Book: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: 3rd May 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 626
Rating: 5/5 stars
Rating: 5/5 stars
It's going to be hard for me to write this review. I have a lot of feelings. Primarily: Dear god, I cannot wait another year for the sequel.
I'd like to preface this review with a small cautionary note: If you have read the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and found yourself absolutely smitten with the, er, romance and epic love story between Feyre and Tamlin, you might not be the biggest fan of this book.
A Court of Mist and Fury is a LOT different to the first in the series. This is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the first book (in fact, you can count it among one of my favourite reads from last year), and although I found myself definitely surprised by the development of the story in ACOMAF, I absolutely loved every page.
Now, although the plot in this book serves to essentially set up the third book (as many second books do), that is not to say the story becomes complacent. One of the biggest draws of ACOMAF is the absolutely extreme levels of character development that happen throughout the book. Now, some readers may dislike the way that certain characters develop (~rhymes with Famlin~), however, I believe Maas chose to wrote a more daring story-line (one that in my opinion, is less stagnant), and I applaud her for that.
The way in which Feyre develops throughout this novel is astounding, and frankly, much appreciated. Let's not mince words - she died in the previous book. She was absolutely stone-cold dead. And then she was brought back. Obviously, she is not going to be the same person that she once was. She was naive, a little foolish, a dreamer, and swooned off her feet. If you are looking for a quaint fairy-tale ending for her, A Court of Thorns and Roses delivered. However, A Court of Mist and Fury, I believe, portrays a more accurate reality of what would happen after the fairy-tale 'ended'. Feyre's charm comes from her determination, her creativity, and her desire to dream and I'm glad this was not lost during this book.
Rhys, the other significant character in this novel, has all of his usual charm (and bite) from the previous book, but we get to see much more of him, of his past, and how he mirrors Feyre in a lot of ways. Other notable new character additions include Amren (my personal favourite), Mor, Cassian and Azriel. With the introduction of these complex and layered characters, the story never drags, despite it's length (over 600 pages, y'know).
The setting is beautiful. Maas really excels in describing the scenery: the Court of Nightmares, Velaris, the Rainbow, all come alive throughout the novel, and it was very easy to get lost in the pages. There is romance, although it was my kind of romance. Which is complimentary, but not overpowering. Passionate, but not sickly sweet. Important, but not the primary plot. And although there is a scattering of sex scenes, (so bear this in mind), it's not too distracting.
Ultimately, this is a truly captivating read, and the ending horrified and intrigued me in equal measure. Boy, does Maas know how to make people want to read a sequel.
I'd like to preface this review with a small cautionary note: If you have read the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and found yourself absolutely smitten with the, er, romance and epic love story between Feyre and Tamlin, you might not be the biggest fan of this book.
A Court of Mist and Fury is a LOT different to the first in the series. This is not a bad thing. I enjoyed the first book (in fact, you can count it among one of my favourite reads from last year), and although I found myself definitely surprised by the development of the story in ACOMAF, I absolutely loved every page.
Now, although the plot in this book serves to essentially set up the third book (as many second books do), that is not to say the story becomes complacent. One of the biggest draws of ACOMAF is the absolutely extreme levels of character development that happen throughout the book. Now, some readers may dislike the way that certain characters develop (~rhymes with Famlin~), however, I believe Maas chose to wrote a more daring story-line (one that in my opinion, is less stagnant), and I applaud her for that.
The way in which Feyre develops throughout this novel is astounding, and frankly, much appreciated. Let's not mince words - she died in the previous book. She was absolutely stone-cold dead. And then she was brought back. Obviously, she is not going to be the same person that she once was. She was naive, a little foolish, a dreamer, and swooned off her feet. If you are looking for a quaint fairy-tale ending for her, A Court of Thorns and Roses delivered. However, A Court of Mist and Fury, I believe, portrays a more accurate reality of what would happen after the fairy-tale 'ended'. Feyre's charm comes from her determination, her creativity, and her desire to dream and I'm glad this was not lost during this book.
Rhys, the other significant character in this novel, has all of his usual charm (and bite) from the previous book, but we get to see much more of him, of his past, and how he mirrors Feyre in a lot of ways. Other notable new character additions include Amren (my personal favourite), Mor, Cassian and Azriel. With the introduction of these complex and layered characters, the story never drags, despite it's length (over 600 pages, y'know).
The setting is beautiful. Maas really excels in describing the scenery: the Court of Nightmares, Velaris, the Rainbow, all come alive throughout the novel, and it was very easy to get lost in the pages. There is romance, although it was my kind of romance. Which is complimentary, but not overpowering. Passionate, but not sickly sweet. Important, but not the primary plot. And although there is a scattering of sex scenes, (so bear this in mind), it's not too distracting.
Ultimately, this is a truly captivating read, and the ending horrified and intrigued me in equal measure. Boy, does Maas know how to make people want to read a sequel.
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