It's Sarah J. Maas's World And I Desperately Want To Live In It

So, I finished A COURT OF MIST AND FURY.

I had mentioned in my last post, "Overwhelmed," that if the book continued how it was going about 70% through, it was on its way to becoming my favorite book of all time. Well, drum roll please...

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY is most definitely my new all time favorite book*.


Borrowing a little from my mostly spoiler free Goodreads review, I loved so many things about this second installment in the ACOTAR series. I was incredibly emotional the entire time I read it, finding myself needing to reread certain passages because they hit so hard. So many seemingly simple lines were just perfect, where they both moved the story along and brought emotion.

I found myself incredibly invested and emotional while reading about Feyre and life post Amarantha. I, like Feyre, desperately wanted things to go back to how they had been before her time Under the Mountain. We get glimpses of her old self, but PTSD keeps her from moving on in her life. It keeps her up at night and she has real, physical reactions to her memories of being tortured by Amarantha. She is truly haunted by what happened Under the Mountain and her internal dialogue of trying to work through those feelings was written so well.

Feyre's interactions with both old and new friends was also written incredibly well. Maas has created a large group of characters who all have a backstory, a life, and their own goals and purposes. The characters are explained from Feyre's point of view, but Maas expertly shapes them to be layered characters who never just serve as stage fillers. I loved how strong these bonds of family were, both biological and found.

A bonus for me is the spotify playlist Maas provided and the details of a few of the songs and how they fit into the story. Beethoven's 7th Symphony is an extremely emotional piece and its inclusion warms my heart. I played it in orchestra once and started tearing up while playing that 2nd movement. Another song that I'll never listen to in the same way is Florence and the Machine's "Cosmic Love". Add it to the long list of songs that make me cry when I hear them.

I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you

CHILLS!

The Night Court is definitely where I would want to live in Prythian. After I finished ACOMAF I couldn't help but look around my mundane living room and sigh. I have long connected more with the nighttime and stars than the bright and sunny daytime hours.

Without giving anything away, the ending of ACOMAF was so incredibly amazing. It knocked my socks off in that "Oh no, [this] is going to happen..OH WAIT OMG NOPE NOPE NOPE SARAH J. MAAS IS A MASTER STORYTELLER!" And now, we have to wait until 2017 for book three. Literally the only negative thing about ACOMAF...besides that it wasn't twice as long.

I've never been good at writing real reviews of books. I usually just gush for awhile and say "I loved it!" a lot. So it's difficult for me to put into words why this book is my new favorite. I guess it's because I was invested for every single page, I was emotional for every scene, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I began it. But it's more than that, too. It's because of the world, the characters, the plot. I was inspired by this book, both artistically and mentally. In my last post I mentioned having huge, open receptors for art lately and that's how reading this book felt. It felt like my synapses were waiting for it. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY is a perfect fit for me.



Okay, I lied. I can't not write some spoilers.... 

SO WARNING...SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!

The evolution of Rhysand and Feyre's relationship was so beautiful, so real, so perfect. I loved how he tried to stay away, but the bond called to him and he helped how he could and so began her healing. And her healing took time. It wasn't overnight. She was so broken after ACOTAR and Maas gave her the time to heal and breathe. It was beautiful. And Rhys was a good friend first. Patient, kind when he needed to be, saucy when that would help, and forceful when she needed it. He encouraged her to be a better version of herself and let her live.

The slow burn of Rhys and Feyre getting physical was so hot that I think the book should come with a bucket of ice water. And it's not that I was just flipping pages, hoping to get to the sex scenes, it's that Maas made their relationship progress slowly, but surely. As Feyre warmed up to Rhys, so did I. (That's a lie. I've loved him since he showed up in the Spring Court and saved her.) But, through the eyes of our wonderful main character, I saw how he was an integral part of helping Feyre rebuild herself. And once they do connect physically, it's Ah-mazing!

The complexity of the plot was a lot of fun in general! It was fun to read about Feyre discovering her new powers and how they would play into story. And can we please talk about that ending and the perfect set up for book three!? OH. MY. GOD! 

XO,
SVR

*Okay, okay, I still completely love A GREAT GATSBY, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, and THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. Don't worry!