acotar – A Fangirl's Opinion

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – Book Review

February 23, 2021

We’ve been patiently waiting for this book for years, and as soon as I read that first page it felt like I was home.

As I started this series, I thought back to when I first met Sarah at The Hay Festival in 2015. I remember listening intently to Sarah’s passion and love for this series, unbeknownst to the never-ending joy, emotional comfort and magical wonder it would bring me. Fast forward six years, and here I am, once again enamoured and emotionally ruined after experiencing the incredible masterpiece that is A Court of Silver Flames.

There’s something wonderfully familiar and comforting about Sarah’s writing, it takes you by the hand and leads you back into this incredibly detailed and limitless world that many of us readers like to call home. It warmly welcomes you to join these characters on their journeys of love, self-discovery and bravery, and I can’t help but consider them as family. It’s silly, but these characters and the world Sarah has created makes me so emotional and have become apart of my soul. Words will never express how much I adore this series and the wonder and escape that it has granted me. And for that, I will be forever grateful. Thank you, Sarah, truly.

As much as I adore Feyre and Rhys, it was time for them to pass the pen on and for Nesta’s and Cassian’s story to be told. And what a story it was. Nesta is hated and broken. But her journey isn’t about ‘fixing herself’ because, in reality, she isn’t broken, she’s hurt and trapped in her spiral of self-loathing. Sarah explains Nesta’s hostility and fears with grace and understanding. Her character arc isn’t as simple as ‘getting over it’ but is instead one of delicate and powerful determination and acceptance. Her struggle is painful and messy, and it’s not pretty or clear on how she’ll learn to move forward or if she’ll learn to move forward at all. Sarah always portrays trauma and mental health beautifully, she doesn’t sugar coat things instead she shows them as they are which is real, complex and relatable. We see brilliant, vulnerable sides to these characters that we haven’t really explored before, all of which are depicted gracefully from beginning to end. We are not all easily healed. Healing isn’t always a straight journey, it’s a mountain climb, one step forward two steps back and once again Sarah manages to capture that in Nesta’s journey, one which I am honoured to have taken alongside her.

This series has always been about family, and Nesta’s new chosen family and friends are her support system and gives her the strength to fight. She accepts the love she thinks she deserves but, it is through Cassian’s steadfastness and Gwyn and Emerie’s sisterly bond and unified support that helps her tear down the stone barriers from her past to form a loving environment from which she strengthens and blossoms. Like the House of Wind, Nesta finds a home for herself and learns to face the darkness and to focus on what brings her joy, it was a pleasure to witness her grow, and I particularly enjoyed watching her fall back in love with music.

And then we have Nesta’s relationship with Cassian, a relationship that starts with playful and witty remarks and escalates into sexual teasing and mutual wanting. Cassian refuses to give up on Nesta, and it’s his dedication that ignites a relationship that rattles the stars. It’s clear why these two are mates, they are two sides of the same coin and compliment each other beautifully.

The smut. Hot damn. Is it too forward to say that I loved it? I’ve taken my first steps into adulthood alongside this series, and it’s refreshing to see these book mature with its reads and develop into something so much more. Those intimate scenes between Nesta and Cassian are wild and passionate yet controlled and loving, this was different kind of love and one, which I have fallen head over heels for.

I should also mention that addition Azriel chapter, it was EVERYTHING! And I could 100% see him with our little warrior Gwyn. Don’t you just love it when Sarah teases us with new relationships!

As expected, I cried a lot at this book. Every time I read these books, I give my heart to these characters, and they return it broken, battered and yet filled with more love and wonder than before. There were moments, like the Winter Solstice and those final chapters, in which these characters achieve ultimate happiness and found myself crying with joy because everything was perfect. There’s so much more that I want to discuss but I think it’s best if I hold off on the spoilers for now!

Once again, Sarah has crafted an emotionally intense and beautifully perfect masterpiece that has gifted me with a reading experience like no other. These characters mean the world to me, so being able to join them again on another adventure was the ideal escape and one I wished would never end. It was the perfect ending – and new beginning – to Nesta and Cassian’s relationship and a journey that will stay with me forever. I finished the entire book in 24-hours, and I’m honestly considering re-reading it again soon because I loved every page so much. Like us, Nesta has found her way home, and she is a reminder that we all deserved to be loved and to have the courage to go out into the world, face our fears and climb that mountain.

