SARAH J. MAAS REVIEWS
A COURT of THORNS and ROSES
by Sarah J. Maas
fairy tale retelling // new adult // fantasy
This book! Oh my god where to start...
I love everything about this. The writing, the world-building, the setting, the fantasy, the CHARACTERS. Let's just start with the characters because Feyre is a new favorite heroine. This book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and Feyre has all of the beautiful qualities of Belle amped up with some Katniss, and she's just... perfect. I love her so much. Then we have Tamlin who is also just... perfect. Tamlin is our "Beast" character, but I love the fact that he did not need "Belle" to come in and change him as a person. Beauty and the Beast stories can create that abusive, domineering male who needs to be changed by the woman, and that is such a damaging message because human beings don't work that way. You can't change people. So I worried about the "Beast's" characterization before I picked this up, and I absolutely fell in love with Tamlin. He is such a strong character. Both he and Feyre exhibit this extreme bravery and strength, but also kindness and fierce love and they're so beautiful together. There's also Rhys who comes late in the story-- loud, obnoxious, and seemingly evil, but he is another fascinating character I couldn't help but like. Even Lucien, who is kind of an asshole, is also so complex I couldn't help but like him too.
This was my first Sarah J. Maas book and I was blown away by how much I loved it. Her writing style is so strong and intricate. I felt like the entire story was being painted out in front of me.
It is the first in a series, so there are plenty of unanswered questions to keep you wanting more, but she tells a complete story here, start to finish. Sometimes the first book in a new series feels like a long build-up to the next book without a complete story arc, but this book was really rich in story and I'm so excited for whatever adventures the next books will embark on.
A COURT of MIST and FURY
by Sarah J. Maas
fairy tale retelling // new adult // fantasy
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This was an absolute 5 star read... until I finished book 3. After finishing this trilogy, I can't let it stand at 5 stars. I did love this book, and read it multiple times last year. Hell I spent 3 months of my life on a giant art piece because I loved it so much.
But as much as I fangirled over this, I did have problems with it from the start, problems I assumed were going to be corrected/explored/expanded upon in the final book.
Since the final book did absolutely none of this, my love for acomaf is affected. (series spoilers ahead, probably)
A rule I’ve always lived by in my writing life is: Do not add it unless it contributes to the story. Does it lay groundwork for future development? Does it further the plot? Will it come into play later?
If not, DON’T ADD IT.
I’ve never come across a writer who violates this simple rule so horribly.
I have a lot of Tamlin feelings to address, but Tamlin aside, there are so many other aspects of ACOMAF that burn me up now BECAUSE THEY WERE POINTLESS.
Remember all that Mor/Azriel tension and buildup? THROWAWAY
Remember how terrible things are going to be unleashed if The Book is put together? THROWAWAY
Remember how Amren is a mighty otherworldly creature whose only goal is to be freed and return home? THROWAWAY
Remember the evil mysterious queens? THROWAWAY
Remember Feyre's epic powers and badassery in battle? THROWAWAY
And now we circle back to book 1: The most pointless, useless beginning of a series there ever was. The entire book is a throwaway. This is not the way to start a trilogy!
I have a review of ACOTAR on youtube. It's actually the first video I ever made, so it's awkward and I cringe looking back BUT if you watched it you'll remember my deep love for Tamlin and my FEAR that sjm was going to turn him into a butthead in order to push us toward Rhys. (also cringe because I said how much I loved Feyre. ugh.)
Basically everything I said I didn't want, happened. Yet I still enjoyed acomaf! I balked at Tamlin's treatment, but I was swept up in the Night Court glamour and lovable Rhys.
I assumed book 3 was going to delve back into Tamlin and Feyre's story since she was back at his court. SURELY Tamlin wasn't going to be left as this raging, unfeeling cartoon villain. SURELY his acomaf personality transplant was going to be examined, his struggle with ptsd was going to be given just as much weight as Feyre's.
but... oh.
