Novella Review: A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1)

Release Date: May 1, 2018
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Length: 229 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Narrated by Feyre and Rhysand, this bridges the events in A Court of Wings and Ruin and the upcoming novels in the series.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

    

Review:

Protagonists: So, while the synopsis says that this book is narrated by both Feyre and Rhysand, that's not (technically) true. See, while all of the first person POV chapters are from Feyre and Rhysand, there are chapters, and parts of chapters, that are told in a limited third person POV that follow other members of Feyre's Night Court family. First off, I have to say how amazing it was to see these characters again, and even though it's been a while since I read A Court of Wings and Ruin, the minute I sat down to read this book it was like I never left and that's very much due to how these characters fly off the page. Honestly, there aren't that many characters that have internal conflicts that get even a little bit resolved in this story. Mostly this book felt like a set up for where certain characters will be when the series officially resumes. As you would expect it's Feyre who has the most internal conflict and character development in this story, mostly relating to the aftermath of the war with Hybern and how she'll deal with not only being the High Lady of the Night Court but also someone who suffered the loss of her father at the hands of the King of Hybern. When it comes to Rhys, I loved seeing from his POV, even if he is a big horndog from time to time, it was great to really see what he's going through in this story and really see how much he loves his family and Feyre. When it comes to the other characters, well they all have rather small arcs in comparison to Feyre and Rhys, but even with that third person POV, there's a lot of information about these characters revealed in this story, which is definitely another reason why these characters feel like they come to life when reading this story.

Romances: I was going to start this section about how, while I love the romance and relationship between Feyre and Rhys, it almost seems too stable, as much as I don't want anything bad to happen to this couple, I kind of wish there was some sort of conflict with their relationship, nothing major or threatening, but something normal, something that made their relationship a bit more relatable, however, this is just a short novella and with it not have that much conflict within well, I couldn't fault the author on that. Besides, I did love every freaking minute between those two, it's more that I barely have anything to write when it comes to their relationship, other than how strong it is in this book. As for the other characters in this story, well you'll see where Nesta and Cassian are at, and possibly have a hint at where that tumultuous relationship is headed and I can't wait to see how that all plays out. Then there's whatever is going on between Az, Elain, and Lucien, which again, I feel is more set up in this story than it actually having any development, we sort of see where things lie for these other relationships, but the author's intent is clearly to go deeper into those romances in the upcoming books.

World Building: With this not being a full installment in the series I wasn't exactly sure what to expect out of not only the story but the world building as well. I know this novella is described as a story to "bridge the gap" between the two the last book and the next, but honestly, that's pretty vague since we don't really have a concrete idea of what the next book will be about. In the end, the world building in this book is all about the ramifications caused during the war with Hybern, specifically the fact that the Wall is down and that there are Illyrian warriors who blame the heavy losses of their warriors on Rhys and Cassian. However, I was sort of disappointed to see that there isn't all that clear of a view for where the series is heading from here on out. Sure, we have a few plotlines teed up for the next few books, but I was kind of hoping to see a bit of a bigger picture, and instead, it feels like I got tiny glimpses but nothing close to the full thing.

Predictability: Since this story is so short there isn't a lot of time for big twists, and for most of this story it felt like I was just following along rather than picking up pieces of foreshadowing and trying to figure out some big twist. With that being said, there are a few surprises in this book, but usually, they're very obvious if you're good at picking up foreshadowing it's not hard to see where certain plotlines will go, but that never ruined the fun for me. I still relished every moment of this story.

Ending: Again, with this not being a full installment, there wasn't really much of an external conflict for these characters to overcome, so the ending of this story isn't as climactic as one of the novels in this series, so there isn't a whole lot I feel I can comfortably write in this section without spoiling something. All I'll say is that the last chapter feels a lot like an epilogue and wraps up some of the plotlines in this story while still leaving a lot to be resolved in the upcoming books. Oh, and the last few sentences melted my freaking heart.

Rating:

Have you ever wanted to read a story about your favorite characters (assuming the ACOTAR characters are some of your favorites) having fun and interacting without a whole lot of conflict getting in the way? Then this story is for you. Seriously, there isn't all that much conflict in this story and I didn't think it could be done, as I feel conflict, and its resolution, can lead to an even sweeter ending, but here it really works.

Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)

Release Date: May 2, 2017
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 705 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

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.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, entered the Spring Court with one purpose, to discover what Hybern is up to and what it will take to bring them down. Tearing apart Tamlin's Court in the process, well that's mostly for fun. As Hybern prepares to launch an attack and bring down the wall separating humans and Fae, Feyre will need every bit of power, cunning, and skill she's gained since killing a Fae wolf in the woods to even hope to come out of it alive. Feyre starts off this book as a wolf in sheep's clothing, playing her part in the Spring Court to gather as much information as she can on Hybern before escaping back to her home and her family waiting for her. I seriously love how far Feyre has come in this series and this installment is a testament to that. Her mind is keen and she'll do anything and everything to protect those she loves. I started off this series hoping that Feyre would be a badass warrior, but I think it was much more fun watching her transformation from Fae hating huntress to powerful Fae warrior.

