BOOK REVIEW: A COURT OF MIST AND FURY BY SARAH J. MAAS

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Published on: May 3, 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing

 

The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas's spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.

  

If a second read of A Court of Thorns and Roses made me like it better, then this sequel finished the job of making me a fan of the series. Now I see why it has such an ardent fan base. A Court of Mist and Fury picks things up shortly after the first book’s ending. Feyre Archeron is the main character. She’s a human girl who was compelled to enter Prythian, the fairy realm, after a fateful evening. There, she fell for Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court. This romance gave Feyre the courage to stop Amarantha, a wicked and powerful fairy princess. Feyre ends up getting killed, though. Fortunately, the seven High Lords of Prythian brought her back as thanks for saving their land.

Feyre is now a High Fae, and is living in the Spring Court. Tamlin and his people are rebuilding after the damage wrought by the war. However, their court isn’t the only thing that’s damaged. Feyre’s experience Under the Mountain (Amarantha’s base) broke her. Saving Prythian cost her way more than just her life. Feyre is now living with guilt, and it doesn’t help that Tamlin smothers her with protection. He doesn’t want to lose Feyre again, and goes to great lengths for it.
A character from the previous book gets a bigger role now. He’s Rhysand, the enigmatic High Lord of the Night Court. It is the northernmost of Prythian’s seven Courts. While she was Under the Mountain, Feyre struck a deal with Rhysand. He’s now come to collect: Feyre must stay with him at the Night Court one week every month. Feyre hasn’t been looking forward to the experience. She’s heard a lot about the Night Court’s reputation, and about Rhysand’s. Indeed, he didn’t make Feyre’s time Under the Mountain more pleasant. Rhysand continues treating Feyre the same way during her stays at his Court. I wondered what his plans with her were. From the outside, no one would say Rhysand’s trying to win any favor with Feyre.

Things go in a very different direction than I expected. Something happens at the Spring Court that causes most of the rest of the story to be set in the Night Court. With that shift, Feyre meets several more characters. They’re all part of Rhysand’s circle. Two of them are Cassian and Azriel, and they’re among the most formidable Night Court warriors. They’re not High Fae, though. Instead, the two are a related race called Illyrians. The main difference is that they have bat-like wings. Another character is Morrigan, Rhysand’s cousin. She’s a warm and optimistic kind of woman. The other person Feyre meets is Amren. She’s a High Fae, but just like Feyre, she wasn’t born that way. The book doesn’t reveal what Amren is or was. She is just extremely powerful and fearsome. Despite how tiny Amren is, I got the feeling she could very well defeat someone like Rhysand or even Amarantha one-on-one.

ACOMAF greatly expands the world of this series. This needed to happen, as the first book only showed the Spring Court, and there are six others. Feyre gets to visit not only the Night Court, but also the Summer Court. Readers of ACOTAR will know this is the Court where Lucien (Tamlin’s right hand) used to be from. Speaking of them, Tamlin and Lucien don’t stop featuring in the story once Feyre goes to the Night Court. They still have significant, and even surprising, roles. ACOMAF also introduces a new antagonist, the King of Hybern. He’s such a big threat he makes even Amarantha look tame. The King of Hybern is preparing for war, and when it comes, Feyre and her allies must be ready.

Other important characters from ACOTAR also return in this book. The most important of them are Nesta and Elain, Feyre’s older sisters. They still live in the human territory just south of Prythian. I won’t spoil what role Nesta and Elain play, but it’s significant. I liked that they were still included. Feyre’s sisters still matter, even if they can’t live together anymore. Overall, ACOMAF greatly changed my opinion of this series. I ended up liking it as much as the Grishaverse and the Mortal Instruments novels. ACOTAR is now one of my favorite fantasy series. I’m itching to read the next books to see where Feyre’s story takes her next.

My rating: ★★★★ 1/2

4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!