A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas - Review

I cannot believe that I'm writing this! Today is the publishing day of Sarah J. Maas' newest novel: A Court of Silver Flames. Currently, I am trying to make sure that I can review it asap for you guys. But today, I wanted to talk about A Court of Wings and Ruin, the third book in the series. While ACOSF continues with the pov of Nesta and Cassian, this book contains a lot of hints to their relationship and I am so ready for it! 

Click the links to read my reviews of ACOTAR and ACOMAF!

Be aware of spoilers from the first 3 books in the ACOTAR series!

So much happens in this book. While ACOMAF was a book focused on the characters, ACOWAR very much focusses on the plot. The war with Hybern is starting and Feyre's sisters Elain and Nesta are just turned into High Fae. ACOWAR starts out with Feyre in the Spring Court, she let Tamlin believe that her bond with Rhys was broken. Without him knowing, Feyre became a spy for the Night Court. But she is more than that. Feyre is the HIGH LADY of the Night Court. Because Rhysand, not bothering with any traditions, made her his equal. Believe me, the first time that I read that, I was so happy! In the first chapters of ACOWAR, we see how Feyre destroys Tamlin's court from the inside. She puts his people against him as revenge for what he did to her and her sisters. In the end, I felt a little bit of pity for Tamlin, but not that much to really care. Tamlin has been a jerk and he kind of deserved it. Ianthe even more though. 

Throughout the book, we see Feyre and her family struggle with the consequences of the upcoming war. Nesta and Cassian's bond is hinted to and we learn more about the personal histories of some of the characters. Elain is broken after she is turned to High Fae, her wedding is cancelled because of this. Lucien, Elain's mate, struggles with this too and wants to help her. 

While a lot happens, I want to talk about the ending. During the chapters in which the war plays out, we see different sides from the characters. Everyone is willing to die for each other and in the end, it is Rhysand that gives the most. During these scenes, I cried so hard (even during my reread). When Rhys died and Feyre begged to High Lords to give him life, I love that Maas included her frustration when she didn't know how to create a seed of light and life. This made it feel more reel, even when we could read her pain. In the ending chapters, Elain slowly comes to life, but Nesta is traumatised by the war and the part she needed to play. We got to know more about Miryam and Drakon, and I hope we will see them in further books too. 

One of the strongest scenes in this novel (in my opinion) is when Feyre describes how she retrieved the Ouroboros. In this mirror, she sees everything of herself, the darkest and ugliest parts. But she comes to accept and love herself, every bit of her. Which is why she can claim the mirror. This shows that she has given her trauma from Under the Mountain a place. It will always be a part of her, but it does not have control over her. Which I found a beautiful idea.

Even though Maas wrote A Court of Frost and Starlight, I think that ACOWAR is a good ending to their story. I love Feyre and Rhysand so much as characters and I could read so much more about them. After all this, they received their happy ending and I am excited to read more about the others. I hope that Azriel finds someone too in the end because during this reread I've come to love him more than I did before.  

Thank you so much for reading this review! I hope to share my thoughts on A Court of Silver Flames as soon as possible!

With love,

Julia

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