Romance: Honestly, there isn't all that much more that can happen with the romance between Feyre and Rhysand, their love is strong and it's been forged in even the hottest of fires, so going into this book there's not as much romantic development between the two, more moments that are a testament to their love. There are romances involving the friends and family around them, that while not taking center stage fill that void of needed development. I was surprised with how these romances unfolded over the course of the book and felt that where things ended up was very realistic and well written.

World Building: Ah, the world building for this book is fantastic. We see so much more from this world than I expected to see and as we follow Feyre's journey we venture back to places we've already seen with new information and context to show just how intricate and amazing this world is. We learn more about the history of this world, what went down in the last war, and how the past can help shape the future. Even with how much more we get to experience this world, there's still so much more to discover and I cannot wait for future installments in this series, no matter who they follow to discover even more about this rich and wonderous world.

Predictability: Dear lord, there are a lot of twists and turns this story takes. Many of the twists have some sort of foreshadowing to them, to help them feel more real and so we as readers don't interpret them as Deus Ex Machinas that undercut how amazing this story is. There are also plenty of twists that have no foreshadowing, twists that had there been any foreshadowing would have ruined it in some ways or another. Now I won't say that there aren't any moments that felt a bit too convenient or that I felt shouldn't have gone a different way, but looking at everything as a whole those moments are so small in comparison that I don't mind them at all.

Ending: The ending of this book played out in so many ways that I wasn't expecting. At its core, the ending is how I've always hoped it would be and yet how things transpired and how the war with Hybern turned out, in the end, I have to say I never quite saw it all coming. The final climaxes of this book were phenomenal, every moment of it fraught with tension and wondering. There are quite a few plot points that weren't wrapped up in a nice and neat little bow. Things that I could easily see becoming the focus of future installments and while I bask in how amazing this arc to the story ended, I also cannot wait to see what else has yet to come.

Rating:

As far as "final" books in series go, this book was spectacular. It hit all the right notes and while there are definitely things left hanging off a cliff, this arc of the story ended in an epic, non-idyllic way that spoke to me on so many different levels.

Book Review: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)

Release Date: September 1, 2015
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 656 pages

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

    

Review:

Characters: Celaena's journey continues as she has finally accepted her place as Aelin, Queen of Terrasen. This book deals a lot with Aelin keeping the promises she made in her life and taking vengeance where she is due. Aelin is such a complex and striking character, who just when you think that maybe she can't really develop anymore, she does. Manon Blackbeak is now Wing Leader and has to struggle with the demands of the duke and what is best for her people. I know that there are people out there that don't like Manon, and while I don't really understand that, I accept that. However I love Manon, she's cold, cruel, and vicious, but somewhere deep down there are glimpses of a good and moral person and over the course of this book those glimpses come around far more often. As for Dorian, Chaol, and Rowan, I love them all, their flawed and some are broken but their inner-strength really comes out over the course of this book.

Romance: If I had one complaint about this book it would be the romance aspect of it. As if the romance wasn't complicated enough with Dorian a slave to a Valg Prince and Chaol extremely conflicted about whether or not he trusts Aelin after hiding her true self from him and the frightening stunt she pulled in Wendlyn, but now Rowan throws his hat into the ring. I have nothing against any of these characters, in fact independently I love them all, but the plot and world-building of this series is so amazing that needlessly complicated romances kind of distract from the story.

World-Building: This series just keeps getting more and more in depth. I definitely regret not having read The Assassin's Blade prior to this book because many things that I'm sure were introduced in that book come back and play a large role in the first half of this book or so. The sinister plot of the King of Adarlan thickens as we discover his true motivations and about a coming threat far more dangerous than a magic wielding mortal king. As this series continues it's as though layers are added that make the world so real and complicated, but not in confusing or needless way. I can't wait to see how the world will continue to grow in these final two books.

Predictability: There are a great many things I didn't see coming. In fact I never quite knew what was going to happen. There are a few things that seemed obvious, but other than that I had no real idea what was going to happen with these characters, other than Aelin and Manon I think I had feelings at some point that every other character might die. There are moments in this book that are utterly game-changing. It seems that this series keeps reinventing itself in small ways, but in this book that really rings true.

Ending: So the final climax of this book is so incredibly epic. I mean I don't think I can properly put into words what I was felling as I read it. Everything happened so fast and there were moments of fear, moments of excitement and everything was just so amazing. The cool down after the climax sort of shows where the next book is headed and the various journeys that we'll be on with these characters. While there wasn't really a cliffhanger, and it actually ended up being more plateaued I can't wait to continue this series.

Rating:

If I was rating this just on the plot and world bulding and such and wasn't taking into account the romance this book would not only have gotten five stars but probably would have been my favorite so far. However I felt the romance was needlessly complicated and while things are sort of sorted out by the end it just felt off to me.