Published in 2017 by Bloomsbury
Pages: 699
The final book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy, that focuses on Feyre Archeron. There are more books to come set in this world though.
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings 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.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
My thoughts:
As I write this, I’m feeling so lost, and hollow. And empty. I cannot believe that Feyre’s story arc has come to an end. I, like so many others, went on a remarkable journey with Feyre and felt like I was her as she laughed, cried, loved and triumphed and so much more. So bear with me as I review this, I feel like there’s no words to describe how I feel after finishing this.
I had to give this book 5 stars, even though I feel like it was incredibly underwhelming and rushed at some times. There were so many action packed scenes which were epic but they didn’t give us a lot of “what was that about?”
But this book was always going to be more action packed than it’s predecessors, and that was expected. There was constant foreshadowing which was heartbreaking and clever lies throughout. This book definitely had me laughing, crying, shouting and feeling all the feels. A Court of Thorns and Roses is not only one of my favourite book series, it’s one of my top fandoms and these characters are so close to my heart.
So with that,
Let’s talk about the characters:
Feyre, from the word go, was insane. She was not going to put up with any bullshit and I was with her all the way. I am so proud of how far she has come and even in ACOWAR her character went a long way, it was absolutely awe inspiring to behold as she literally stopped at nothing to do what she had to do – some of her actions had me gasping but then I was still wanting more from what some scenes gave. The book was mostly told from her perspective, as it should be. The trilogy was always about Feyre, it has been her story through and through, and that’s how it should be. Feyre is hands down, my favourite fictional female, (okay, maybe one of them, there’s loads), and this journey of hers was definitely heart stopping at times.
Nesta was almost as much of a hero in this book like Feyre. At first she was very cold still, having to deal with her new found fae powers and what the Cauldron did to her. From ACOMAF I instantly shipped her with Cassian, and their chemistry and banter is freaking electrifying! They were so addictive to read about and I couldn’t get enough of them, and I also loved Nesta and Amren’s sass offs. Utterly fabulous! As I said, Nesta was a bit scowl – worthy throughout the early points in the series, but she stepped up big time, always stubborn but definitely reliable when it counted.
Elain’s character went through a massive charscter transformation in this book; after the end of ACOMAF the reader had a lot of questions regarding her and her possible ship, and most of this was answered in this book, but I really hope her and Lucien have a story arc in the upcoming books and / or novellas. There definitely could have been something there between her and one of the other characters but to avoid spoilers I won’t elaborate. There were times when I was afraid for Elain but wow she did amazing when it came to it!
Mor and Amren remain as fabulous as always! I adore both of these ladies and I have come to admire them both so much. They both went on their own journey of discoveries here, and again to avoid being spoilery I will refrain from talking more about that. But I was so proud of both of them: when we learnt about Mor in specific aspects my heart broke for her and Amren had me screaming towards the end of this book. I was so confused when she told Feyre something and hated Amren for half a second and then BAM it all made sense. These characters never disappoint.
Ianthe oh my gosh I thought I couldn’t hate her any more than what I did in ACOMAF. She is one of my least favourite characters ever and she’s pure evil and just all the awful. She made me rage through this book, and honestly I think she deserved far worse than what she got. But nonetheless it was good to see her finally suffer.
Tamlin made me angry too. I hated him in ACOMAF and had possible hopes for redemption, but wasn’t altogether convinced that he could even be redeemed. There was one sentence that he said that made me feel disgustingly angry. I mean who says something like that? He was shown as nothing but a scornful pig throughout, except for one small scene where he did something half decent. But even after everything he was still an asshat.
Azriel and Cassian, always amazing characters. Such strong figures in battle and out. Cassian again was faced with angst and pain which was heartbreaking to read about especially after the end of ACOMAF, but I love the roles both characters played in this book. Their first appearance had me fangirling, they entered at the right moment and I love how accepting they have always been (along with Mor and Amren) of Feyre as their High Lady; and I love how they were accepting of Elain and Nesta: as I said earlier, Nesta and Cassian were addictive to read about and I want more of them. Heck I want 6 novels of Inner Circle fluff, I can’t get enough of them all. The interaction between them all is perfection, they are family but they are so much more. They all share such a deep bond, and are forever there for one another.
Lucien sort of went on a journey of self discovery, but I love how he was united with Feyre in the early stages, even though he was initially torn with his former loyalties. But old loyalties were forgotten, and new ones formed. He definitely played an interesting part in the book, and that was great. We also met his long talked about brothers, which was interesting to say the least.
Rhysand – remained perfect. He and Feyre are my all time favourite fictional characters and couples, they were the beauty among the pain and everything. They had some beautiful scenes in this book, and it was so sweet and sad in places. Their love for one another knows no bounds and I love how Rhys treats and acknowledges Feyre as his equal, and his love for his inner circle is beautiful. Rhys is amazing, brave, cocky, fabulous and just all round divine.
I’ll end my character talk there, even though there’s loads more characters. I’ve just spoke about the main ones, mostly, but we’re presented with a selection of old and new faces, which were full of all the reactions from me and the characters. It’s because of the Inner Circle and Feyre that I have given this book 5 stars, I couldn’t bear to rate them any lower. Maas has done amazing things with them, and I can’t wait for what is to come in time with the other books; which brings me to the writing;
Let’s talk about the writing:
Maas never fails to disappoint, it’s safe to say this book was definitely my most anticipated read, well since A Court of Mist and Fury. Maas teased about what was to come in ACOWAR, so that definitely elevated all our hopes.
Yet, not all my questions were answered, e.g.
What is Amren’s true form? We get a vivid description but nothing concrete? Even though Maas said we would find out!? But it’s okay because it’s left to our imagination.
The book did feel rushed, and the action scenes and other specific scenes could have been drawn out more; like we want to know what was seen, and what came of the revelations.
Nonetheless this was an amazing conclusion to Maas’s Feyre and Rhys, and I was laughing, crying, shouting and I literally felt all the feels throughout. I didn’t want to finish this book and I know I’ll read it many times more. This book trilogy will forever be in my all time favourites, and I will always be thinking about these characters and I can’t wait to see what happens next in this book world.
Okay bookish loves, thank you for reading. That concludes my review, until next time, happy reading.
Brooklyn 🙂
