Spoiler Discussion: A Court of Wings and Ruin

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES #3
AUTHOR: SARAH J MAAS
RATING: 5 STARS
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES
A COURT OF MIST AND FURY (SPOILERS)
A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN

This is my spoiler-filled discussion/review of this book. If you're interested in the non-spoiler version you can find it here. I'm serious about the spoilers- I'm going to be going into a lot of things that happen after the first 200 pages. You've been warned.

Getting my thoughts together for this wasn't the hard part- flipping through the book to make sure I landed on all the parts I wanted was, because I kept rereading scenes I adored. Because I have so much I want to talk about it's going to be pretty brief in each section, or at least as brief as I can make it.

The fact that Feyre wanted wings and wanted to learn how to fly didn't really matter plot-wise, but character-wise I thought it was HUGE. It really shows how far she's come as a person and how she can not only trust others but that she sees her own power and agency. I also just love the idea that she's doing this because the people she loves can do it and it would be badass if she could do it.

I adore Lucien, he's always been one of my favorites, but my goodness, as much as I wanted to ship him and Elain (they're mates for cauldron's sake!), my heart really belonged with shipping Azriel and Elain. This was a "twist" I didn't see coming and you can't deny the fact that there's definitely some chemistry there. I'm curious to see how this is tackled in the next few installments, and I'm really, really hoping that Lucien is going to get his own book.

Another twist was the fact that... I liked Eris. And I'm sure I'm not alone here. Like, he stopped being a prick? It was strange because it wasn't exactly a redemptive arc but rather paralleled one of the themes of the series which is that people are super complex and that you shouldn't judge them (look at Rhys) until you know them. And even then they continue to peel back layers and evolve because people are ever-changing, even immortal Fae people.

Varian and Amren were adorable, I loved them. I wasn't sold that there was actually any chemistry there the first time I read ACOMAF, but upon my reread of that, and the way this book progressed their relationship, I was sold. It's not conventional, nor is it something I'd normally think was a cute relationship, but for the two of them I thought it as perfect. I'm so happy they got their happy ending and that Amren didn't actually die (god she put me through a roller coaster of emotions during that last 100 pages).

What really stole the show for me among everyone and everything, though, were the High Lords. All of them were irresistible and fun to read about and I just adored how different they each were. Maas' command over the political intrigue between them all, their personalities, and the places they come from (each court was a rich fantasy world that would have satisfied me on their own, with them all together I'm in love overload) was amazing. And we all know that the star of the High Lords was none other than:

HELION SPELL-CLEAVER aka my new favorite character (sorry Rhys. Az. Move over). Really there aren't words for him, just a long unending wail of positive noises that I emit when I'm really happy. Also, he's Lucien's father (I need Lucien to discover this so that I can read about it).

Tamlin's "redemption" was something that I wasn't expecting. I liked it, though, even though it wasn't a perfect redemption (and how could it be?) I liked that he came out on the side of the heroes, even if he remained an ass. It felt very human and realistic to me and like the natural progression of his character based on the decisions he had made.

Another "redemption" of sorts was actually not a redemption, but the twist that Jurian is one of the good guys. In no way had I predicted this and I adored it so much. He was a character that just came out of nowhere but I love him now and I really hope he gets his own novel or novella coming up because I want him to have a happy ending, too.

The biggest death by far was the Suriel. He made his way into the fandom's heart (ultimate Feysand shipper, amiright?) and I couldn't help but close the book and cry at his demise. It was such a sad and sweet ending, though, and I like that Feyre asked for his name. It humanized this character that seems to be very Fae with little human characteristics. Also, in no way had I predicted that the Suriel would die and it was a complete shock.

Basically, the whole of the battle scenes and everything after Hybern took the wall down left me reeling. I only had time to read and not to imagine what would happen next and I was took up in this storm of words. It was wonderful and I was so completely absorbed in everything and everyone. I loved the battle sequences, and it's hard for me to love battle sequences because I think they're hard to write and hard to read if not written correctly, but there was definitely a mastery of this one. It was cinematic and brilliant.

Now, the ending: First of all, their father was a superstar and when he showed up again I was crying in joy and when he died I was crying because I was heartbroken. I thought it was a beautiful and masterful thread to tie into the ending and wished we could have seen more of him being the hero. Second, Morrigan, my ray of sunshine, I love you. When she came out I was so happy for her that she could confess to Feyre and I wish her the best. I liked how realistically it was done and not at all like an afterthought because clearly this was affecting the character in a way that she felt she needed to keep it a secret and that hurt her. I hope that in one of the next books she'll be able to tell Azriel the truth because he needs to move on now. Third, AMREN. A roller coaster of emotions with her because first she's being a hero, then betraying, then being a hero, then sacrificing herself, and then alive again and Fae. Damn. I cried. Also, she's an angel and that's pretty amazing. Fourth, of all the new characters introduced near the end of the book Vassa stole the show. It helps that I adore the fairytales her story is based off of, but she's a little spit-fire and I am begging Sarah J Maas to give one of the next books to Vassa. Finally, RHYSAND WHAT ARE YOU DOING DYING LIKE THAT?! I mean, I'm so glad he didn't permanently die because I would be inconsolable but goodness sake that was crazy. I wasn't worried, per se, because it was happing so fast that I was just swept up in the story, but reflecting, there was so much emotion there that my heart broke a few times.

In conclusion, we got a happy ending? That's crazy. I was expecting something bittersweet but I'm not mad with what we ended up with because I wouldn't want it any other way. There are certainly a lot of threads left to untangle in the next volumes, but I feel satisfied with how this ended and I hope this means good things for the quickly approaching conclusion to Throne of Glass.