Matcha & Motifs Book Review 5/5

***CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!***

Can the recently transformed Acheron sisters accept their new bodies and gifts soon enough to assist the inner circle? Can the Courts of Prythian ally together to protect their land and the humans with such conflicting ideals? And will any of this be enough to stop King Hybern’s army? 

Plot 

Sarah J Maas does it again. Another spectacular read in the ACOTAR series. 

This one feels like an elegant continuation of book two, picking up right where we left off, and starting with a bang this time. I can’t help but think: we are finally not starting off slow and dreadful. 

Backtrack a little to the cliffhanger in A Court of Mist and Fury, I really thought that King Hybern could use the cauldron’s power to sever the mating bond between Rhysand and Feyre, and I would’ve hated that so much. Especially after they just got together too! But luckily, this was not the case. Feyre’s last minute plan was just so dang good that even I thought the bond was severed.

In the beginning of the book, Feyre plays spy in the Spring Court, and this reminded me of why I love seeing her as the main character. She is so cunning. I think I will always enjoy the moral line that she crosses. It adds depth to her main character-ness and pairs her well with Rhysand because he crosses that line too. Feyre dismantled the Spring Court from the inside and also taught Ianthe a lesson which I thought was so badass. Feyre has a certain bloodlust about her that makes these books so satisfying to read because the characters had it coming. 

Similarly to the previous book, I enjoyed the seamless plot. I liked how one thing naturally led to another. I liked how Lucien and Feyre traveled together back to the Night Court, begrudgingly. I liked how when Nesta’s scryed for the first time it worked, and the Cauldron discovered Nesta’s weakness and took Elaine, which Feyre and Azriel rescued. I enjoyed the shifty morals of Amren and how she used Feyre to channel the cauldron’s powers in order to turn the tides of the battlefield. I liked the development of the final battle, how the Acheron sister’s father came to save his daughters. Although, I wasn’t expecting Elaine to be the one to kill the King of Hybern and I don’t see how that was relevant to her character or the plot, but sure… I guess. I even hated and was so invested when Rhysand sacrificed himself and was brought back to life. I was worried that when Feyre offered anything to Tamlin that we would do a second-lead backtrack, which wasn’t the case, so I lived. 

One of the funniest parts was when Rhysand finally got all the High Lords to assemble and it was just a showdown of who will fight first. It had me gasping and cackling. I liked how petty everyone is and how deep some of these hatred and connections go. Another instance of seamless world and character building. 

Feyre

I’m not the craziest fan of Feyre’s siblings, I think I would’ve been genuinely fine if we never saw them again after book one. Netsa is angry at best, and a useless bitch at worst. Elaine seems to be “okay” but she feels like a bystander, and why do I kinda hate that more? But I guess they are relevant to the plot. Despite their new upgrade in importance, I love how Feyre continues to be such a huge player in this book. And true to her character, there will always be a part of her that takes care of her family. With the introduction and focus on her sisters it was amazing to see her find her own ways of fighting and winning the war. She was the one who made a bargain with the Bone Carver and then when it came down to it, she looked in the Mirror of Ouroboros, and accepted herself. Also, she made a bargain with the creature down in the pit for the library and fought to keep Nesta alive. 

She also seeked out the Suriel again, got important answers, and this was such a gut wrenching sad moment. But then it led to her beating up Ianthe for real this time by bringing them to the Weaver’s Cottage. All of this was so badass, and to top it off, Rhysand brought the Weaver to the battle field, which is so funny but also cool because it shows their likeness and why they’re mates. 

I think these two books alone makes the series what it is.