A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for the first book in the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses*

After finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses last week, I was excited to move onto the next book in this series, A Court of Mist and Fury. I really liked the first one, and I wanted to see how the story would continue, but I went into my reading a little bit wary. One of the things that really attracted me to the series in general was the whole Beauty and the Best element of the story. That piece of it was pretty much over by the end of book one, and I wasn't sure if whatever tropes would come next would match up as well with my personal preferences. Also, this book is much longer than the last one--just over 600 pages. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if the book was going to veer away from the romance between Feyre and Tamlin and focus more on things like faerie court politics, that could end up being pretty boring for me. Still, I got started on my reading hoping for another guilty pleasure kind of experience. That is definitely what I got too, although not in the way I expected.

This novel picks up shortly after the events of book one. After defeating Amarantha and being brought back to life by the High Lords, Feyre has moved into the Spring Court with Tamlin. They are engaged and wedding preparations are underway, but all is not entirely well. Feyre is struggling mightily with feelings of depression and guilt after her trial Under the Mountain. She can't forgive herself for some of the actions she had to take in order to rescue Tamlin and is experiencing nightmares and feelings of claustrophobia from the memory of her imprisonment. Tamlin isn't faring much better, he is also struggling with feelings of guilt. He could only stand idly by as Feyre was being tortured by Amarantha, so now that he has his powers fully back, his protective instinct is going overboard. He's essentially locked Feyre inside his estate, and doesn't allow her to venture out at all. This, in turn, causes Feyre to spiral deeper into depression. They are both trying to heal and move forward, but are having trouble figuring out exactly what that should look like. 

To make things even more complicated, it soon becomes apparent that Feyre has absorbed some of the powers of the High Lords during her resurrection. She's unwittingly become a powerful Fae herself, but Tamlin refuses to acknowledge her powers or help her train to use them, believing it might put her into danger. Her frustration with this and everything else going on culminates in her deciding to leave the Spring Court and join Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, whom she struck a desperate deal with when she was badly injured in Amarantha's dungeon. Rhysand seems to understand her depression and is sensitive to her need for freedom and choice. What's more, he has an important job for her to do. 

It turns out that Amarantha was only a small part of a larger, evil scheme to control all of Prythia. There is another, the King of Hybern, who plans to overturn the existing order of things, including destroying the wall separating the faeries from the humans, and take everything for himself. Feyre, with her new blend of magical powers, is uniquely suited to help secure an ancient artifact that will destroy his scheme and hopefully bring peace back to the land. She begins working with Rhys and his inner circle to try and accomplish this, and finds herself thrust into an adventure filled with great danger, incredibly high stakes, and somehow, an epic romance.

A Court of Mist and Fury was actually a very worthy sequel to the first book, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a long read, but the pacing was good and the story was consistently interesting. There were lots of twists and turns in the plot, the romance was steamy, and the new characters introduced were all well-developed and easy to like. Quite a lot of backstory was introduced in this one as well, which helped to flesh out the world. The world-building in general is very strong in this series. Maas does a nice job of making Prythia feel like a real place with a long and brutal history. It's easy to get swept away in it and feel like you're somewhere else while reading. Of course, many things about the story were ridiculous--the drama, the emotions, the sexual banter, the entire concept of a "mating bond,"--it was all cringeworthy from time to time. That was all part of the fun though, and the story was compelling enough that I didn't mind it. 

One aspect of this novel that surprised me was the exploration of the characters' trauma. Maas did a nice job of realistically showing her characters struggling emotionally after the violent end of book one. There really shouldn't be a straightforward "happily ever after" after going through everything Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhys went through, and that didn't happen here. I liked that this story acknowledged their pain and incorporated it into the plot in a way that made sense. It wasn't a case of the characters immediately jumping into the next adventure at the start of book two without a backwards glance. They deal with guilt, depression, and shame over things from their past in turns, and the reading experience is richer for it.

I also never thought for a second that Feyre would be leaving Tamlin and switching to another love interest in this story. I definitely never thought that I would be a fan of that move. Like I mentioned before, the Beauty and the Beast trope is one of my favorites, but Maas did a good job of showing Tamlin become so damaged from his experiences that he was not longer a healthy match for Feyre. It was a turn I wasn't expecting, but it was one that made sense in the context of the story. I can't help but feel a little bad for Tamlin though. I'd definitely let him lock me in his palatial estate so I could do arts and crafts and read all day. Feyre's made of sterner stuff than me though and needs her freedom. Rhys was a better match for her and the development of their relationship was well written.

So ultimately, I really did enjoy A Court of Mist and Fury. There was definitely more political intrigue in this installment, but there was still enough romance to keep me interested in the story. Maas has done a nice job creating an interesting fantasy world to get lost in. I look forward to continuing on with the next book.

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 5/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 13