5 Star Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin

RATING: 5 STARS

Author: Sarah J Maas

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Edition: US Hardcover

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Related Reviews: ACOTAR - ACOMAF - ACOMAF Spoiler Discussion

I'm super late in writing this review but I'm just as passionate about this book now as I was last month when I read it. By now the whole community has probably devoured this one, and I've seen a lot of people who were disappointed by it, which surprised me because it honestly surpassed my expectations. Just in case- I'm not going to go too far into the book because I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't had the chance to finish it up yet. There will be a spoiler discussion up next week, so keep an eye out for that if you want to here my thoughts on the ending and such.

I fell in love with the Inner Circle in ACOMAF and loved every single second of these characters in this book. While I wouldn't say it was a huge character growth for any of them, barring Feyre and her sisters, and Lucien (who I loved already and now love even more), but I do feel like even more was peeled away at who they are and what really motivates them. Particularly Azriel, who I felt fondly of in ACOMAF but seriously fell in love with with this one (TBH completely honest I actually had a couple dreams with him in it). The relationships between them all was the most interesting thing to watch grow and change, and I don't just mean the romantic ones. I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about Feyre, Nesta, and Elain, and it certainly started off rocky for the first 200 pages or so, but once I got acclimated I started to really appreciate all three sisters and how they worked off of each other. I also appreciated how realistic the relationship between Mor and Feyre was. They had their ups and downs, but actually talked things out, and weren't always perfect with or around each other, and that just echoes a lot of friendship relationships I have.

What really stole the show with this book, though, was the world building, and finally, FINALLY, meeting all the High Lords. I didn't know what to expect but MY GOSH do I love the dynamics that went on! And I adored seeing more of all the courts. This is one of those worlds that I wish I could actually visit in real life just to look at everything. Without spoiling much, the courts and the High Lords not only had everything I love about a good fantasy, but also created a world that feels completely fleshed out while still leaving so many options for things to happen and be explained.

While a lot of people seem to have been disappointed with the war and battle scenes I thought they were incredibly well done. I could picture everything and I thought things moved smoothly and nothing felt easy. I will admit that at times the plot did seem directionless, but it all pulled together in the end, tying things into a nice bow but also leaving room for more to happen. I really appreciate that Feyre's time with Tamlin in the Spring Court didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would (I thought it would be a good chunk of the book) because so many more interesting things were happening outside of the Spring Court.

The future of the series makes me so excited. While I adore reading about Feysand I can't wait to see what other stories there are. I have SO many theories (don't we all?) as to what the next books might be about and I'm dying to hear an announcement from the Queen herself (come on Sarah, you're going to tell us soon, right? And where's that Tower of Dawn cover...) but I can be patient for a little longer.