A Court of Mist and Fury

Contain spoilers. Please see my review for book one here.

A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Two
Written by Sarah J. Maas
New Adult, Retelling, Fantasy, Romance
Published May 3rd 2016
Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books
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★★★★
Feyre is immortal.

After rescuing her lover Tamlin from a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people - nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court.

As Feyre is drawn ever deeper into Rhysand's dark web of politics and passion, war is looming and an evil far greater than any queen threatens to destroy everything Feyre has fought for. She must confront her past, embrace her gifts and decide her fate.
She must surrender her heart to heal a world torn in two.
It's been three months since Feyre had been Under The Mountain, in which her human life was taken and is now immortal, a being she once previously so desperately despised. Living within the Spring Court, Feyre wants for nothing, her every need catered for by her lady in waiting while she wanders the sprawling mansion alone. Tamlin continues to come and go, the curse lifted from his court but conflict still stirs among the nobility of the immortal world.

On what should have been one of the most important days of her life, Feyre is now faced with Rhysand and his promise upon saving her. Being trapped within the Spring Court and Tamlin's refusal to assist honing her new abilities under the guise of wanting Feyre to remain safe and Feyre is ready to escape. Imprisoned by the man who claims to love her, Feyre discovers freedom within The Night Court, a world she never knew existed. During the war, Rhysand ensured the safety of his court which now thrives on art, creativity and stardust. But it seems that Feyre's freedom will again come at a high expense, betrayed once again by those she trusts.

My Thoughts

A Court of Mist and Fury has been one of my most anticipated reads this year, picking up three months after Under The Mountain, Feyre is now immortal and learning to live a quiet life alongside Tamlin in the Spring Court. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, although the romance could have been described as Stockholm Syndrome with Tamlin having taken Feyre captive, I was disappointed in not only Tamlin's character but how Feyre was in his company was well. There was no romance between the two. Feyre had kept justifying that she loved him, but he would basically leave for days at a time while keeping her castle bound, come home, maul her and take off again. I wasn't a fan of the sex scenes between them, they felt awkward and uncomfortable but they seemed to be written to ensue the reader felt discomfort and as a result, question Tamlin's character. He's portrayed as aggressive and secretive, disguised as keeping her safe and a meek girl that was waiting for rescue. Waiting for Rhysand.

It definitely felt as though their roles have been reversed. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Rhysand felt as though he was the darker, if not the more potentially sinister character. Readers knew very little about Rhysand, so we were left to draw our own conclusions. He showed Feyre compassion which lead to her finding that empowerment that she needed to escape the Spring Court but Tamlin's character shouldn't have been sacrificed to further Feyre's character and her relationships. Seeing how her relationship with Tamlin wasn't based on equality and had fallen in love with who was essentially her captor, it was probably inevitable. It was a destructive relationship that seemed convenient, rather than Feyre and Tamlin being in love. I do wish she had fought back against Tamlin rather than allow him to dominate her. I can understand that she was weakened by the binds placed upon her, but as a reader those first few chapters infuriated me. Until Rhysand came along.


Oh. My. Word. I was intrigued by his character in book one, not much was known about Rhysand and he alluded a mystery that seemed sinister but when it comes to Sarah J Maas, characters aren't typically what they seem. While it seemed he was a master manipulator, as his character developed I found myself understanding why he needed to rescue Feyre. Discovering The Night Court through his eyes was a magical experience and although Rhysand seems carefree and jovial, not to mention flirtatious, his character is multilayered with a depth that had endeared readers. Myself included.

Feyre was a character I had initially found fierce, before succumbing to Tamlin and losing her independence. Although it took another male to rescue her initially, her new environment allowed her to grow as a character, finding her sense of self and self worth again.

I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal.
I was a survivor, and I was strong.
I would not be weak, or helpless again.
I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.

The world building once again was wonderfully written and complements the series, rather than overwhelm the non fantasy reader. She's taken those elements from her popular Throne of Glass series and infused them into a passionate and sexy series that caters to the older or more mature young adult reader.

The Final Verdict

What strikes me most with Sarah J Maas is that her storylines aren't unique as such, but it's how she engages her readers which brings them to life. Love triangles, instant love and angst, she's one of the few authors that can play on tropes and still be widely praised regardless. Despite the villainisation of Tamlin, I really enjoyed the storyline overall especially Rhysand's character development and how he refused to allow Feyre to be victimised. I did struggle with Feyre in the beginning, as a huntress who was headstrong and how she often seemed comfortable being taken care of as it seemed at odds with her character.

