A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)
By Sarah J. Maas
Hardcover, 705 pages
Published May 2nd 2017 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Average Rating: 4.6
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
POV: First Person (Feyre, and some Rhys!!)
Cover Love: OHEMGEEE THAT DRESS IS AMAZING AND IT’S AWESOME SJM INCORPORATED FANART INTO HER SERIES!! *squee* The dark green works so well with the rest of the series and this will probably be the best looking series on my shelf?! 😍😍
My Rating: 5/5 stars (duh!)
A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
*Disclaimer: Very minor spoilers*
You know when you read the first few pages of a book and you just know, deep down that it will be a wholesome and satisfying read?
That is ACOWAR for you.
It’s just one of those books that you can’t complain about because of its brilliant writing, steadily building plot, vivid world building, and its endless pit of feels and emotions that wants to consume you and spit you out tired, broken and happy (?!).
That is what you can expect from any Sarah J. Maas novel.
So, I’m very late in the game when it comes to reading this book. I have IB exams to blame for that. ACOWAR got published right at the beginning of my exams, so I had to lock my fangirl in a cage until after exams were over. But even when I was free, I still needed a few days to rejuvenate before I could pick this book up.
I would clean my blades and wash the blood from my skin.
And I would do it again and again and again.
ACOWAR got me out of the awful reading slump I’ve been in since school started. Like I would have it any other way?!? Of course it’s a SJM novel that does it for me!! Although I believe my reading game is still off and rusty, (so is my blogging game while we’re at it!!) I feel this amazing character-driven plot development and fabulous writing is a great way to begin my trek back to book nerd paradise while ending my reading slump.
One of my favourite parts of ACOWAR was the character relationships. I love how SJM emphasized loyalty, family and love through Feyre and her relationships were her sisters, Rhys, and the Circle, while staying true to Feyre’s character. The development here was emotionally heavy and well-thought out. I loved watching the healing of the Archeron sisters and the ending of the book broke my heart.
“Why should I be scared of an oversized bat who likes to throw temper tantrums?”
Pacing of the novel was super slow. I was expecting more time at Tamlin’s court but it was very quick. I felt it could have been strung out a little bit more but at the same time, it would’ve gotten old real fast. Honestly, I was hoping for more angst between Feyre and Rhys but I think SJM definitely took it in a better direction. She focused more on the war than this little part. It also shows how Feyre plays a huge role in this war, so she was of course needed at Rhys’ side. Can I hear female warrior greatness?? It was so boring until I was more than halfway through the novel that things got actually exciting, but the writing and storytelling was so brilliant that I really didn’t care. It was still good.
As far as plot goes, the lead up to the war was exactly how I expected it to be. Lots of manipulation and blooood. Lots of politics too. I particularly enjoyed when all the High Lords met up together. The tension and snark was the best. Plot twists were strategically placed and powerful.
When it comes to the sexy times in the novel, I felt SJM really took into consideration of the controversy that came about from ACOMAF. Many readers claimed the graphic sex scenes were too adult for the labelled genre of young adult. Although I had no problem with the content, I can appreciate SJM’s decision to tame the romance. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed I wasn’t going to get a steamy Feyre and Rhys scene. Don’t get me wrong, I say these books are a mature read for good reason because although I thought the sexy times were hella tame compared to ACOMAF, they were still scenes where you would get uncomfortable if you were reading them in public. (Yes, I was reading that scene in public)
The comedy and sass in this novel makes me squeal with glee. It’s so light and funny among the dark pieces to the novel. It’s a beautiful blend. SJM is wonderful at the sass.
Cassian’s wings rustled. “Daylight is a precious resource.”
“We live in the Night Court,” Mor countered.
The ending of ACOWAR left me in tears. It was such a beautiful ending but so open-ended!! It was perfect and how SJM wrapped up the story was genius. All of it was perfectly satisfying and one of the best ways to end a novel. I have no idea what SJM has in store for us in the next three novels in this world but Feyre and Rhys better be in those books!!! If they aren’t, the ending of ACOWAR is open-ended enough to end Feyre and Rhys’ journey in this world. 😦 BUT THEY BETTER STILL BE IN THE NEXT NOVELS!!
Overall, A Court of Wings and Ruin was a very fulfilling read. You can expect the best plot and character relationships that will evoke so many emotions from the amazing Sarah J. Maas. I don’t think any fan will be disappointed with this read, and I highly recommend reading ACOWAR if you haven’t yet or any other SJM novels!
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