Our Favourite Fairy Tale Retellings

April 23, 2017

I don’t know about you but I’ve always loved a good old fashioned fairytale and when it comes to fairytale retellings, I’m all over them like a rash! I’m currently reading ‘Stealing Snow’ by Danielle Paige and I’m kind of enjoying it but not as much as others but fingers crossed it gets better soon! Anyway, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you and feel free to comment down below recommending me some of your favorites!

Cinder – Cinderella as a cyborg! Marissa Meyer is a genius, re-imagining of one of the most popular fairy tales and adapting it to a sci-fi universe. Set in the distant future in New Beijing, we follow the protagonist Cinder across a mysterious adventure uncovering things from her past and future whilst she tries to stay alive as well as handling a tricky love life. We all know the tale of Cinderella and this novel follows it but with many unexpected twists and turns!

Cruel Beauty – Cruel Beauty is a wonderfully written blend of Beauty and the Beast retelling and Greek mythology which is a combination of two of my favorite things and to top it off its characters were equally as wonderful and powerful, especially Nyx. This heart-breaking love story was full of twists and turns as well as sticking to the classic Beauty and the Beast storyline which I really enjoyed.

Dorothy Must Die – As you can possibly figure out from the title, the story is a continuation from the Wizard of Oz but things are very different from where the film/book left. It’s quite some time in the future and we’re introduced to Amy, a young girl in a bit of a situation at home and at school. One night when she’s left home alone a tornado hits, and guess what, her home flies up in the tornado and lands in the magical Oz. However it’s not quite how the book or the film depicted it, everyone is miserable, grey and depressed, the munchkins are slaves and flying monkeys are wingless. So what happened to the Oz Amy grew up loving? Dorothy happened.

Heartless – I’m a huge fan of the Luna Chronicles by Marissa Meyers, so when I heard she was writing something different I got very excited. It follows the backstory of the Queen of Hearts and how she became so evil! This is definitely one of those books where you have to be patient and persevere for a bit as it starts a bit slow however I can guarantee that if you keep reading you won’t be disappointed.

A Court of Thornes and Roses – This is probably one of my favorites on the list as in my eyes Sarah never writes a bad book! Growing up ‘Beaty and the Beast’ was my favorite Disney fairy tale and I thought Sarah’s retelling was unique and nothing short of magical. All the characters are wonderful especially Feyre who was such a strong and powerful woman who has amazing character development and relationships with other characters if you know what I mean! Pre-warning this book is steamy, I’m not kidding, the chemistry sparks right from the pages and we get some sexy times that made me swoon (Chapter 27, if you know what I mean…).

A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J Maas

May 24, 2016

Firstly, I would just like to apologize for how late this review, it took a while to read because here in the UK it is currently exam season so both Amy and I have had our heads stuck in text books instead of reading books… Anyway, wow, I have waited such a long time to read this book, the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, was amazing and I just couldn’t wait to jump back into this world! Although I try not to have high expectations, it just couldn’t be helped with this book, my expectations were sky high, but I am very happy to say that my expectations were met and even surpassed!

For those who don’t know, this is book follows from the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR). This book picks up a couple months after the horrific incidents from ‘Under the Mountain’ in the first book and shows how those events have impacted upon all members of the Spring Court, but especially Feyre and Tamlin. I feel as though readers should go into this book relatively blind, as I did, there is just a lot in the book that could easily be spoiled by mentioning any of the plot. I will try my very best to keep this review spoiler free but I can’t make any promises about not spoiling the first book ACOTAR, if you wish to read that review I will link it HERE.

So, on to my opinions! Firstly I really liked how this book really throws you back into the story, there isn’t an awkward re-introduction, things just start happening right from the start which gripped me straight away! This book really quickly became ‘that book’ that I would look forward to reading at the end of the day and it was always such a treat to come back to, especially after a long day of grueling school work! I would also like to add that I am really sad that I’ve finished it, I keep thinking that I will be able to continue the story each night and I’m crushed each time I realise that I’m going to have to wait a whole year before I know what happens next! Grrrr!!

All the main characters return from the first book mainly Feyre, who’s character development is truly fantastic in this book, she grows so much, I was actually really proud of her, especially after all that she had to ordeal under the mountain! Also Tamlin returns (obviously), my opinion of Tamlin was always changing in this book but he’s just as gorgeous as always, especially without that darn mask! Finally there is Rhysand, I’m still totally in love with Rhys, that hasn’t changed from the first book! I just loved how he would always manipulate a situation to be able to pop up and the most awkward times! Haha!

