A Court of Mist and Fury book review

 A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

2016

Fantasy, new adult, romance

After my experience reading the TOG series last year, I was initially hesitant to read another SJM novel. But after hearing a lot of good things about A Court of Thorns and Roses from reviewers I trust, I decided to give the series a chance. I had a (mostly) fun time reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and decided I’d see what the next books brought. And now after reading ACOMAF with a completely open mind, I was so blown away about how different this book is

At the beginning of the book, protagonist Feyre is extremely depressed after returning home with Tamlin after all the traumatic events of the previous novel. Maas’s choice to not ignore Feyre’s trauma brings an important amount of depth that I was missing in the previous books, making the characters interesting and relatable. The first couple chapters balance the novel, Feyre’s journey to heal herself acting as a sturdy base to the other action, romance and dramatic elements of the fun fantasy novel.

Before getting into some of the other parts of the novel I really enjoyed, I do think it’s important to touch on some of ACOMAF’s weaker points. Being published in 2016, the writing does read at the “I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding” level, which did take me out of the novel at times. Additionally, it’s hard to ignore the lack of nuance in Tamlin’s characterization. While Feyre’s trauma is fully explored, Tamlin’s trauma is ignored. Though the novel is from Feyre’s perspective, the reduction of Tamlin to a villain at the same time that he’s undergoing the same trauma as her didn't work in my opinion. While I’m not against villains like Tamlin, I just wish it had been better set up. 

Luckily, Tamlin’s role is very small compared to the standout cast of characters. Though I still honestly don’t know how to feel about his character, Rhysand is so much more interesting than Tamlin and has really great chemistry for a book character. Rhys’s friends, especially Mor and Amren, are just so much fun to read about, and I can’t wait to see more of Nesta and Elain.

Rating 4/5: Despite some of the writing causing me to l feel conflicted, A Court of Mist and Fury is a novel perfect for turning your mind off after a long day, to let Maas guide you through her constructed world.