The 2D cartoon villain presented in this book is actually what's become of Tamlin.
And I was manipulated into accepting this in acomaf.
Every five seconds Feyre is comparing how monstrous Tamlin is and how saintly Rhys is, shoving their swapped personalities down our throats.
oh Tamlin forces people to pay TAXES. Rhys would never. Tamlin locked me up but Rhys set me free. Tamlin sleeps while I puke, but Rhys holds my hair. Tamlin doesn't want me to train but Rhys trains me with his army commander.
Could you be a little more heavy-handed? I'm not sure I got it.
Look, if the entire first book is going to be discounted as it has been, it's still unnecessary to paint Tamlin vs. Rhys in this light. People grow apart and fall out of love. One person in the relationship does not suddenly have to become a raging monster in order for this to happen. Why is it that Tamlin is now evil personified for being overprotective, but Rhys is given a pass for the hideous things he's done—including murder? I like Rhys, I do, but it was unnecessary to wipe out all of his sins by way of “it was all an act to protect my court”.
Where's the nuance in their characters? Where's the subtlety?
Where's the fight for Feyre & Tamlin's relationship? Feyre went through hell and literally died for this man, yet she is so ready to throw him away? Then she expects Tamlin to be satisfied with a NOTE.
All he knows is the love of his life has been stolen away by the hideous evil night court, known for torture, rape, murder, etc. He gets a 1 line note one day saying I'm fine, stop looking for me, and he's supposed to accept that??
And we're supposed to see this as proof Tamlin doesn't respect her. She told him to stay away and he kept trying to rescue her. Oh shame on him for not believing a piece of paper he has no proof even came from her.
Why are they so incapable of having a conversation?? Grow up.
It's also squicky to see bloomsbury CHILDREN'S publishing plastered all over this book when there's graphic oral sex happening on page 20, and more graphic sex throughout.
This is in no way a children's book and it's gross to see it pushed as such. The characters are old, the situations are adult. Why isn't this shelved as adult fantasy where it belongs?
I'm all for sexy times as an adult, but I would have been horrified if I'd picked this up as a tween or even a young teen. I think it's incredibly irresponsible. I went to an SJM signing last year and there were eleven-year-olds there. Eleven. God.
A COURT of WINGS and RUIN
by Sarah J. Maas
fairy tale retelling // new adult // fantasy
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*EDIT 6/22/17 You know what? I can't leave a 3 star rating here on 700 pages of wasted potential. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My friend Olivia and I have been angry-discussing this disappointing void of a book for the past two months and I'm still enraged. When the "heroine"-- the **all powerful mighty high fae** "heroine" (SPOILER) sits on her ass and does NOTHING during the climax of her own story, I can't honestly give this more than a 1. Let alone the Great Characterization Massacre, lack of tension or consequences, and fan pandering. I cannot believe we're here. I'll always have a special place for ACOTAR and ACOMAF. But, my God, I've never been so crushingly disappointed in a book before.
I mean, it has something going for it if we've been able to have rage-filled discussions for two months now, but blinding hatred is not the feeling I was looking for here.
*Original review:
that rating hurts me.
This book just did not live up to ACOMAF and left me feeling… I don’t even know. Disappointed, definitely, but also a bit empty?
I’ll start by talking about my favorite part because it sustained me throughout this book: Azriel and Cassian’s epic superhero entrance, or as I like to call it, Sex on Ice. Holy hell when they blasted through the sky and slammed down onto that ice to save the day.
I’m getting overheated just thinking about it.
Unfortunately, I had many issues with the book after this stunning display of glory. I felt like I was reading an unedited first draft, which is something I haven't experienced since Allegiant.
Dear god I'm comparing an ACOMAF book to Allegiant. How did we get here? I think I’ll lay it out in a list to try and keep my thoughts together.
