Book Review: ‘A Court of Mist and Fury’ by Sarah J. Maas
In January, MBC finally dived into A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. We even have a discord channel dedicated to ACOTAR now!
Many had fallen in love with the first book (like myself) and decided to continue the series. Since it was my first time reading a Maas series, I felt it was only right to continue to write reviews for the series. Right after I finished Divine Rivals in February, I picked up A Court of Mist and Fury. It is a lengthy book and I was intimidated, but Maas expertly builds a sequel that is better than the first.
Rhysand has easily become one of my favourite book characters after this sequel! Below is my review for ACOMAF so if you haven’t read it, proceed with caution.
A Court of Mist and Fury
Synopsis:
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future and the future of a world in turmoil.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
A Court of mist and fury Quotes
“I'm thinking that I was a lonely, hopeless person, and I might have fallen in love with the first thing that showed me a hint of kindness and safety. And I'm thinking maybe he knew that - maybe not actively but maybe he wanted to be that person for someone. And maybe that worked for who I was before. Maybe it doesn't work for who I am now.” - Feyre
“He locked you up because he knew - the bastard knew what a treasure you are. That you are worth more than the land or gold or jewels. He knew and wanted to keep you all to himself.” -Rhysand
“So, yes, I was jealous of him - because it will always be easy for him. And he will never know what it is to look up at the night sky and wish.” - Rhysand
“To the stars who listen - and the dreams that are answered.” - Rhysand
“I'm thinking that I look at you and feel like I'm dying. Like I can't breathe. I'm thinking that I want you so badly I can't concentrate half the time I'm around you, and this room is too small for me to properly bed you. Especially with the wings.” Rhysand
We were a song that had been sung from the very first ember of light in this world.
Themes
Importance of friendship
Powerful bonds
Communication
Agency
Trust and loyalty
Healing from trauma
A Court of Mist and Fury
Characters
Rhysand: he is the most powerful High Lord and the current ruler of the Night Court. He is incredibly handsome and appears arrogant, careless, and cold… at first. He is extremely dark in his behaviour and has an air of mystery, swagger, and sensuality surrounding him. He handles things with a certain level of casualness and grace. Under this mask, he is a kind, generous and humble person. He is the most powerful Fae in the history of Prythian. Rhysand can manipulate and control shadows and darkness. He is a Daemati, meaning he has powers relating to mind control and invasion. This includes memory manipulation and mind reading.
Feyre Archeron: she is the High Lady of the Night Court. She was originally a mortal but was resurrected as a High Fae by the seven High Lords after her untimely death Under the Mountain. For some time, Feyre resided at the Court of Dreams in Velaris after leaving the Spring Court. She is hardworking and dedicated to family, spending most of her days providing and caring for her father and sisters by hunting and selling animals at the market. She wants to protect her family at all costs, and she feels great hatred for the Fae due to her upbringing, her surroundings and earlier experiences of spending time at the Spring Court.
Feyre’s abilities and the corresponding courts:
- Spring Court (Shapeshifting)
- Summer Court (Water Manipulation)
- Autumn Court (Fire Manipulation)
- Winter Court (Ice Manipulation)
- Dawn Court (Healing Abilities)
- Day Court (Air Manipulation)
- Night Court (Darkness Manipulation)Cassian: He is a childhood friend of Rhysand and Azriel. He rose to become the General Commander of Rhysand’s - the Night Court’s - armies. He is considered to be one of the most powerful Illyrians. He can fly and he has a siphon shield as well as other Illyrian magic.
Azriel: He is an Illyrian and a member of the Night Court. He is the childhood friend of Rhysand and Cassian. His role requires him to see and hear a lot while staying in the shadows, thus he tends to be quiet and keeps his thoughts to himself, observing the shadows. Azriel struggles with self-confidence and self-worth due to his traumatic past of abuse. Azriel is a shadow singer and is physically powerful due to his Illyrian background. He also carries a magical knife that he calls Truth-teller.
Nesta: she is the sister of Feyre and Elain. They lived together alongside their father at the beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses. She is the eldest of the Archeron sisters and Cassian’s mate. She was mortal but was Made into High Fae after being thrown into the Cauldron by the King of Hybern. She comes off as a hot-tempered woman and is initially portrayed as guarded and stubborn. She is honest and direct and will speak her mind. Feyre refers to her sister as a Queen without a throne, stoic, poised, regal and judgemental. Her abilities are unknown.
Amren: she is a High Fae who lives in Velaris. She is the second-in-command to the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court and is part of Rhysand’s Inner Circle. Amren is said to be vain, cunning, and temperamental. She is also selfless and sacrifices herself to save Prythian. She is very smart and develops a love of jigsaw puzzles. She is immortal has illusion manipulation and can cause death by illusion. She has healing powers and can detect wards. She has flame and light inside of her and can also levitate objects.
Tamlin: he is a High Fae and High Lord of the Spring Court. He brings Feyre to his court in Prythian after Feyre kills his friend Andras. He is very strong but a very quiet person. He feels like he isn’t good at making friends or talking to people. He believes he is only good at war and killing people, aside from his skills at playing the fiddle. Tamlin has always shown kindness to humans and refused to harm them after what his father and brother did to them. He has shown his short and explosive temper. He can shapeshift and also change the shape of others. As a High Lord, he has something called glamour magic. He can make people see and think things that he wants.
Lucien: he is a High Fae and former emissary to the Spring Court. He is the current emissary to the Night Court. He is clever, sarcastic, and witty, but kind and loyal to a fault. He is also perceptive and notices a lot of things other people don’t. He wields fire magic which he inherited from his mother, the Lady of Autumn Court, who hails from a family with a strong magical bloodline of flame wielders. He has healing powers and can winnow (teleport to a destination).
Morrigan: Otherwise known as Mor by her friends is a member of Rhysand’s Inner Circle and the Third-In-Command of the Night Court. She is considered a cousin to Rhys and has a very open relationship with Feyre. She oversees the Court and looks after the dynamics between the Court of Nightmares and the Court of Dreams. Mor’s family used to rule the Night Court before Rhysand’s.
Ianthe: We first meet Ianthe in the Spring Court with Tamlin. She is one of the twelve High Priestesses of Prythian. She is a childhood friend of Tamlin’s. Her father was one of Tamlin’s strongest allies at Court. She is in charge of watching over Feyre and she teaches her the ways of High Fae.
Elain: She is Feyre’s second-eldest sister who lived with Nesta and their father. She was previously mortal before being made into High Fae after being through into the Cauldron by the King of Hybern.
King of Hybern: He was the ruler at the time of the human rebellion and fought on the side of the loyalists in the War. He adamantly refused to let his slaves go, thus he put the ruthless Amarantha to the task of slaughtering them. After what happened Under the Mountain, he sent an Attor to retrieve Jurian to resurrect him with the magic of the Cauldron.
Jurian: He is a mortal and general of the mortal armies during the War between fairies and mortals. He is involved in a love triangle between a High Fae/mortal and a Fae Prince. One devastating day, the High Fae named Miryam leaves him for the Fae Prince named Drakno and he takes it as the ultimate betrayal. Amanrantha is the one who falls deeply in love with Jurian but he deceives her as the feelings are not reciprocated. She ends up enslaving him.
Tarquin: He is one of the seven High Lords of Prynthian and rules the Summer Court. Feyre, Rhysand, and Amren visit the Summer Court to steal the Book of Breathings to see how they would crack the Cauldron. Here, Tarquin senses his powers within Feyre and takes a liking to her.
bOOK cHAT: A cOURT OF thORNS AND rOSES
Review
Is Rhysand the best book boyfriend?
After reading A Court of Mist and Fury, it is safe to say that Rhysand is the best book boyfriend without any debate. What he does to protect Feyre, keep her individuality and help her grow as a High Fae is admirable. He lets her live her own life and choose her path without a controlling hand. The more we learn about Rhysand’s past with his mother, and how Amarantha treated him Under the Mountain, the more respect we gain for him as a Ruler. There is a duality to Rhysand that makes him such a well-rounded character and Maas truly created the most beautiful, complex character imaginable with him.
Is it better than A Court of Thorns and Roses?
The answer to this is yes. Many have told me this second book is the best of the series, and I don’t think it can be topped. Everything about this book, no matter the length, is perfect and necessary for the story. There is more for Feyre to do, and she grows as a character. At first, it was hard for me to connect with her in ACOTAR, but now, when she has this budding romance with Rhysand, she has completely changed for me. She has become a true warrior with many powers hiding under her sleeve. Feyre’s growth is incredible in this series, and I can only imagine how much power she has in the other sequels.
This has been the first series in a long time, and I am very excited to read the next book and continue the story. That is a testament to Maas and her stunning world-building. Prythian feels real, and, sadly, the Court of Dreams isn’t a real place, but she can transport us to Velaris in the second book. The characters feel like your friends. And she evokes so many emotions because you feel part of the family. The difference between this sequel and ACOTAR is the likability of the characters and the comfort they bring to readers.
How does Sarah J. Maas surprise you?
I ask this question because the ending of the second instalment is something I didn’t see coming, yet the book is so well-written that all the pieces slowly assemble throughout the book for that ending to happen. The story is so layered because Maas focuses on exploring the Court of Dreams and Velaris with Rhysand and his Inner Circle. Some trials happen as Feyre trains and gets accustomed to her extensive power set.
There is beautiful character development with Rhysand that can consume the reader without caring for whatever else happens. Yes, the action sequences are graphic and brutal, and the meetings with Queens and other High Lords are all necessary, but it’s Rhysand as a character that becomes the glue of this second novel.
Rhysand becomes the beating heart of A Court of Mist and Fury, and without him, the characters do not work as cohesively. Mor, Amren, Azriel and Cassian are perfect secondary characters that help explain who Rhys is as a character. And Rhys does the same service for the rest of his inner circle. Feyre becomes herself and is completely mended in the Court of Dreams because of Rhysand.
What did you think about A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas? Let us know in the comments below, or join our discord today!
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