This book really is an emotional roller-coaster and I was either crying, laughing or gasping with shock (oh yes I gasped with shock A LOT!). However I would say that the main plot of the book was a little bit overshadowed with other themes of the book, so I kind of felt that I wasn’t as well informed as I probably could have been when it came to the ending, but this might have been because it was late at night and I was tired and zoning out a bit… The only other criticism is that the book dipped in action in the middle a little bit, but that part was really essential to the story, so although it was a little more dull, it was absolutely necessary!

I would also like to mention that this book is VERY steamy, and when I say steamy I mean adult fiction steamy, there is a lot of sex and adult themes! I looked up the age rating for this book and it said 14-17, but if I am really honest, I wouldn’t want a 14 year old reading those scenes, I know if I read that at 14 I would have… well let’s just say I would have learned a lot…! So if you are on the younger side, perhaps just be prepared? Or maybe wait until you’re older? I obviously don’t want to tell you what you should or shouldn’t read but I just want people to know that it is very graphic in places and is maybe not a book for tweens… Although saying that the scenes worked with the story and were very well written!

In conclusion I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK! The twists and turns were AMAZING and it is unreal how much I want to read the next book. Even though I had a few (very small) criticisms, they didn’t lessen the quality of the book at all! One thing Sarah J Maas is very good at is continuing a story successfully! I’m going to give this book the biggest 5 out of 5 stars, I loved it so much! Lastly I have tried SO hard to keep this review spoiler free as I know not everyone has read it yet, including my co-blogger Amy, so please feel free to leave a comment but please keep it free of spoilers (I know it’s very hard!)

A Court Of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas

June 10, 2015

This review is a little bit different from usual as after seeing Sarah J Maas at the Hay Festival we both quickly picked up ‘A Court Of Thorns and Roses’ and started reading! As we both loved this book so much, we decided to both share our opinion with you all!! So without further ado, here are our reviews…. ‘A Court Of Thorns and Roses’ is a retelling of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as well as ‘East Side of the Sun, West Side of the Moon’ and follows the journey of Feyre. When Ferye kills a wolf like creature to save her family, she is met by a beast who demands retribution! She must pay the price and spend the rest of her life in the Spring Court, located in the land of the Fae and home to Tamlin; a handsome and powerful High Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Amy:

Oh my this book is very pure perfection. I loved every moment and every page; Sarah J Maas you have once again hooked me with your wonderful writing and world building!! Growing up ‘Beaty and the Beast’ was my favourite disney fairy tale and I thought Sarah’s retelling was unique and nothing short of magical. I have to admit I did find myself a lot of the time comparing the events and characters to the disney version even though this book was so much more different than the disney film! The world she created was wonderful and her telling was rich and descriptive. The description of the spring court was certainly my favourite as it was so bright and colourful and a place I could only dream of visiting! I also love the contrast of spring court and under the mountain and made the darkness and the creepiness of under the mountain more dramatic! The characters I have to admit were my favourite part about this book! Feyre was such a strong and powerful woman who has amazing character development! At the start we see her as she may only be a minor character but I loved the development of Nesta who at the start was such a bitch but later in the book after she realised how important her sister was, I thought she became a better character who I hope we see more of her in the next book! Oh my cheeks are still flushed from Tamlin!! Isn’t he just the perfect love interest as not only is he caring and protective but a helpless romantic! When meeting Sarah J Maas at the Hay Festival she mentioned that there were a lot of shirtless men in the first book and even more in the second!!! Yasss! Lucien, I also loved as he helped bring humour to the book with his sarky comments and banter between him and Feryre! When listening to the talk with Sarah, she did mention she considered Feyre and Lucian to get together but I’m glad she dismissed the idea as personally I think they make better friends than lovers!! This book is steamy, I’m not kidding. The chemistry sparks right from the pages and we get some sexy times that made me swoon (Chapter 27, if you know what I mean…). I certainly didn’t expect it but I thought it was relevant to show how much Tamlin and Feyre love each other!! I can’t wait for the next book and to continue Feyre’s journey at the Spring Court and to see the aftermath of the events that occurred in this book! Overall, I am more than happy to rate this book 5/5 stars as it is a wonderful read which is very powerful and action packed as well as romantic! If you did enjoy this book I highly recommend you check out her ‘Throne Of Glass’ Series which again is very similar and one of my favourites!!