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SPOILERS
1. The story was brutally hindered by Feyre’s sole narrative. Where first person worked well in the first two books, it holds this story back far too much. Feyre is no longer growing or healing. She’s stagnant. Uninteresting. Poor qualities in a narrator.
It’s also incredibly frustrating when *every single time* something juicy is about to happen, she leaves! Ex: when Nesta came up to the roof, I thought YES! Finally some angsty Nessian interaction! But do we get to see it? NOPE. Feyre peaces right out of there. Elain attaches herself to Azriel (how hecking adorable is that) and I was excited to see their interactions/development, but we don’t get to see a single bit of that either. I don’t normally advocate for multiple points of view, but with characters as strong and vibrant as this crew, it would have worked marvelously well.
Feyre’s POV was so restrictive, no one else got to experience any development either. It was quite infuriating. Another case for multiple POVs or an omniscient narrator: battle scenes. Watching Cassian slay the world was EVERYTHING. But in order to see this, Feyre had to hang back and watch. On a hill. Babysat by Mor. …Does not compute. Pulling capable characters out of action so they can describe other action is a big problem.
2. My own personal preference for character-driven stories rather than plot-driven. ACOMAF was very much a character-driven book. We spent most of our time getting to know these wonderful characters with a few high-intensity action scenes here and there. For me, that was perfection. I connect to a book infinitely more when I spend time with the people, getting to know them and all the intimate details of their lives and personalities. ACOWAR has none of this. It is entirely focused on finding allies and fighting battles. Find more allies. Fight more battles. No time for character building whatsoever.
3. I’ve lost all respect for a character who used to be a favorite, due to this person’s unforgivable disregard for another person who has done nothing but love them. After spending 600 ACOMAF pages building up to something epic between these two characters, it is blown apart in a way I just don’t *buy*. It took me out of the story and destroyed the integrity of this person.
If Mor didn’t feel comfortable disclosing the fact that she is gay to Azriel (which doesn’t make sense given how close they are, but anyway) she didn’t have to reveal that to him. All she had to do was say to him, I don’t love you like this. Please move on. Be happy. If she’d said this to him at ANY point during the last FIVE HUNDRED YEARS, and he continued to hold a candle for her anyway, I would be A-ok with this development. Instead, she has given him mixed signals for 500 years WHILE parading other men around in front of him!!! Purposely! Just to hurt him whenever he shows any display of caring for her. And she basically tells Feyre, “well MAYBE I want him, but I don’t know… maybe I can love him like that, but maybe I can’t! So I’ve let him hang for five hundred years believing he isn’t good enough for me, when he has done nothing but love and protect me.” I just… I have never been so angry in all my life. I had no idea Mor was so cruel and so selfish. Azriel has lived 500 years first neglected and abused by the people who are supposed to love him, then rejected and toyed with by the one person he loves most. *I cannot live with this pain.*
Also, what was Mor’s problem with Nesta? She behaved like a jealous girlfriend, snapping at Nesta for showing any concern for Cassian ever. Excuse me what *IS* your problem, woman? Nesta is a bitch, but when she's afraid Cassian has been killed, it's uncalled for to reply with HE'S BUSY YOU SNAKE. She was an immature teenager in this book and I'm left wondering what happened to that awesome chick from ACOMAF. Mor is dead to me, and I hate this book for it.
