A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas - (mostly) non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

In my previous post I said that I reread ACOTAR so I could dive straight into A Court of Mist and Fury.

Beware, this will contain spoilers for ACOTAR.

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: NA, fantasy
Format: paperback

*Story:
The story picks up three months after the events that happened 'Under the Mountain'. We find Feyre and Tamlin trying to cope with everything they went through, but they're not doing a great job. They haven't heard from Rhysand yet, upholding his end of the bargain he made with Feyre. At some point, however, Rhys does come to the Spring Court and takes Feyre to the Night Court.

*Characters:
-Feyre: She is a complete mess after everything she did 'Under the Mountain'. I like her character a lot better than I did in ACOTAR. She really grows and comes into her own in this book. I like how she deals with her trauma's, not always head-on, but she tries to do something about them.
SPOILER:

I also like how she stands up to Tamlin and how she leaves him to go to Rhys. I think it's very cool how she discovers that she has powers from all of the seven High Lords who 'Made' her and how she gradually learns how to use them.

-Tamlin: I did not like Tamlin at all in this book. He was such a controlling, dominating, almost abusive basterd. I get that he's scared of losing Feyre again, but that doesn't give him the right to treat her like he does, locking her up and stuff. I also don't like his possessive nature in this book.
SPOILER:

I think it's unforgivable what he did when he went to the King of Hybren to form an alliance.

-Lucien: We don't get to see that much of Lucien is this book, which is a petty. He sometimes tries to reason with Tamlin to try and help Feyre, but usually he's not successful. It seemed to me like he had no backbone in this story.
SPOILER:

I never thought Lucien would find his mate after losing his lover in such a horrible way. I hope this will be explored more in the next book, since this only happens at the end of the book.

-Rhysand: Oh, Rhysand, how I love that character. In ACOTAR he's portrayed as a real villain, but he is so much more, such a complex character. I think he has one of the better character developments in this book.
SPOILER:

It turns out that his 'stumbling' at the end of ACOTAR was indeed the mating bond with Feyre snapping in place. I love the relationship development between Rhys and Feyre: how they go from Feyre not being able to stand him through his shameless flirting and finally their full-on relationship and mating bond. I do have to admit that I rolled my eyes when Rhysand said he was going to roar so loudly when climaxing while having sex with Feyre he was going to make the mountains shake. Modest much?

-Mor: I really liked her, I liked how badass she is, but also how loyal she is to her High Lord. I'm very intrigued by her relationship with both Cassian and Azriel.

-Cassian: Another very likeable, loyal, badass character. I love how he is the total oppossite of Azriel. I can't wait to find out how his story will develop.
SPOILER:

I am curious to see whether there will be a mating bond or just a relationship between him and Nesta.

-Azriel: I found Azriel to be as captivating as Rhysand. He is such a dark, brooding, but most of all fascinating character. I instantly loved him. I'm very curious to see where his story will go.
SPOILER:

When will he ever admit his love for Mor?

-Amren: I wonder what kind of creature she really is. At first I didn't much care for her, but she definitely grew on me. In her own peculiar way she is a very loyal character.

-Nesta: Even though she still hates everything fae-related, she comes across as a strong-willed person willing to stand up for her sister Elain. I loved her interaction with Cassian.

-Elain: She is such a gullible character. I hope her character will develop further in the next book.
SPOILER:

I'm counting on some further character-development because of the mating bond with Lucien.

-The King of Hybren: Such a despicable character, although he could have done with some more character-development as well.

-The Mortal Queens: Oh how I hate these witches!

*Plot:
This was the first Hades & Persephone-type of retelling I have ever read. I know the going back and forth between the Spring and Night Court doesn't happen that often, but I still found it interesting.
The worldbuilding in this book is so much better than in ACOTAR. The details with which certain places in the Night Court are described are so good. You really feel like you're a part of the world. Also, for most of the characters, the character-development is a lot better in this book.

*Overall rating:
I'm still debating between 4.5 and the full 5 star-rating. There were still some things in the story that were accepted a bit too quickly, but overall I was enthralled by it. It was an emotional rollercoaster. What I hadn't expected was the detailed way in which the sex scenes were described. They are definitely not suited for younger readers. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the steaminess, I just found it surprising they were so 'explicit'.

I'm very curious so see how the story will unfold and which 'fairytale' retelling we will get next. I also sincerely hope the story won't be dragged out too long with all the books that Maas has planned for this series.

Have you read ACOMAF? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies