A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Jul 10

MAIN THEMES:
- Healing from Trauma
- Choice & Personal Freedom
- Female Empowerment
- Found Family
- Love that Encourages Growth Rather Than Control

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars

Okay...

I get it now.

I understand the Rhysand obsession. I understand why everyone says A Court of Mist and Fury is where the series really begins. Consider me officially converted.

This book took everything from A Court of Thorns and Roses and made it better. The pacing is faster, the action actually actions, the emotional punches land harder, and there were multiple scenes where my heart was racing or I caught myself getting teary-eyed.

My biggest complaint about book one was Feyre. She drove me absolutely insane with how quickly she spiraled into despair every time things got difficult. Thankfully, Sarah J. Maas heard my imaginary complaints because Feyre's character growth here is chef's kiss. She's finally becoming the strong, capable, empowered heroine I was waiting for.

(Granted... she still assumes she's about five minutes away from dying at the slightest inconvenience. Baby steps.)

And Tamlin?

...Yeah, that's gonna be a no from me.

I won't spoil anything, but let's just say I am no longer asking questions about why BookTok has collectively adopted Rhysand.

As for the negatives, I do wish the cast was a little more diverse. I also saw a few plot twists coming from a mile away, though Maas sprinkled in enough surprises that I still found myself saying, "WAIT... WHAT?" more than once.

The only reason this hasn't claimed my "Favorite Book of the Year" title is because I haven't reached the full ugly-cry stage yet. Emotional? Absolutely. Heart racing? Constantly. Publicly sobbing into my coffee? Not quite.

If ACOTAR was the setup, ACOMAF is the payoff—and now I'm fully invested in whatever emotional damage this series has planned for me next.

Trigger Warnings: