A Court of Wings and Ruin
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OKAY FINE, I LIKE THIS ONE EVEN MORE.
Here’s the deal. I was prepared to give this one four flames! I was reading about 50 pages a day (flex) and I was locked in, fully immersed in the world. Then, I went to spring break and didn’t bring it with me because it’s impractically large for a carry-on. After 12 days, I returned to it and was like wait…this is kind of absurd lol. It was very difficult to re-immerse.
So, the appeal of this type of book continues to be that it’s fast-paced, suck-you-in entertainment. It’s a fairly skimmable binge read that falls apart if you look at it with a critical eye. It *is* better than the first two books. We start to finally see Feyre’s strength and cunningness (although I feel like it’s a big leap from her dumbassery in books 1 and 2). At long last, the characters are complex, so I care about them more, especially the Night Court squad’s lil banter. Now, I can distinguish the courts, so I appreciate what they offer individually (rather than before when I just saw them all as one big High Fae blob with indiscriminate powers). I also dig their costumes and I appreciate that they’re used to show the strategy behind certain choices rather than spending 10 pages describing a smock in minute detail like some fantasy stuff.
When it’s cheesy, it’s very cheesy but if you can suspend disbelief amidst the cheese, you can lean into the series. I do wish this one had more smut though, let’s be real. A Court of Wings and Ruin receives 3 out of 5 flames. See some additional thoughts below if you’re okay with spoilers!
*Random thoughts I want to express to the ether:
The first section (when Feyre was undercover at Tamlin’s) was a letdown. It could have been way more sneaky! There should have been more suspense for the reader here but Maas stays leaving things on the table.
Lowkey feeling sorry for Tamlin? I get that he was an overbearing boyfriend and then he screwed over her sisters but he’s not evil incarnate so people need to chill.
Rhysand and Feyre are power couple vibes but if I have to read the word ‘mate’ one more time, my brain will spontaneously incinerate
Cassian telling Nesta “If I end my life defending those who need it most, then I will consider it a death well spent” made me spit up my coffee.
The keeping of secrets until pivotal moments drives me nuts, like when Rhysand doesn’t tell Feyre that the Weaver is going to be in the mix in the battle with Hybern. I assume this type of stuff is intended to be dramatic for the reader but it actually takes me out of it because it’s so impractical. That would have such an effect on strategy!
Mor randomly being a lesbian was written really awkwardly. Felt like Maas was trying to check a diversity box rather than actually develop her character.
