A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2)

                Hello happy readers! Okay so last week I had typed up my first review of the new year just as I finished today's book and being in such need to discuss I almost pushed ahead.  But I needed time to process my thoughts into a coherent review.  The book in question is A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2) by the wonderful Sarah J. Maas.  I love her books and I am behind.  This is a sad truth. Still it is a fact.  But as I am caught back up one of her series let's discuss.  Also side note this book/series leans more into NA than YA and has much more adult content in some parts, sexy steamy parts.  Enough of this because it's a long one…lots to say!

Rating:  5  Sets of Painted Eyes

                So if you look at my review for A Court of Thorns and Roses you will see that I was firmly Team Tamlin.  I went into this book a bit nervous with so many people shipping Rhysand.  I couldn't understand that given my temper towards him at book ones end.  I mean seriously he made that crappy bargain with her that tattooed her out of nowhere, like first crap deal then surprise a tattoo comes with it and I can feel you through it, not cool man.  Second my biggest issue was that he drugged her.  Yes I get it that he wasn't that evil he had been playing a part and all, I get that, but no way did I ever think drugging a girl and parading her around and touching her, albeit restrained, is something I think of as ship-worthy.  Plus afterwards no apology or anything just did what I had to do would do it again.  Huge pet peeve of mine and I went in worried if anything happened I'd find myself disappointed or angered. 

                Then I started reading.

                I was still mad at Rhysand for book one items.  Even as he started to grow on me as a character and I wanted so badly to like him I was conflicted because of my issues with book one events that had not been addressed to my satisfaction.  And his cocky attitude made it worse at times.  But even as I got to know more about Rhys and he started to thaw me I wasn't completely convinced of any ship factors even after I was well off the Tamlin ship. 

                Book one changed everyone.  Feyre is no longer mortal.  She flipping died and was bought back high fae.  That is unheard of.  She also killed innocent people.  She was pushed to her breaking point, tortured and held captive.  She is broken in ways she wasn't before and trying to understand and live with that.  Tamlin and the rest of the courts have their power back and the spring court got to lose the masks.  He also watched the woman he loved die before his eyes.  Rhys hated by all before and especially after is finally free and no longer Amarantha's whore, free to see his family and friends and to fly once more but also to live with the things he has done.  Everyone is changed.

                Things are better with Amarantha gone but things are not yet safe.  Greater evil still looms and they must work to find a way to defeat it while still stuck in her bargain with Rhys.  That can put a damper on things with your husband to be.  Feyre is caught between being a spy for Tamlin in Rhys court and Rhys trying to ready her for what is to come.  Rhys, attitude and all, is treating her more like she needs than a porcelain doll Tamlin is treating her as which confuses her head.  Her heart though is broken and shattered from beneath the mountain.  As Feyre spends more time with Rhys in the Night Court she begins to see there are two sides to every story and that everyone may have misjudged the High Lord of the Night Court for having the ability to do what they could not to protect his people.

                 The whole world is developed more as we get to see more.  We know about the Spring Court, where we start but we get to see the Night Court in both the Hewn City and Velaris as well as Summer Court.  Getting to know both Courts and see the contrasts was pretty cool plus some other areas I won't mention.  Some things you expect others just floor you.  Prythia is expansive.  There are also new powers to see and understand.  Everyone's powers were pretty limited in book one so now with the release; we are opened up see more of what they can do.  Add to that Feyre was mortal but now is Fae and gifted with a part of all High Lords this has given her some unique abilities, harnessing bits of all of them.  Seeing what Feyre could do as she learned new things and understanding other areas we have yet to visit just wowed me.  I'd really like to know about the one that glows….

                I loved getting to know more characters, like Rhysand's inner circle.  Cassian, Azriel, Morrigan, and Amren are my favorite new editions for sure.  They were just on point.  Each was unique and different personalities and traits and a vast history between them all with many stories that shaped them but one thing they all know is that they are loyal as they are fierce.  The inner mingling of them, the conversations and such made so much of the book for me.  Also plus from the audiobook I know how to say the names!  You want to know more about them but also want them to find happiness to sooth the darkness all have faced.  We also got to see more of Feyres sisters living in the human world, Nesta and Elain along with some human queens.  They have come a long way and Nesta is constantly fierce, back and forth on if I like or hate her sometimes but no matter what she is fierce and that I appreciate.  In seeing the Summer Court we got to meet their young ruler Tarquin and brother and sister Cresseida and Varian.

                The story did a great job of moving forward developing the world and so many wonderful and rich characters but also calling back to the previous book.  Smaller things you thought would be important later on, they were!  I love when books do that. 

                Okay that's all I can really say without spoilers.  From here on out I'm going to be discussing the spoilery bits because OMG I need to!  So if you haven't read or finished it yet then you have been warned to stop here. 

*****SPOILERS*****

                So my ship.  I did jump to team Rhysand eventually.  I was so relieved with how Maas played it out.  It wasn't jump from one to the other.  There was so much happening between the characters that really made things seem real and deep rather than flakey.  Everyone changed after book one like I said. Tamlin became an overbearing ass.  He no longer treated her like an equal but like a pet or some pretty face with nothing more to her.  He also wasn't as attentive to her in anything my sex.  I understood his beastly need to keep her safe after watching her die and that held me to him longer but when he locked her up and made her a prisoner again I was gone.  You can't treat someone you love that way.  No excuse. 

                So Rhys.  He had won me over character wise from the first bit but the romantic part came later.  As he opened up to her and saw more of him.  Book one we didn't see much but the evil mask he put forth.  So seeing him in the Velaris with his people he loved and his friends just hit you hard.  Especially in contrast to his mask he wears at the Court of Nightmares and his not wanting her to see him like that.  However, more than that, he did apologize.  My pet peeve was pushed aside and I let the feels come in.  He knew no one would see him as anything but evil and no amount of apologies would fix that so why bother he would simply take their hate he felt he deserved but he still was sorry.  He hated himself far more than I could have for the things I hated him for in book one.   I'm still a bit miffed about the tattoo and drug thing even if one of the two is explained but in the grand scheme of things I understand it and his intentions better.  The way he handled her, handled the one part and explaining it all hopeful yet worried just broke me.  That moment was when he had me.  I was officially Team Rhysand. 

                I was sad we didn't see much of Lucien in this book because he was one of my favorite characters in book one.  Though I didn't care for him as much.  At the start he was not helping her even though he knew how she was hurting, more than Tamlin seemed to but instead did as he was told.  Then in the clearing, that scene was on point as well.  I loved it!  I was totally digging it.  Her words to him.  And then later the little bit of guilt I had for him vanished as we find out what happened.  So many feels there.  ALL THE FEELS.  The game they are now playing is going to be hard but it made me love Rhys so much more.  When Amren made her demand, which coming from her made the impact that much more, and Rhys with his answer was just personification of why I love him.  An equal.

                I'm interested to see what happens next.  My small issue would be how Tamlin changed so drastically.  Some of it I can understand but I feel there has to be something more to it and I bet it has something to do with that evil vindictive priestess which I hope to find out more about.  Okay more like I want to watch her fall.  I also want to know more about mate bonds, they are supposed to be sacred and regarded above all else and rare.  Something has to be up with Tamlin for him to believe she was cool with him when they parted on bad terms and what he did caused so much pain to people she love.

                Anywho I have so many ideas and theories for the next book but I'm anxious because my ship is apart and well it's called A Court of Wings and Ruin, hello RUIN does not sound good.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book and any theories for the next book!

                Until next time…