A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

This is a great catch with the main heroes of the series. The last book was an all out epic, this one though a lot shorter is still filed with SJM’s great story telling and character development. So far I have seen all these characters in the worst possible situations and facing incredible odds. Making great sacrifices and the legendary lengths they would go through to achieve their goals and protect those they love. Now when they have “won”, the work of rebuilding, forgiveness and moving on from the losses suffered. Yes there is no where near as much action in this book, and the characters are not moved along as much as I would have wanted but the are definitely important issues uncovered her that need to be explored later. This is more of “wet the appetite” for the next huge chapter, but almost as importantly a much need to assess where the characters are right now in themselves, and to each other. Though Feyre and Rhysand embrace their fate together. Others rebel against a fate they have not choosing with their very souls. This is the first steps in building a new world. A great point to catchup with everyone as they set their path for the future, to forget their past, or simply (stubbornly) deny fates chosen path.

This is essentially a short story for serious fans of the COTAR trilogy, letting us spend more time with these characters and locations. It rams Rhys and F’s happiness down our throats, so we are left in no doubt that they are happy with dreams fulfilled. I found some of the events between them a bit ridiculous, especially as the more understated nature of their lifestyle was part of its initial appeal (compared to other highly materialistic High Courts). Putting the materialism aside, I also thought that the big sex scene of this book was so overdone, as Rhys’ POV narration states that their souls only *fully* belong to one another after it. So we leave Rhys and F behind, their happy ending completely closed off with no loose threads. The two most interesting characters in this book are Cassian and Nesta, so no surprise when it is revealed that the next full length novel set in this world will be about them. Azriel hovers on the edges, but the Lucien/ Elaine/ Azriel/ Mor dynamic isn’t as interesting as the Cassian/ Nesta one. Looking forward to the new chapter and hope to see more of Velaris and the other members of the Court of Dreams. Overall not as watertight or intelligent as the trilogy, but a light read to keep readers engaged before the next novel comes out.

I love this series. I really do! That might explain my disappointment. This is essentially a Christmas short story about some of the healing to be done (or not). However nothing happens. All of the characters stagnate. Frankly it's not believable that illiterate Freyre after 5 minutes teaching prior you a war can now conduct the written business of the land. The sex scenes have the problem of having to outdo themselves so they get sillier and sillier. The real story is with the broken: Nests, Tamlin, Elain, Lucien, Mor and even Cassian & As. As much as I love Rhys and Freyre, this novel confirms their story isn't worth centre stage anymore. I was really disappointed but that this is due to the cracking standard in the previous books - especially the first two. The sneak peak at the next book is the really interesting bit! Having read Maas' acknowledgements her father was seriously ill and she discovered she was pregnant so perhaps that's why this book feels rushed out by her publishers (I'm on kindle but this seemed half the usual number of pages). I hope she returns to form with the next one as there's no one better when she produces the standard of the first two ACOTAR books especially.