Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
The Review
A Court of Wings and Ruin picks up where the last book ended, with Feyre back at the Spring Court with Tamlin. She is undercover, hoping to sabotage their relationship with Hybern. I have a lot of issues with this third book in what was one of my favorite series. I don't mean to rip this book to shreds, but I feel so disappointed with Maas. She is an amazing writer and in my opinion, she's earned her popularity because when her writing is at its best she is a veritable powerhouse. But this book...was not Maas at her best. Or even her average.
​Let's start with the characters themselves.
Feyre - Feyre has been a pleasure for me to read. I love her struggles, her sensitivity, her strength. But the Feyre in ACOWAR is a mere shade of the character from the previous books. She doesn't do anything. But for a handful of times, she waits for things to happen TO her. Gone is the fiery spirit that has earned both her human and fae survival.
​Rhys - In an attempt to make Rhys an uber feminist, he instead comes across to me as being borderline controlling himself. The constant mention of Feyre and Rhysand's equal partnership began to feel...creepy. Especially when she is always asking permission and whether he feels okay for the small choices she does make. I don't know when exactly, I started to feel like there was some kind of manipulation going on, but I did and I don't think it's 100% my brain's fault for reading too into something. Oh, and yeah...I get it: Rhys is a bad-ass, sensitive, powerful, beautiful and witty guy who probably farts rainbows and rescues unicorns. No one is perfect, Maas!!! By the way, get him to an optometrist because something is wrong with his eye. I really wish I had counted every single time he winked.
Morrigan - Wait, how old are you again? 500 years old? And you're arguing about boys like a preteen? Give me a break.
​Nesta - Nesta has two emotions: rage and fury. Am I supposed to feel connected to a character that hates everything? I get it, you've had some horrible shit happen to you. This is a character that had the potential to explore so many issues from PTSD to healing after trauma. Does that happen? No.
​Nothing happens in this book. 60% is just witty banter, descriptions of eyes, places, weird sex scenes and clothes. There are important moments that I thought, "Oh yesss, here we go! Now things will pick up." Nope. My disappointment is because Maas is quite a talented writer and this was just unacceptable. Instead of showing things, she would tell them. There are many moments when Feyre has to do something epic and terrifying but she doesn't. I can't talk about them in detail without having spoilers, so I won't. But I can't be alone in feeling like the opportunities for an incredible story were just tossed to the side as if they served no purpose. They do have a reason: to have a story that meets the challenge of fantasy and even surpasses them.
​I maybe should have put this with my problems with Rhys, but I feel so strongly about this one it deserves its own spot. The mate bond. Why does the internal communication happen 80% of the book even when they are standing beside each other? I hate the mate bond almost as much as I began to hate " the stars in Rhysand's eyes." Barf. Everyone's priorities are waaaay off. I mean, who cares that there's an evil king who has a magical weapon that is the equivalent of a nuclear bomb and basically hates the entire continent we inhabit? Let's continue to argue about the same crap we have for the last 500+ years because change is scary. Which brings me finally to my biggest point of contention with A Court of Wings and Ruin: the villains have no goodness and the heroes have no evilness. (Except for Rhysand's "darkness," of course.) It just isn't realistic. There are two exceptions to this, but in a book this long I expect more psychology. No one is completely good or evil in reality, and I hate that that's just kind of how things are for this book. I know that I just ripped this book apart but I had to address the problems I had. This felt like a personal insult. The characters that I loved were reduced to two-dimensional cut-outs and not the vivid people they are in the previous books. It was like buying tickets to see a band, getting so excited to watch them, only to find those cardboard stand-ups from FYE are there instead. I did like how things were ended with Tamlin and that may be my favorite part of the entire 700 pages.
All that being said, it wasn't a BAD book. It just wasn't Maas at her best and strongest. I have no idea what to expect with the next two books and I'm not sure that I will even read them at all.
