From Surviving to Truly Living

Of course, after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses for the x-th time, I had to dive straight into A Court of Mist and Fury, the second installment in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series. There was simply no way I could return to Prythian and then casually put the series aside again. Especially not when I knew what was waiting for me in this book.

Because Feyre’s journey did not end Under the Mountain. Yes, she survived. Yes, she defeated Amarantha. And yes, she was given a Fae body and another chance at life.
But surviving something and actually being able to live afterward are two entirely different things.

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court – but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises, a greater evil looms – and she might be key to stopping it.

But only if she can step into her growing power, heal her fractured soul and have the courage to shape her own future – and the future of a world cloven in two.

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

Opinion

The Price of Surviving

The first chapters were incredibly difficult to read, even though I knew exactly what was coming.
Feyre might have escaped Under the Mountain, but mentally she is still trapped there. She is haunted by nightmares and memories of everything Amarantha forced her to do. She remembers the lives she had to take, the decisions she had to make, and the person she had to become in order to save Tamlin and his people.

She is drowning in guilt, trauma, and self-hatred, and what makes it even worse is that the person who should notice how badly she is struggling seems determined not to see it. Tamlin. I remembered being angry with him. Apparently, I had forgotten just how angry he could make me.

His behavior becomes increasingly unbearable as he tries to control every aspect of Feyre’s existence. Instead of helping her recover, he confines her. Instead of listening to what she needs, he decides what she needs. Instead of accepting that the female who returned from Under the Mountain has changed, he desperately tries to squeeze her back into the woman she was before.
And when Rhysand arrives to collect on the bargain Feyre made with him Under the Mountain, Tamlin’s behavior only becomes worse. By that point, the red flags aren’t merely waving. They have formed their own marching band.

Welcome to the Night Court

The contrast between Tamlin and Rhysand becomes one of the most important aspects of Feyre’s journey.
Rhys is certainly no saint, and Sarah J. Maas never pretends that he is. He has secrets, he plays political games, he manipulates situations, and he is perfectly capable of being infuriating. But there is one crucial difference: he actually listens to Feyre. He takes her fears seriously. He acknowledges her trauma. He gives her choices. And perhaps most importantly, he gives her room to discover who she is now.

Watching Feyre slowly find new meaning in her life at the Night Court was one of my favorite parts of the entire book. She has to learn how to live as Fae, understand the powers she received from the High Lords, and accept that wanting something for herself does not make her selfish.
The Night Court gradually becomes more than a place where she can escape the Spring Court. It becomes somewhere she can breathe.

And then we meet the people who make it a home. Mor, Cassian, Azriel and the others bring an entirely different kind of warmth to the story. Their relationships are messy, sarcastic, fiercely loyal and built upon centuries of shared history. Feyre is not immediately expected to fit neatly into their world. Instead, she slowly finds her own place within it.
That makes all the difference.

Finding Feyre Again

Without revealing too much of the plot, I think it is safe to say that A Court of Mist and Fury is ultimately about Feyre finding herself. Not Tamlin’s Feyre. Not Rhysand’s Feyre. Herself. She discovers what she wants from her immortal life, what she is capable of, what she refuses to tolerate anymore and, eventually, whom she truly wants beside her.
Of course, getting there is anything but easy.

There are obstacles, revelations, dangerous missions and plenty of political maneuvering. There is cunning on Feyre’s side and certainly some cunning from her eventual mate as well. Their relationship develops alongside the larger conflict rather than existing separately from it, and knowing where their story leads makes rereading their earlier interactions particularly entertaining. There are so many tiny moments that suddenly carry much more weight when you already know the truth.
A glance. A reaction. A seemingly innocent comment. Once again, Sarah J. Maas leaves little breadcrumbs everywhere, and during a reread you finally get to follow trails you might have completely missed before.

A Threat Beyond the Courts

While Feyre is rebuilding herself, something far more dangerous is taking shape beyond the borders of the Night Court. The threat posed by the King of Hybern steadily grows throughout the novel, and Feyre and Rhys eventually realize that the secrets they uncover could determine the future of all Prythian.

This is where the scope of the series expands enormously. The conflict is no longer about a single curse or one High Lord’s court. Alliances, ancient powers and political tensions begin moving across the board, and suddenly the events of the first book feel almost small in comparison. And then comes that final part. Even knowing what would happen did not make it any easier. Mor, Azriel and Cassian are pushed to their limits, while Feyre‘s sisters Nesta and Elain are dragged directly into a world and conflict they never chose. Everything escalates so quickly that the final chapters become nearly impossible to put down.

There is betrayal, desperation, sacrifice and one hell of a gamble. And Feyre? She proves just how far she has come and who she has become.

Even Better the Next Time Around

What continues to amaze me about rereading this series is how Sarah J. Maas can still catch me by surprise.
Obviously, I remember the major revelations. I know who ends up where. I know the relationships, the betrayals and the consequences. But some of the smaller twists still managed to sneak up on me again.

There are simply so many details woven into this book that it is almost impossible to remember all of them. And because I already know what happens later in the series, certain conversations and seemingly insignificant moments now have completely different meanings. That makes A Court of Mist and Fury incredibly rewarding to reread.

For me, this book is also where the series truly becomes the story I love so much. The world grows larger, the characters become more complex, the stakes rise dramatically, and Feyre transforms from someone desperately trying to survive into someone determined to decide what her life will actually look like.
She finds friendship. She finds strength. She finds a family she chooses for herself. And she finds love on her own terms.

Conclusion

Once again, returning to Prythian felt like coming home, although this time I knew exactly which court I wanted to come home to. 5 out of 5 stars, without hesitation. And after that ending? Well. There was never any chance I wasn’t going straight for the third book.

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and have been published in 38 languages. She lives with her family in New York City.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookhype | Amazon | Instagram

This review was also published at:

Please leave this field empty

Newsletter
abonnieren

This field is required.

Ich sende keinen Spam! Erfahre mehr in meiner Datenschutzerklärung.

Thank you 🙂

Views: 3

• By Sarah J. Maas
• A Court of Thorns and Roses Series
• 5 Star Books

A Court of Thorns and Roses ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

House of Flame and Shadow ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

House of Sky and Breath ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

House of Earth and Blood ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

Queen of Shadows ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses ♦ Sarah J. Maas | Review

Last Sacrifice ♦ Richelle Mead | Review

Dear Justyce ♦ Nic Stone | Review

Dear Martin ♦ Nic Stone | Review

The Dawn of the Cursed Queen ♦ Amber V. Nicole | Review