Well, well, well. What do we have here? Someone with good taste it seems- or rather, someone who is about to have good taste. That is, if you keep reading.
A Court of Silver Flames is the fifth and final book in the Court series written by Sarah J. Maas. If you have not read the first four books it will be difficult and hardly a good read, so I suggest you rest those books first. They start off well, and they aren't as monstrous as this book with a whopping 750 pages.
For some people, the fourth book in the Court series, BLANK, left people a little sour about how Maas ended it and wanted more. Specifically Cassian, Nesta, and Mor. I didn't expect Maas to heed the complaints, given I too had moved on to her other series Throne of Glass, but I guess she wanted to make amends.
(All depictions of Nesta Acheron)
A court of Silver Flames follows the continuing story of the Night Court as well as Rhysand's inner circle, but Nesta and Cassian more so than anyone else. It follows Nesta as she struggles with her powers, her new life, and living with Cassian who she has promised herself to hate. We also watch Cassian as he continues to assist with helping Nesta find her place as well as her strength while struggling with his feelings for her that she does not reciprocate. At least not at first. All the while they hear whispers from the Fae Queen BLANK, who is said to be railing forces to take revenge on what was taken from her. (If you don't remember she was the queen that went into the cauldron and was made immortal but also made an elderly hag.) If you want to know what I thought about the final book or just want to gush about what happened in it, stay tuned!
**Mad spoils in this fridge my friend
What I liked:
Nesta's character arch/development is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Maas made me want to kill her with how cruel and rude she was in the beginning to everyone, (well she never entirely loses it through the book) but getting to know why she is the way she is and what she struggles with was way better then I thought I'd be. At first, I didn't care to know Nesta, because I thought she was a bitch, but now I love her. She developed so well.
The back story did not fall short. I don't know if you would technically call it the back story, or secondary story, but the threat of the Queen wishing to get revenge and searching for the Dread Trove was so good. It still had significant importance even though our primary focus was still on Nesta and her struggle to find control of herself, as well as her and Cassian's relationship. I wasn't expecting it to be honest, and I honestly thought it would have ended a lot differently, but I liked it.
Elain is much stronger in this story, which I also liked. I mean every story needs the dainty or the not so majestic characters, but with both of her sisters becoming so badass I felt she was significantly falling behind, but she showed some strength in her small appearances in the book.
The Illyrian rite was EPIC. Maas really did something here when she originally set it up in the first books as a male-dominated trial and emphasized the sexism heavily instilled in the Illyrian society. To have women go through it, to have them kill other Illyrians like badasses, I was nearly growling with triumph as Nesta, Gwyneth, and Emerie found one another through the wilderness. The bond they created made me so proud and happy.
What I didn't like:
The end of the secondary story fell sort of short for me. It was a lot of build-ups and the resolution was fairly quick. It honestly felt like there was supposed to be a war or some kind of battle but that didn't end up being the case. I mean it was fine and I am glad no one ended up dead, but still, it felt ... anti-climactic.
Rhys and Feyra were almost ... cringey? It was an odd feeling given I love the first four books and their relationship, but from the outside, it felt different. At least Rhys seemed different, he was a big jerk face sometimes, but maybe that is just how he always has been but I never noticed because I love him so much.
I don't know if it was me but the threats against Feyre and Rhysand at the end of the book weren't as scary as they should have been for me either. Again I think it's because in this book you are looking at them from the outside or like, a different perspective so I don't know it wasn't as sad? I was worried of course, but not as upset as I should have been given how much I liked.
(Gwyneth and Emerie)
General Mouthfeel (Brooklyn 99 reference):
I love the book, it was a great inside look into Nesta, who I originally didn't like and hardly tolerated. Her character development is phenomenal and the way we are lead to understand her past is amazing. The relationship between Cassian and Nesta also arches so well, we get to see the real and gentle side of the Illyrian General. I love that he is the soft one within this couple, the one who helps her grow, it is often reversed that the man is crass and I enjoyed how Maas went about this.
I highly recommend the series, especially for someone who is looking for a well-developed world and series. Maas also has other stories and series you can look into if you are looking for more fantasy. She also has the Throne of Glass series and another she s currently working on, called Crescent City.
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