Monday, June 13, 2016

Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 640
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pub. Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Personal Copy
Other Books By Author: Throne of Glass,  Crown of Midnight
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Goodreads says, "Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be 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 cleaved in two. With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights."



Feyre is struggling after the events that occurred  Under the Mountain in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Although she is living with Tamlin and essentially she should be happy, instead she is plagued with post-traumatic stress in a sense as well as her guilt.  She should be an excited bride planning to marry her love, but that's not the case.  She feels trapped as Tamlin barely lets her do anything for fear something might happen to her.  Then there's the deal made with Rhys, the High Lord of the Night Court.  Feyre must live with him for one week a month as part of their deal and of course, he pops up at the most unfortunate times.  When Feyre spends more time at the Night Court, she realizes that war is coming and instead of hiding in her house with Tamlin, she should be helping to defeat the enemy.  Also, Feyre is starting to realize that maybe there is more to Rhys than she thought.  A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is an enormous tome filled with high fantasy, action, adventure, and serious romance.  I highly recommend this addicting series to older YA readers. 

Feyre is struggling right out of the gate in A Court of Mist and Fury. If you expected things to be perfect for her and Tamlin, that is not the case.  I was actually ok with this, because I am not the biggest fan of Tamlin.  He is overprotective to the point where it's unhealthy and overbearing. Their issues come to a head when she realizes this herself. And thank God she did. I like that Feyre wants to be her own hero and doesn't want to be saved. She want to learn how to fight and protect herself; I love that about Maas's heroines.  Then there's Rhys.....

I adore her relationship with Rhys and how its evolving in A Court of Mist and Fury. I don't want to give too much away regarding this, but I am a fan and I love their love/hate relationship as well as their witty banter. 

Maas writes such vivid worlds; her world-building is never lacking and that is the case in A Court of Mist and Fury . She explains a bit more regarding Prythian in this novel as well as its history, which I found very helpful. 

My only warning regarding A Court of Mist and Fury is the sexual content. This novel (as well as the first in the series) is definitely for mature YA readers. It reads almost like a New Adult novel and before you pass it off to a thirteen year old, you should know this in advance.  There are some serious sexy times in this series. 

Of course the cliffhanger in A Court of Mist and Fury left me wanting more; Maas is so effective at this, which you know if you read her other series. So,  I am looking forward to checking out the third book in this series, which is due out next May.  If you love fantasy that's written well with a mature romance, then I highly recommend this series.  Maas is my hands down favorite YA fantasy author.


 

4 comments:

  1. I've been having second thoughts about my decision to postpone reading this book. First, I didn't want to read it because I heard that she gave Tamlin a personality face lift. But now, maybe it won't be so bad because I wasn't all that invested in that pairing to begin with. I don't know...

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    1. She definitely did give Tamlin a personality face lift...you are right on that, but I wasn't the biggest fan of him originally, so I didn't mind too much. If you weren't too invested, like you said, then I think you will definitely enjoy this novel, Joy. I hope you get to read it soon! Thanks for visiting!

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  2. I loved this book and definitely prefer it to the first one. Tamlin reminds me of Edward Cullen and more so in this book than the first one. So very controlling and overprotective. I think readers will either love or hate this book depending on how they feel about Tamlin and that relationship. Since I was not a fan of his, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I will have to start her other series in the meantime.

    I am still torn about where to put this book. We have the first book in our teen section and I talked about it with our children's librarian. School Library Journal and other review journals seem to feel it is for older teens so maybe it won't be an issue. I don't want to move the books out of the teen room but they are right on that line between teen and "New adult". The content is on par with what I've read in romance novels for adults and I started reading those as a junior or senior in high school.

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    1. YES! You are so right about Tamlin being like Edward...very true. He annoyed me and I was happy to see things change in this book. I am glad you agree! You definitely need to start Throne of Glass. I think you would love that series as well. I still need to read book four!

      I can see why this would be a tough book to classify from a librarian's perspective. I definitely classify it as an older YA or even a new adult read. It's definitely steamier and edgier than Throne of Glass, so I could see many younger YA readers picking it up because it's Maas and being surprised by some of the sexy times in the novel. :) Thanks for visiting, Christina!

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