A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

I thought I knew where this series was going, but I had no idea. This book smashed every expectation I had and I couldn’t be happier. This review may contain spoilers for book 1: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. If you haven’t read ACOTAR do not read past this point. You have been warned! If you are unsure whether you want to read this series, I suggest starting with my review of the first book ACOTAR. This post does not, however, contain spoilers for ACOMAF so feel free to read on!

A short book description via goodreads:

“Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be 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 cleaved in two.”

“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.”

I thought I loved ACOTAR, but ACOMAF is definitely my favorite so far. There are problems with the first book that I didn’t even realize were problems until Sarah J. Maas pointed them out to me — personally, when we went for coffee last week *cough cough* I wish. But seriously, what’s with Feyre blindly following Tamlin around like a puppy in ACOTAR? I’m glad she finally learns to stand on her own feet in ACOMAF! I can’t reveal much about why I love this book without giving away HUGE spoilers so bear with me. A change is coming for you if you continue with this series, but it’s the best twist that could happen and I had no idea I would love it as much as I do, I am no longer skeptical.

“But then she snapped your neck.”
Tears rolled down his face.
“And I felt you die,” he whispered.
Tears were sliding down my own cheeks.”

Feyre is back, kicking ass and taking names. She is now a force to be reckoned with, forever changed by what happened under the mountain. ACOMAF just has more substance than ACOTAR. I mean, it’s double the size so it has double the fae fun! It contains politics, fighting, wit, cunning, schemes, and more monsters. I wasn’t sure how the series could continue without losing my interest, but leave it to Queen Maas to show me what I want!

ACOMAF will keep you on your toes, flipping through the pages frantically, trying to figure out what will happen next and don’t worry, the romance from ACOTAR is still there and better than ever. If you don’t like books with romance/sex in them then you probably wouldn’t have read ACOTAR, but if you do, then ACOMAF will knock you out of your chair! Need I say it again? It’s HAWT. 🖤

I really love how Feyre has developed as a character and I’m excited to see what is in store for her and the other characters in ACOWAR. If you liked ACOTAR, I’m convinced you would like this book as well and even if ACOTAR wasn’t quite your cup of tea, I would still suggest reading the sequel because it’s super different from the first book. It gets so much better!

Sarah J. Maas continues building the world of Prythian and introduces new, alluring, and powerful characters! ACOMAF has more magic and more from the fae world in general, which is something I really enjoyed.

“I became darkness, and shadow, and wind.”

BUUUUT I have one critique when it comes to Maas’s writing in both ACOTAR and ACOMAF. I’m not a professional by any means, but both books have unneeded kitsch in my opinion. With both books, I found myself coming to a full stop at these points just because they’re awkward and/or cheesy.

In ACOTAR it’s Amarantha’s riddle with the easy, cheesy answer and in ACOMAF it’s the:

1. Random, forced sexiness when describing things/people
   • Maas describes a certain character listing off his qualities such as wit and cunning, but then out of left-field mentions bedroom eyes, which don’t exactly fit with the other intellectual qualities that were initially being listed. Seems pretty awkward to me.
2. The “This is for _____.”  list ending in the one-liner “This is for me.”
   • I found myself falling through 10 Things I Hate About You flashbacks. It’s a great line, but it was a great line in that movie and now it’s cliché and overdone in my opinion.

I am, however, fully prepared to look past these minor short-comings and continue with the series! 

Let’s Chat!

Have you read this series? What are you most excited to see from ACOMAF? If you have read the book, were you happy with the change? If you didn’t like it or ACOTAR, what were/are your hangups?

 Thanks for reading! -xo Amber 🖤

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