I did with A Court of Mist and Fury. Repeatative writing, etc. However, I did notice a shift in this book. Not sure entirely what it was but it was a good shift.

Way more POC and LGBT representation. It's nice to see when an author gets criticism and listens to it.

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sisters come into the own and getting closure on a lot of things. The surprise alliances were exciting and the battles are nothing short of cinematic. Like the previous books, the character-building takes priority in Wings and Ruin while still being a fun and easy read. The spice is tastefully sprinkled in, never gratuitous and always when it makes sense. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy/sword-and-sorcery.

I find these books so deeply flawed, and yet I'm entertained. I had to take away a star for what I feel was a cop out. I think Feyre and Gang are too fortunate too much of the time, which lowers the stakes. I care about them, and so I don't want bad things to happen, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't still happen. Joss Whedon once said that he doesn't give the viewers what they want, he gives them what they need.

What I'm saying is that I hated like hell that Amren died, and cried, but I felt the death was "fair." That raised the stakes. Only Maas "took back" the death, making me feel cheated over the reversal of something that made me sad. She did the same with Rhys, but I get why that one didn't stick. Next time, I'll be slower to cry or care.

I also think the relationship with Rhysand is too perfect. Mates or no, they need to argue. He will tell her she makes her own choices (even when her choices are really dumb) and then be angry at someone else for choices that are a whole lot smarter (and no more risky) than those of his mate. Within paragraphs of one another.

Tamlin is bad guy, but wait he's good, oh no he's bad. Oh yay ok finally he's good.

Rhys will literally sacrifice himself, you guys. But don't worry he can come back because no one important ever dies. Instead they all become mated to each other.

Feyre is so much stronger than she realizes but she's also super easily tricked. And even though they're all a family now, everyone constantly keeps things hidden from each other or just straight up lies to each other. It's not a mating gift to hide two secret weapons that could literally alter their battle plan, that's just plain stupid and probably should've been brought up to the generals like right away.

These goobers really should've lost this war, but They are the good guys, so everything turned out OK ☺️

Listen, I get why these books are popular, they are quick reads, fast paced, some might say they're sexy (I prefer the work goofy) and they can be fun but they're just not well written.

The whole first part of the book when she's in the spring court should have been exciting and thrilling. But instead of a spying plot, we get the internal dialogue of how much she hates everyone. Instead of her sisters, being sad about losing the lives they knew and embracing their new lives and learning about their powers, they spend the entire time moping around and being assholes to everyone who's trying to help them.

All the parts of this book that should've been exciting and thrilling just fell flat and then, when you finally get to the exciting war part, it just feels like...

SURPISE THAT ARMY SHOWED UP AT THE PERFECT TIME
AND THAT ARMY SHOWED UP AT THE PERFECT TIME TOO
OH AND THEM
AND OUR SECRET WEAPON
ALSO WE HAVE A SECRET WEAPON THAT CAN WIN THE WAR BUT WE DIDNT BRING IT UP UNTIL A BUNCH OF PEOPLE DIED
OH NO WE WON THE WAR BUT NOW THE WORLD IS OVER
OH NO RHYS SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO LITERALLY SAVE THE WORLD
oh no he's ok. And everyone is safe. It's all good

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Tamlin refuses to believe Feyre could fall in love with Rhysand. Blinded by his love for her, Tamlin takes Feyre back to the Spring Court where she begins to unravel everything around him. All Feyre wants is to go home to the Court of Dreams, but Tamlin has betrayed them to the King of Hybern and for that, he must pay.

While A Court of Mist and Fury focused on building Feyre's personal relationships with those around her, A Court of Wings and Ruin is going to put those relationships to the test. Feyre walks a thin line as she does all she can to deceive Tamlin and create distrust in the Spring court. To watch Feyre work, readers will be on the edge of their seats waiting for the one moment that would give everything away. Will her temper snap? Will Lucien see through her deceit? It certainly is a page turner.

