A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for previous books in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.*

For my next read, I decided to continue my journey through the Court of Thorns and Roses series with A Court of Frost and Starlight. This book isn't a full sequel, it's like a little interlude. At 230 pages, it's much shorter than the other books and functions more like a bridge between A Court of Wings and Ruin and the next book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames. Goodreads calls this book number 3.1. I was very happy to return to this literary world, so I settled in excited to see how the story would continue.

This is a character-focused novel centered around several of the main characters from the series as they prepare to celebrate Winter Solstice together. Everyone is trying to heal from the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin. They were successful in defeating King Hybern and nullifying the Cauldron, but at a heavy cost. Many of Rhysand's soldiers perished in the final battle, many more were wounded, and Feyre's father was killed. Everyone is processing the events differently. Feyre is turning to her art to help herself and others. Her sister Nesta has withdrawn and is turning to alcohol to soothe her shattered nerves. Mor is considering taking on some dangerous new work to avoid Velaris. Rhys is dealing with guilt and questioning some of his decisions. It's been a lot, and now that things are at a temporarily lull, they are finally allowed some time to deal with their feelings. When the Solstice finally arrives, they get the chance to come together, remember what everyone was fighting so hard to preserve, and begin to refocus their energy on the tasks that still lie ahead of them.  

I really enjoyed this entry into the series, and I thought it was a nice idea to have a little "breather" novel like this to remind readers about the main plot threads that are still ongoing and check in on everyone's feelings. I think the protagonist of the series is going to shift from being Feyre to some of the other characters in the future, so it was also a nice way to wrap up some of the loose threads in her story too. As usual with these books, Maas does a nice job on writing the characters' complex emotions. They each feel like they are actually struggling with all the difficult events of the past few books, which makes perfect sense with the story. I've read a lot of young adult fantasy where the characters participate in wars or other violence, and then bounce onto the next adventure like nothing bad ever happened. That's never the case here. Actions have consequences in this world. People suffer. It makes for a much richer reading experience.

I don't mean to give the impression that A Court of Frost and Starlight is full of heavy topics and negativity though, because the novel as a whole is very hopeful. Some of the characters are doing better than others, but most are working towards normalcy and starting to come back together after the battle with Hybern. Feyre, especially, had a nice story arc about beginning to paint again and opening a small art therapy studio for the children affected by the war. It felt a lot like visiting with old friends while reading, and the novel succeeded in getting me excited to continue on and start the next book. 

I don't have much more to say beyond that, because this was a shorter novel and it was very character driven. I did think it was a great entry in the series though, and a nice way to keep readers up to date with what was going on in the very complicated and massive world of Prythia between the regular installments of the series. I'm still very invested in this story, and I'm actually sad that I'll be onto the last book that's out next. 

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 7/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 17