Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Author: Sarah Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Romantasy
Published: 2017
Pages: 699 (Kindle Edition)
Goodreads Rating: 4.47
Rating: 6/10
“It’s a rare person to face who they truly are and not run from it—not be broken by it.”
As war approaches, the Night Court is desperate to build a sizable army to rival the King. Alliances amongst the High Lords must be formed but will it be enough? Or will Feyre and Rhys be forced to seek out bargains in order to ensure their survival?
Pros:
Great start to the book
The first 13 chapters are a solid 10/10. Feyre’s espionage tactics were incredibly enjoyable to experience and her journey back to the Night Court was beautifully intense.
Feyre’s melded abilities
We’ve spent so much time watching Feyre learn and train her new abilities. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, she’s finally ready to start using them and it is so gratifying each time she whips them out. One of my favorite scenes is when she uses her abilities against a particularly annoying High Lord.
High Lords
Speaking of the High Lords, the unfolding politics and delicate alliances were fascinating. The variety of personalities and rough pasts made for some incredibly suspenseful moments.
Cons:
Slower pace
As Prythian prepares for war, the book’s pace slows to allow the reader to be included in the day-to-day meetings, decisions, and worries that accompany war preparation. Some of it was interesting… Some of it was repetitive and unnecessary.
Feyre’s sisters
Nesta and Elain drove me absolutely nuts in this book. This is partially due to the slow pacing of the book that took it day-to-day. But way too much leniency and patience was shown to them when they were unwilling to help and failed to show any gratitude to the Night Court for taking good care of them. I did not share Feyre’s family-first mentality – especially considering that they had abilities to help in the war preparations. They needed to get over themselves and put others ahead of their selfish self-pity.
Feyre’s self-worth issues
Throughout this series, Feyre has a self-worth issue. Her “I’m not essential” mindset is a tedious source of frustration. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, she is literally one of the most powerful weapons in Prythian’s arsenal. It’s insane that she never truly realized her value.
Last battle scene
I had a multitude of issues with the last battle scene. First, Feyre didn’t use any of her abilities in the battle before having to run off to deal with a spoiler that I can’t mention. It would have been an epic show of force if she had actually gotten to use the abilities she’d taken so long to learn and hone. Second, so many side conversations happened that are simply not realistic! You don’t get to just pull over to the side and have a full conversation about options in the heat of battle! Imagine it… you are fighting for your life, you’re outnumbered, and suddenly… you see your leaders just hanging out chatting. Like… what? The rest of my issues include too many spoilers to go into detail… but they include Feyre’s sisters, the King, and the cauldron.
Overall…
Like the first book of the series, A Court of Wings and Ruin is a solid 6/10. It was an enjoyable read.
Caroline’s Library 