But as I turned the final page, I was utterly in love. With Feyre's empowerment, the promise of a devious revenge and of course with Rhysand. Always Rhysand.

18 comments

  1. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THIS BOOK OUT! I have just been introduced to Mass and her lovely writing style and I LOVE IT! <3 Of course there are many different thoughts about this book in the book community, but I don't have a problem with it! <3(Not sure if you've heard about it but yeah, the drama is real.) ;)

    EPICAL review, lovely! <3

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    1. Thanks lovely girl. Yeah, it's been one of those books that has really divided the community. Each to their own I'd say. I loved it, although it did have a few glaring issues but overall still an incredible and solid read. And her writing is amazing isn't it! One of the few authors that can throw in a trope or two and get away with it.

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  2. I am worried. I hate when authors give their characters a personality facelift. So I'm worried that I'll end up not enjoying this book. Gah.

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    1. I think you'll still enjoy it Joy, but it's certainly not without it's issues but still proves that Sarah J Maas really is a master of her craft.

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  3. For some reason I feel like I'm the ONLY one who did not fall in love Rhysand. I definitely love his personality, how heroic he actually was and how he let Feyre dictate her life. But I just couldn't let Tamlin go or the fact that Feyre did everything for him, only to end up partially regretting it.

    I just couldn't agree with villianising Tamlin - why did he deserve that?!?! It's like I was reading a whole new series with different characters. Such a shame because everyone else seems to love it :( I'm glad you did like it though!

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    1. I had issues with it too, and not sure why he needed to be sacrificed really as their agreement would have been enough to haul her off to The Night Court. I'm assuming because she needed a reason to, you know. Wink wink. Hopefully the third book knocks your socks off, it's disappointing when books don't live up to our expectations. Are you continuing on with the series?

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  4. I bought a copy of this the other day. Can't wait to read it. Your review has just made me that much more anxious. And I think you're right- SJM's books aren't so much unique as engaging. As someone who claims to hate love triangles and all that - the way the writes such things works for me and feels both natural and imperative to the story she's telling. Great review Kelly. Glad you enjoyed it so much!

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    1. Thanks Kate. I completely agree, there's just something about the way she tells her storylines and not so much the actual storyline itself. Can't wait to see what you think of it. Fingers crossed you enjoy it as much as I did.

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  5. So glad you loved this one. I did, too, even though I was a huge Tamlin/Feyre fan. What irked me the most about this one was how much of a 'baddie' Tamlin suddenly became... sigh. Oh, well. I still loved it and even though Rhysand lost some of his edge, I do like the two together :)

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    1. He really did didn't he. I was impressed with his character as it felt like he had only used Feyre to secure his kingdom's freedom, then kept her as a sexual toy. I knew that it was coming but had no idea he would have been painted so negatively.

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  6. I skimmed through this because a friend of mine convinced me to read my copy of ACoTaR. Eep! Sounds like I'm in for a roller coaster ride!

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    1. You certainly are Karen, really looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  7. I was deftly against the villainisation of Tamlin's character as well as you know, and Feyre really grated on my nerves. But the world and the author's imagination is amazing! How uncomfortable were those sex scenes though. Thanks for sharing your review!

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    1. The sex scenes just felt awkward, especially between Feyre and Tamlin. There was no emotional connection between them like we seen in book one. Although I really enjoyed it and love Rhysand, I didn't want it at the expense of Tamlin's character and that really let me down.

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  8. This book ended up being really good, I was afraid after reading some negative reviews, but the way it ended raised my rating of the review. The villainisation of Tamlin felt like it was always going to happen, the way he was in book one didn't really make me like him. I remember getting frustrated with him, I remember thinking that I wasn't sure if I liked him because he wasn't portrayed as AMAZING. In this book, Rhysand is definitely portrayed as amazing.

    However, I am very excited to see what book 3 is about and how the story progresses!

    Jordon @ Simply Adrift

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    1. Completely agree Jordon. I think it was really inevitable seeing the romance ventured into Stockholm Syndrome. Thank goodness for Rhysand. I loved how vivid and imagined it was, the world building was an absolute highlight for me too.

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  9. YESSS RHYSAND <3 <3 <3 I'm totally converted haha. And I definitely love this series way more than ToG.

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    1. I think after Queen of Shadows, I prefer Throne of Glass just because I find the characters more enjoyable. But yes, ohhhh Rhysand. Hotness.

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