TITLE: A Court of Wings and Ruin
AUTHOR: Sarah J. Maas
SERIES: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3
RELEASED: May 2nd, 2017; Bloomsbury USA Childrens
GENRE: Fantasy
AGE RANGE: NA
SYNOPSIS: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s manoeuvrings 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.{GOODREADS . AMAZON . B&N . BOOKDEPOSITORY . INDIGO}
I originally reviewed this right after it came out in May of 2017, but honestly, that review was such a mess of spoilers and rambling nonsense that I decided to redo it after my reread. I know that rewriting entire reviews might seem odd, but the original one was fairly cringe-worthy. I digress!
“Only you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker. Only you.”
First, I want to get a few complaints out of the way. Rereading books that we love often gives us room to step back and view things a little more fairly, and this was no exception: my biggest problem is that this book is long. I don’t mind long books as a rule, but ACOWAR struggles from a lot of filler material and it honestly could’ve been a solid 100-150 pages shorter and packed a bigger punch. My other main struggle is with one of the points of the ending: there’s an event that happens regarding Amren in this installment that I personally found kind of cheap and disappointing, no matter how much I love her as a character. I almost felt as though the ending was written as more of a ‘fan service’ than anything.
“I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided b the Mother, or the Cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don’t know. I don’t really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is.”
On a more positive note, though, what really gives this series its shine is its incredible cast of characters, with so many complex, lovable little Fae that I hold so near and dear to my heart.
→ Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court and one of the greatest love interests I have read in my entire life. He is so warm, and loving, and fiercely devoted and protective of his little family. His self-sacrificing nature is beyond heartbreaking, and he’s been through so much trauma, but he’s the best little cinnamon roll I’ve ever seen and I could go on for days about what he means to me.
→ Cassian, leader of Rhys’ armies and Illyrian warrior extraordinaire. If I could pick any fictional character to be besties with, it would probably be Cass, with his ridiculous antics and humor and desperate need to take care of his friends.
→ Azriel, the Illyrian spy, who never meant quite as much to me until this book, with his devotion to Feyre and their family, and the lengths to which he will go to end the war ravaging Prythian.
→ Morrigan, Rhysand’s cousin and confidante. She’s been my least favorite member of the Inner Court this entire time, but I’ll admit that I do see her in an entirely different light after the events of ACOWAR.
→ Amren, the jewelry hoarding, blood consuming, terrifying little monster and Rhysand’s second-in-command. Her development was the one that disappointed me the most in this book, sadly, as I had some theories about her character that fell flat, but she’s still fascinating as hell.
→ Lucien, the walking, talking conundrum whom I have loved since the beginning of the series, but who managed to worm his way into my heart even further in this installment (especially with his caretaking of Feyre in the early chapters).
→ Feyre, of course, who has steadily won me over as this series has progressed and she has come into her own as a powerful Fae and High Lady. I loved the bitter thirst for vengeance she displays in ACOWAR, and even if I didn’t think all of her decisions were thought out well, I never stopped rooting for her underhanded methods and ideas.
Finally, honorable mentions go to Helion (my absolutely precious poly baby—and that twist!), Tarquin (I was so happy to see him again, after the events of ACOMAF), Jurian (I didn’t see that coming, but I loved him so much?), Tamlin (still a piece of literal garbage, but I somehow loved his redemptive moments regardless), and the terrifying trio of Bryaxis, The Bone Carver, and The Weaver, all of which I would happily sign up for novellas about because holy hell, they’re amazing.
“Remember that you are a wolf. And you cannot be caged.”
Lastly, I’ll just say that I love the world that Sarah has created here. I love each of the courts and want to learn so much more about them. I love the lore behind the Cauldron and the mating bonds and the different types of Fae. Despite the few problems I mentioned at the start of the review, honestly, this was still such a solid 5-star read for me and I am so damn grateful that the next novella releases tomorrow, because I cannot wait to get my hands on some new material about my precious little Fae babies. ♥
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Ms. Victorious
April 30, 2018I loved your review! I’m currently rereading it, too, waiting impatiently to get my ACOFAS copy! ?✨?
