Book: A Court Of Frost And Starlight by Sarah J Maas

Published May 2018 by Bloomsbury YA|272 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: A Court Of Thorns & Roses #3.1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court. 

As much as I love this series, I didn’t really love this one as much as I thought I would.  I was so excited for a new book in this series, but this one didn’t work for me.

I think part of it is that I didn’t re-read the series before reading this one, and I had a hard time getting back into this world.  It’s been almost a year since I read the last book in the series and even longer for the first and second books, so of course I don’t remember much of what happened.  It is funny, though, because her novellas are an average length book for most everyone else.

I was confused, too, because I was expecting more of a plot, and I felt like it actually took a while for it to show up. For most of the book, I felt like I was reading random scenes that didn’t really connect to each other.  Especially at first.  Also, while we see a lot between Feyre and Rhys, we also see some of the other characters.

In a way, it felt like it was setting things up for the rest of the series.  ACOMAF felt pretty resolved, and I wondered where the series was headed.  I have the feeling the rest of the books will focus on some of the other characters (Nesta and Cassian, anyone?) and it seems like something else is going to come up.  Hopefully our merry band of awesome people are going to deal with it together.

I did like that Feyre was out and about, and that she was getting back in her art.  I also have two words: drunk decorating.  That was fun to read.  I love her and Rhysand together, and as far as some of the other pairings go…let’s just say that some of them need to get it together.

Tamlin is still Tamlin, and while what he did wasn’t okay, he did seem to lose everything, and that part…it was a little hard to see.  I almost felt bad for him.  Almost.

Oh, and Elain!  Everyone seems to be pushing her towards a relationship.  It was clear to me that she didn’t want a relationship and/or wasn’t ready, and I just wanted her to be left alone about it.

Even though this is bridging books 1-3 and 4-6…I kind of feel like she could have added parts of this book to either ACOMAF or book 4.  I did like seeing the aftermath of the war, and I am curious to see what’s going to happen next.

3 stars.  I liked it, but I didn’t love it.  I wanted to, but I think I would have been just as fine not reading it.

Book: A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Published May 2017 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s|597 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: A Court Of Thorns And Roses #3

Genre: NA Fantasy

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 maneuverings 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.

I really liked ACOMAF!  I was really looking forward to reading this one, and it was one of my most anticipated books for this year.  I really enjoyed the first two, and after the way ACOMAF ended, I knew it was going to be a long wait until I got to read this one.

I really wanted more with Tamlin- I found that part of the book to be disappointing.  I thought it would be a bigger deal than it turned out to be.  I’m not sure how I thought that would go, but it wasn’t what actually happened in the book.  We do, eventually, see Tamlin’s reaction, and as much as I don’t like him, I wanted more from his point of view, especially with Feyre and Rhys.  Maybe I expected her to have to be more…romantically involved with Tamlin? Or that things would somehow go back to the way it was before she went to the Night Court.  I remember feeling like, what on earth is Feyre getting herself into?  There was such a sense of disbelief at the end of the previous book, and…I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I was let down by what happened.  Let’s just go with that.

I am also curious about the rest of the series.  Things are pretty resolved in this book, and I’m wondering if new problems are going to pop up, or if things aren’t as resolved as they seem.  Another thing I’m wondering about is if this series is set in the same world as her Throne Of Glass series.  Because there’s a similar feel to both series, and for some reason, it feels like it’s set in the same world.  If they’re not, that’s cool, but I am curious, so if anyone knows for sure, I’d really like to know.

I feel like I don’t have a lot to say about this installment in the series.  And I’m not as obsessed with this book as I am with the previous two.  I did re-read her Throne Of Glass series right before picking up this book, so maybe I was feeling a little burned out.  There was enough of a gap, that I shouldn’t have felt that way, but maybe there wasn’t enough time after all.  For whatever reason, I don’t feel the same way about this one that I did with the previous two books.

4 stars.  I’m hesitant to give it 4 stars, because I feel like I struggled a little bit to get through this more than I did the rest of the series.  But it did pick up, and even though it’s more 3.5, I figured I’d round up.