As Feyre does what she can from the Spring court, Rhysand and the others plan for the larger picture. War is coming to Prythian, led by a King who would rather see the humans once again enslaved. And he has the Cauldron to do his bidding. With the war growing closer and closer as the story progresses Sarah J. Maas ramps up the tension and creates a wonderful mix of angst and anticipation.

And Sarah J. Maas does not let her secondary characters fade into the background. Mor, Cassien, and all the others will have their own parts to play in the war. Readers will feel just as connected to them as they do Feyre and Rhysand. But that also means that if anything happens to them, readers will feel it just as deeply. A Court of Wings and Ruin is a great addition to the series.

4.00/10.00

This one was bad.

This one is a good read through most of the book. But I hated the ending. Too much chaos. The last minute arrival of allies who never had any character development other than being mentioned in the books was very unpalatable. Rhys death scene was mostly pointless. Amren's return was anti-climatic. The king's death was a let down... The highlights are Tamlin's character development, the war strategy with the death gods, Mor's coming out and Ianthe storyline.. Bottomline the ending was a let down.

I loved this, I think.
Like, there were some things that made me roll my eyes and want to mock the book, but when I didn't feel that? Y'all. That was some good shit.
I can tell that Sarah's idea of good shit is basically the same as my idea of good shit because she really likes to give all that good shit and I like to get it.
(And by that I mean, I love happy endings; romance; relationships; twists, even when I see them coming a mile away (and especially if I don't); and when the cranky, mean, short-tempered person gets with the easy-going, witty, and charming person, I just like that, okay, don't @ me.)
I can't help but compare it to the finale of Throne of Glass, which I read before this, and while I thought that was a great finale, I actually liked this one better. It might be because it's a shorter story arc and also focused on a smaller group of characters, as well as written from one POV rather than 3rd person, but I felt the story flowed more easily. The 1st person POV that this series is written in has in some ways been my gripe with the other books, but here I think it centered in the story and made it feel less overwhelming (even though some parts were very conveniently seen by the main character).
Oh and I also know that technically it's not a finale because there's more books, but you're not going to be able to convince me that this wasn't written as a fucking finale, like shut up, i don't care.
I really liked how the first act of the book was centered on this revenge/spy-plot, and how Feyre got out of it, and how much she really has grown from the first book. I think character-arc wise, it would probably have been better to have the events of the previous book set over a longer period of time, but it still works even if she is conveniently good at things at times. I actually think that was one of the biggest things that annoyed me about this book, Feyre being conveniently good at everything. I'm much more lenient toward convenience when it relies on others than the MC because then there's usually been planted some clues for that to make sense. But you know, considering my rating of the book, you'll realize it wasn't THAT big a gripe.
I enjoyed seeing much more of the sisters in this book and how they played into the story, as well as the trouble of getting all of the high lords to work together, and at that, meeting all the other high lords because we've really only met two before this. I can certainly see how plot points for future books are sprinkled in here, but it's not enough for this to not still be a conclusion, like you could definitely stop here if you wanted.
Anyway, it was great, I loved it, I love Rhysand, I love Amren, and I really found myself adoring Azriel in this one, he really stepped forward and became more than a shadow of a person.
All in all, it was really great.

I'm giving this 3.5! I really want to give it 4 but something about it just didn't quite excite me like the first two did but it was still really, really enjoyable.

I often felt certain characters were totally forgotten about in their own quests/uses until literally right before they reappeared which maybe is meant to be like a “omg forgot about them let's gooo” kind of moment but I never stopped thinking about anyone for a second. I won't give spoilers here either but just felt maybe things were just too... safe. Not that I want to be GRRM traumatised but ya know.

3/5 books down and I'm so excited to see where this goes, I found SJM through the first Crescent City novel and while reading this book I was constantly just wanting to finish so I could see what happens in the next CC, which made me realise that maybe I was more excited for the series than this one. Only time will tell when I've finished them all!