Eleanor:

Holy shit! What a book! Now I’m going to try and say some different things than Amy because I don’t think you guys want to hear things twice… However our opinions are much the same! Unlike Amy, I’m not associated with the original Beauty and the Beast (please don’t kill me I was more of a Snow White gal). BUT this didn’t make any difference to the story at all, so don’t worry if you don’t know a lot about Beauty and the Beast, you’ll still love it just as much! I also LOVED the characters, but I also really liked the badies of this story, ehhggg I just wanted to punch her in the face! They were just SO EVIL, I love em’! This book never got boring either, you know when you get to the middle and it kind of slows down, yep that did not happen with this book! It was all go, go, go, I couldn’t keep up at some points. But this did mean that I never wanted to stop reading. So if you’re a true fantasy fan, then clear your calendar for approximately 3/4 days because I can guarantee that nothing else will get done… I don’t think Amy and I could sing the praises for this book any louder! It was honestly SOO GOOD! But, Amy mentioned this, there are some sexy fun times, so if you’re young (and I swear some of the kids meeting Sarah at the Hay Festival were about 9 which made Amy and I slightly uncomfortable…) anyway, please, please be aware. And if you are of a mature age, be careful as to where you read it… yep I was on a train… it was very awkward… I had to read discretely…. yep… I am also going to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, it was just amazing!

The Hay Festival – Meeting Sarah J Maas

May 24, 2015

It was this weekend when my co-blogger and I took a spontaneous trip to the ‘Hay Festival’ in Hay-On-Wye not only to experience the festival itself but to also meet one of my favourite authors, Sarah J Maas!!! For those who don’t know what the Hay festival is a literacy festival which celebrates great writing from poets, lyricists, comedians, novelists and the power of great ideas to transform our way of thinking. For 10 days in May, The Hay Festival is full of stories, ideas, laughter, and music.

For those interested the Hay Festival is running from 21st – 31st May 2015 and for more information check out the website here!

The Book Talk

For both of us, the talk was a great experience as we were able to not only find out more about her wonderful characters but her writing process and her journey to becoming an author. As expected she was such a lovely, down to earth person who made us laugh as well as inspiring us! I loved the fact she too was a fangirl like her readers and kept making ‘Lord of The Rings’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ references which too made me fangirl!

Sarah is such a passionate writer and her love for her books and characters are really inspiring! I loved hearing about her journey to becoming a writer and that numerous people had tried to discourage the idea of writing as a profession but she made it clear never to give up and just to block out the haters. To her, writing was a way with coping with difficult situations and something she turned to in times of need which I thought truly showed her love for writing! She said the best moment in her career was getting that call saying she was a New York Times Best Selling Author!!

The main topic of the book talk was her new release ‘A Court Of Thorns and Roses’ which I had not yet read but I loved finding out more about the characters. Learning more about the characters was really interesting and I can’t wait to start reading it!! She talked a lot about Feyre the protagonist and her characteristics and how she thought it was important for her to have the passion for art as well as being illiterate! She also made it clear how important it was for her to have a strong female protagonist which I too find very important!

Again she briefly talked about the sequel to ‘A Court Of Thorns and Roses’ and how it will be about the aftermath of the events in the first book! And you’ll also be pleased to hear that in the second book there are more gorgeous shirtless men!!

The thing I loved the most is the fact that she talks about her characters as if they are real and sitting in the audience next to her which I loved and showed she had as much passion for her characters as we as the readers do! I loved it!! We also talked about the Throne of Glass series and that she too cried when writing ‘Heir of Fire’ so much that it almost broke her! Authors aren’t as cruel as we thought!

Again I loved hearing about her writing process and when writing she tends to listen to films scores which I thought was fab as I do the same! However recently she said she had been listening to Kayne West when writing ‘Queen of Shadows’ to help get into the character of Celaena which is certainly very different!

Being able to meet one of my idols was absolutely amazing and an experience I certainly will never forget! I will treasure my signed copy of ‘A Court Of Thorns and Roses’ forever!! And to top my day off Sarah J Mass has just retweeted and replied to my tweet!! (I am currently fangirling!!)