Tamlin will always be a piece of shhhh… ?
Have a lovely week, dearie!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
May 2, 2018Thank you! Bahaha, he is really a mess, but for some reason he’s so intriguing to me? Ugh. I don’t LIKE him, but I guess the scenes with him are always… interesting? 😛 You too! ♥
Ellyn
April 30, 2018Oh my gosh, your review is such a stark contrast to Emma’s review WHATTT!
I find it so interesting how people will either love or hate this series, unfortunately, I just don’t think it’s for me!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
May 2, 2018Hahaha yeah, it’s a VERY polarizing series for sure! I can definitely see why it isn’t for everyone so I never blame anyone when they decide not to give it a try or to DNF it. ♥
The Bookish King
May 1, 2018living for the review and the photo ?
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
May 2, 2018Thank you, love! ♥♥
Elise @ Roaming Reader
May 1, 2018I really liked this entire series but I agree that this one was a bit too long. Despite giving it 4 stars (I think that’s what I gave it anyway lol) I do have some major issues with the ending and KINDA SPOILER I GUESS! How I don’t think SJM would ever kill off one of her mains. It just seems that they always come back and that feels like such a cheap way to get emotion out of a reader while not upsetting the biggest fans because, of well they didn’t actually die.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
May 2, 2018I agree 100%, Elise! Like… it cheapens it a bit by just taking it back every time. We’ve seen it happen so many times now in the series that if she ever does actually kill off a very beloved character, we’re all going to have a hard time believing it! (Wait a second… what if that’s her plan? What if she’s psyching us all out and then she’s gonna do something REALLY EVIL in one of the books and kill off half of our faves?! I just made myself so sad thinking about it lol…)
Elise @ Roaming Reader
May 2, 2018Omg honestly, if she did try to pull that off, it would take a good while for me to believe that she actually killed off a main character, lol I would just be in denial for a good while
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
May 7, 2018Bahaha same here!
abyssallibrarian
September 15, 2018I just finished this book and I loved it, although I totally agree that it could have been a bit shorter. I’m curious what it was about Amren’s storyline that you didn’t like, but I guess it’s hard to say that without giving spoilers.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
September 16, 2018Oh man, it’s been so long since I wrote this review that I actually had to think about this for a second and remember what it was that I was referring to, because it could have been one of two things:
1) I was disappointed by the “cauldron” moment with her. I love her, don’t get me wrong, but it cheapened the moment for me and I think it would’ve carried more emotional weight if that “thing” had been… permanent? I hope this makes sense despite the vagueness lol.
2. Like a lot of people in the fandom, I was hoping we would find out she was some big scary mythical beast (like a fire drake or something), so I was a little bit let down by the “big reveal” of who she actually was. I guess I kept hoping maybe it would be something very typically “high fantasy” that might tie the TOG and Court series together! (I’m still strongly hoping that Kingdom of Ash will have something in it to tie them together – I just really love when authors do that with their series lol!)
abyssallibrarian
September 16, 2018I agree about the permanence issue for her and another character. I mean, now that Frost and Starlight has come out, I knew that nothing like that could happen with any lasting consequences.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
September 17, 2018True, I guess knowing ACOFAS is out would kind of ruin the suspense of that one, lol!
abyssallibrarian
September 18, 2018Oh well, still really enjoyed the series! I’m not sure how she’s going to continue it for three more books though. I actually hope she moves away from Feyre and focuses on other characters.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
September 18, 2018Supposedly, we’ll barely be seeing any of Feyre and Rhys in the coming books! I want to say I read that she officially confirmed at least the next book will focus on Cassian and Nesta. I don’t care much for Nesta but I adore Cass, so I’m excited!
abyssallibrarian
September 18, 2018That would be amazing if that’s where she’s focusing! I wouldn’t mind more of Elain and Lucien too.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
September 21, 2018Agreed! Especially Lucien, I love him and really loved the new developments in his story in ACOWAR.