4. Rhysand. My beloved Rhys. He’s lost all of his fiery alpha male presence and bows to everything Feyre says & does with zero pushback or input. I appreciate that he respects her ideas and opinions, but there is a difference in being equals and rolling over to let her lord over you. A strong relationship is give and take, which they used to have. Now, Rhys lays down and lets her rule all without a peep of dissent. Rhys is the one with 500 years of High Lording experience, yet he yields everything to Feyre like she has any idea what she's doing. He never pushes her, never engages her in anything remotely challenging. Where is their fire?? His wit, his charm, swagger, and snark are GONE. He became laughably passive when she got herself into danger. It was an attempt to overcompensate for Tamlin’s protectiveness, but came off as him not giving a single shit. “Oh you ran off and needlessly inserted yourself into a likely fatal situation without telling anyone? NO BIGGIE. You are your own person. Just leave a note next time.” Rhysand. Set. Her. Straight. What has happened to you?? He's *PERFECT* in the worst way. His entire character regressed, and he didn’t DO anything in this book except prop Feyre up and…fight a bit in the war? Another related note that greatly bothers me but is getting its own point is,
5. The serious talk of having an orgy. I’m not here to shame anyone’s kinks, you do you. What lost me was when RHYSAND suggested a threesome for himself and Feyre. I… What… Are. You. Doing. “Yes, honey, I almost killed Cassian for making a sex joke about you in the last book but I’m totally cool with you banging other men. Wouldn't you like that? Aren’t I so evolved?” No. Cease. Who is this person? What have you done with my Rhysand??
6. I’m immensely creeped out that the Bone Carver appears as their future son. Now every time they look at their kid, they’ll be reminded of that absolute freak. Creepy children give me nightmares and I’m grossed out by this. Minor issue, I just needed to vent.
7. Strengthening Lucien’s character in the first half of the book only to drop him off the face of the earth for the rest of the story. Why? Revealing a huge secret regarding Lucien’s family, only for it to… have absolutely nothing to do with anything. Why? I feel like Lucien’s role in this book was a setup for a completely different story, rather than center him in this story and finish the arc that was already started for him. In fact, MOST of this book felt like a setup for future books rather than tell THIS story with the attention and detail it needed.
8. Feyre’s actions in the Spring Court. With no regard for the fact that war is coming and they could use a strong army from this court, or that there are many innocent people in this land, she weakens it, primes it to fall, and runs away. All because of a grudge she has against Tamlin. Good job, Queen. What was the point of this?? I thought she was going to gain some intel, not senselessly destroy an entire court. I’m also in the tiny minority who does not hate, or even dislike Tamlin. So the way he’s been treated throughout has bothered me quite a bit. Feyre says something to him like, "you don't get to rewrite the narrative to your advantage" when all she has done is twist the narrative to suit her & Rhys, and make Tamlin out to be the devil incarnate. Which he's NOT. This book only served to remind me why I loved Tamlin and still feel deeply sorry for him. When I look at Tamlin, I see someone who is also suffering from PTSD and coping with a lot of trauma. But he was not fortunate enough to have a Rhys of his own to help him.
9. The fakeout ending. I could have gone with one fakeout death, but two? I’m also miffed we never got any real answer as to WHAT Amren is, or how Rhys was able to pull her back from death?? She wasn’t dead, she was freed! Way to cheapen her sacrifice(?) when all she ever wanted was to go home anyway. Also, Rhysand’s death. It was not dire enough. It was too obvious he’d be brought right back— All the high lords were still alive, and they were all gathered right there. It lacked urgency and was too rushed to have any impact. All I kept thinking about was the end of ACOMAF, how terrified I was, how on the edge of my seat I was, so sure they were going to die/be crippled. But here, I felt none of that tension. Rhys DIED, and I felt nothing. That is a problem.
The lack of consequences wrecked this entire ending for me. The stakes never felt all that high, then we didn't even lose anyone who meant anything to the story. No one was even injured badly. It's all so unbelievable.
I could also go off on how disappointing the lack of powers was. All this buildup of Nesta's death powers, and not one actual sign of them in 700 pages?? Why wasn't Elain's gift explored? Why didn't we see anything notable from The Most Powerful High Lord of All Time? Where was that kick-ass Battle of Velaris Feyre with her water wolves??? I've never felt so let down.
I sadly think I will strike most of this book from my mind and choose to believe the story ended with ACOMAF. Unless we get a book about my baby bat Azriel, I won't be continuing with the companion books. I can’t believe I’m saying that. ACOMAF is too dear to me to watch everything continue to crumble this way.