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RedditIn this A Court of Mist and Fury book review I share my thoughts on the second book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas. As usual I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum however there may be a few small spoilers just so you are aware.
“When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back.”
Sarah J Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas is the second book of the adult fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. In my first read through I didn’t really care for the first book and if it weren’t for loads of glowing recommendations I wouldn’t have read this book or any other in the series. I am really glad I did though
Trigger Warnings
Since we don’t always get trigger warnings on books I like to give trigger warnings in my reviews. This can help people avoid certain triggers that could hurt their mental well being.
Possible Triggers in this book are:
- Abusive Relationship
- Anxiety
- Blood
- Bones
- Death
- Depression
- Emotional Abuse
- Gore
- Profanity
- PTSD
- Sexually Explicit Scenes
- Starvation
- Suicide
- Violence
For a list of the triggers I look for you can check out this link here. This may or may not be a complete list of triggers for this book, I do my best to make sure I mark anything that could be a potential trigger but I may accidentally miss triggers.
Synopsis and Author
In A Court of Mist and Fury we continue to follow Feyre as she tries to heal after her trials Under The Mountain. She is trying to adapt to this new body and new life while planning a wedding and dealing with her trauma.
However, the bargain she made Under The Mountain with Rhysand is about to be called in. As she deals with her trauma and tries to figure out who she is and who she should be loyal to.
Sarah J Maas once again brings us into this amazing world of Prythian. She does an amazing job of writing about trauma and trauma healing in this book. She does more than just touch on the topic but fully brings you in as our main character grows from her trauma to decide who she is now that the trauma is done.
A Court of Mist and Fury Reading Experience
Once again we are in Prythian and while we start off in the Spring Court that is not where the majority of the book takes place. We spend a large portion of our time in the Night Court which is in the furthest northern section of Prythian.
Sarah J Maas brings us into more courts and builds this world into something so fantastic. It’s beautiful and detailed without being boring. She draws you in so deeply that you can almost feel yourself in that world with the characters.
Feyre is still our main character and point of view. I didn’t care for Feyre in the first book, however in this book I absolutely fell in love with her. Her character growth is absolutely amazing.
While a large portion of this book deals in trauma and trauma healing there are adventure elements that keep the story moving at a quick pace. We aren’t just dealing with trauma we are preparing for something big and Sarah J Maas does a fantastic job about keeping you hooked.
Writing Style
This book is more Sarah J Maas length in writing at about 630 pages and 69 chapters. She is descriptive in the setting and the characters we meet. Every element added to the story has an important purpose.
The book was easy to read and follow along even though there were twists in the plot that throw you for a loop. I personally loved how important choice was as a theme in this book. We didn’t see it coming in the first read through but in the second it all makes so much more sense.
Sarah J Maas writes her books with a purpose that almost requires additional read throughs in order to catch how every single detail is used. It makes her books interesting every time you read it.
A Court of Mist and Fury Book Review
I have a lot of favorite characters in this book so get ready. Feyre finally made the list of favorite characters. Her story, her trauma, her emotions were so strong I couldn’t help but fall in love with her as a character. By the end of this book we see a strength in her that is amazing and we know that her strength is all her own.
SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this section of the book review will likely have small spoilers that I want to make you aware of before you read it. I will have a Spoilers End noted when it’s safe to start reading again.
Rhysand is a favorite character of mine, pretty quickly in this book too. For supposedly being this horrible male we see another side to him in this book that rips away the facade of who he actually is. For me, I fell in love with this character because he is absolutely all about free will and choice.
Morrigan. Rhysand’s cousin is a light of shining brightness and happiness while being a badass and I can’t help but love her.
Cassian and Azriel I will have massive spoilers if I go into every detail about these two and why I love them. So I’m just going to say that I adore these two characters. My love for them just continued to grow in the second read through as well.
Tarquin is an instant favorite for me. As a High Lord of another court it’s not immediately clear what we can expect from him. However, he is a character I absolutely enjoyed and fell in love with.
Tamlin made the hated list. I do not want to give massive spoilers but how I felt at the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses was exactly right when it came to Tamlin.
There are other characters that I hated in this book but if I talk about them it will be too much of a spoiler for the rest of the book.
Amren is a character that is going to grow on me. She seems dark but she is absolutely a badass and I’m just going to continue to fall for her as the series goes on.
Nesta is growing on me. I am not seeing her as a spoiled or entitled brat so much as I’m seeing her strength and loyalty. She’s not top of my list but I’m starting to feel empathy towards her.
SPOILERS END: I should have no more small spoilers through the rest of this review so if you stopped reading earlier due to possible spoilers it is safe to start reading again.
The world building, the plot, the theme, the writing style was all just perfect in this book. I laughed a lot, I cried a lot, and the spice in this book was just perfect. It’s a slow burn that just leaves you feeling every single emotion the characters feel while continuing the story at a steady pace.
If you like high fantasy that involves the Fae and magic this is absolutely a great series for you.
Star Rating
Before I rate this book I want to give you a bit of background about what my rankings mean. I typically read books that I check out through the Libby app with my local library or through Kindle Unlimited.
I rarely buy ebooks unless they are cheaply priced or on sale. I also very rarely buy physical copies of books. I’m a bit of a minimalist so I have to absolutely adore a book to buy a physical copy that will be proudly displayed in my home.
So my ranking system is as follows:
- 5 Stars equals I am buying a physical copy of this book. I will read this book at least 10 more times, it is the best ever.
- 4 stars equals a great book. I might buy an ebook version when it’s on sale so that I can re-read it at least one more time.
- 3 stars equals a good book. I likely won’t read again but I appreciate the story.
- 2 stars equals “Meh.” I will not read this book again, it had a lot of problems and I did not care for it.
- 1 star equals a bad book. I barely finished this book and I will never recommend anyone waste valuable book reading time on this book.
- 0 stars is a did not finish book. I will never finish that book and it is banished.
A Court of Mist and Fury gets 5 stars on both the first and second read through. Spice gets a 3.5. Just like with the first read through, the second read through is better than the first. I cried just as hard the second time as I did the first. Sarah J Maas did a fantastic job about bringing the world and the characters to life and dealt with heavy topics in a beautiful way.
Likes:
- The trauma healing process in this book is chef’s kiss. For anyone who has dealt with trauma and healed or continues to heal from it this book is fantastic about showing the emotional side of healing in a world of fantasy.
- The character growth in this book is fantastic. I’m not just talking about Feyre but the character development of Rhysand and others was perfect as well.
- The world building in this book is amazing. I loved the descriptions of every scene and setting and it was absolutely perfect.
Dislikes:
- Even though I was having doubts about Tamlin at the end of the last book the whiplash on this character was pretty extreme. However, I won’t say that it wasn’t realistic. I’ve seen this type of quick character change in humans too.
Final Thoughts on A Court of Mist and Fury
I absolutely loved this book and will likely read it as a stand alone whenever I need a good cry, a good boost, and a good dose of laughter. This book hits every emotional part of you, takes you on an adventure with twists and turns. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go while it takes you on a pretty intense ride.
Additional Book Reviews in This Series
- A Court of Thorns and Roses
- A Court of Wings and Ruin
- A Court of Frost and Starlight
- A Court of Silver Flames
Have you read A Court of Mist and Fury? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. Follow me on Pinterest for more like this and pin this to your favorite book boards.
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