Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - A Court of Mist and Fury

Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas

4 reviews

crybabybea's review

adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

Oh God. I never thought I'd write an academic-length essay about faerie smut, but here we are. I had so much to say about this dumpster fire of a novel.

A Court of Mist and Fury is a problematic sequel in a series that had potential to be great. Reading this book, I got the feeling that Sarah J. Maas bit off a bit more than she could chew. There were too many elements in this book that just fell flat, and nothing was spectacular about this installment. Even the characters, who had the most potential, feel empty, confusing, and actually irritated me as I read. It wasn’t exciting, it wasn’t immersive, and the characters were not likeable in the slightest. I wasn’t a diehard fan for A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I saw the novel for the potential it had, and A Court of Mist and Fury confirmed that Sarah J. Maas is going to continue to waste that potential.

There was one thing that ruined this whole book for me: Rhysand. I know, I know. Hear me out. Because of the narrative’s focus on Rhysand and his romance, everything suffers. Characters are not fully fleshed out or are completely changed from the previous book, the world-building falls short and is even confusing at times, the plot is boring and nonsensical, and glaring issues from the first installment of the series get swept under the rug. There is so much wasted potential in both the storytelling and the characterization that suffers because of the forced romance between Rhysand and Feyre, and because the narrative is so intent on making the “heroes” so untouchable and perfect. I read this book directly after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and found myself becoming increasingly confused about how the characters got to this point. I honestly felt like I was being gaslit by the narrative at times — I was doubting my memory and questioning if I was the crazy one for not seeing what everyone else was seeing.

This book is a lesson in missed opportunities. For a book that is constantly touted as having “deep, complex characters” and being a “character-driven story”, the characters are honestly… boring? And problematic? I couldn’t connect to any of them. They had interesting enough backstories but their setup basically had nothing to do with the story and never came into play. What shreds of individuality the side characters had were irrelevant to the story, which made them feel like stereotypical stock characters. This is largely due to Sarah J. Maas’ failings as an author; she has issues with repetition and everyone behaves in a similar way. She has a terrible habit of info-dumping and telling us about things instead of showing the characters in action and allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions. Her plot and world-building aren’t complex enough, because we spend so much time on Rhysand and Feyre.

Probably the biggest example of this issue is Tamlin, who gets progressively worse as the narrative continues. I was never a fan of Tamlin as a love interest, nor did I ever see him as the altruistic, angelic hero that many fans make him out to be. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, he was pretty flat and boring, but he had potential to be a complex character. Unfortunately, what little promise there was for Tamlin’s character is completely decimated and rewritten to fit the author’s new narrative. Tamlin had potential to be a truly morally gray anti-hero. He did already have abusive tendencies, and I was in no way surprised in the way the events Under the Mountain affected him. The problem though, is that Tamlin’s issues are used to prop Rhysand up, and Rhysand is forgiven while Tamlin is written off as a villain, even though they arguably do the same problematic things. In A Court of Mist and Fury, Tamlin’s character is completely rewritten (through Rhysand’s words, mostly) to be 100% lazy, careless, selfish, and abusive. Any and all complexity is gone, and instead the author uses Talmin’s issues to bolster Rhysand’s reputation. Because of this, the reader, through Feyre, has no choice but to fall into Rhysand’s waiting arms.

I think it’s worth talking about the fact that Tamlin’s own experience of PTSD is demonized and villainized, especially when the book is often praised as being an incredible representation of mental health and healing. I think it’s possible to acknowledge Tamlin’s PTSD and own victimhood while holding him accountable for his abuse without demonizing him. A truly talented author who cared about revolutionary mental health representation wouldn’t be afraid to tackle the complexities of a character like Tamlin. Honestly though, this issue with Tamlin would be very minor were it not for one caveat: his abuse reduces him to a flat, unbelievable villain who exists only to serve as a foil to Rhysand and his relationship with Feyre. Feyre and Rhysand are allowed to heal and find help, while Tamlin gets viewed through a black-and-white lens that paints him as a psychopathic villain devoid of empathy. This pattern of Sarah J. Maas taking potentially morally gray, complex characters and reducing them to plot devices to further the narrative (read: to make Rhysand look like a Really Good Guy) is a fundamental error that ruins the entire book.

The narrative serves one purpose: to place Rhysand as the hero, and Feyre as his sidekick. The endless justification and dismissal of Rhysand’s problematic actions makes the story feel like a fan fiction written for Rhysand, with Feyre taking the place of the blank canvas “y/n” character (~~or, a Sarah J. Maas self insert~~).

Rhysand is a ~~stinky little rat boy~~ disgusting abuser and manipulator who makes excuses for his actions and uses his traumatic backstory to get other characters to forgive him. I hated him in A Court of Thorns and Roses for how he treated Feyre, and I hate him even more after A Court of Mist and Fury because, not only does he not apologize for those actions, he justifies them and doubles down on them and the narrative forgives him. I want to remind you that in A Court of Thorns and Roses, Rhysand mentally, physically, and sexually abused Feyre.

It’s easy to give the excuse that these things were just Rhysand pretending, keeping up a mask and playing his part. But at what point does pretending become abuse? He had complete control over Feyre Under the Mountain, and not once does he attempt to apologize. He still overstepped Feyre’s boundaries and autonomy, all while telling her that it was for her own good. All we get is justification and excuses, and the narrative pushes you to forgive him and move on. His pages long monologue about how great and self-sacrificial he is completely ruined the climax of the story and relationship. It’s gross.

It’s these kinds of hypocritical standards and plot holes that make it nearly impossible for me to enjoy the story in any way. The romance was already not my cup of tea thanks to gender essentialism, omegaverse, and weird patriarchal values, but it’s completely unbearable if you give any critical thought to Rhysand’s character. Rhysand actually gets worse because the narrative constantly shoves it down our throats that he is actually a hero, a gift to Prythian, and everything he does is in everyone’s best interest. He is the most powerful High Lord to ever exist (somehow… we have yet to see his immense power). He is “the most beautiful person” Feyre has ever seen. He rescues “the good ones” and keeps them in Velaris like Mother Theresa. He is a “dreamer” because he wants to let women fight and doesn’t have human slaves because, and I quote “We didn’t trust the humans to keep our secrets, not when they bred so quickly and frequently that my forefathers couldn’t hold all their minds at once”. Is this really our standard for a hero and a #FeministKing? He is supposed to be the most powerful High Lord to ever exist, but he keeps the Court of Nightmares running and allows misogynistic Illyrian traditions continue. He keeps the man who abused and tortured Mor in command of the Court of Nightmares. He says this is to put on an act and make everyone fear him, but why not just let him be powerful and let people fear him for that?

Even from the beginning, Rhysand has an immense power and control over Feyre. First off, he’s literally 5 centuries old. 5 centuries. Feyre is like, what? 20? That’s even worse than Twilight. Rhysand is dating an embryo. Essentially, he has 24/7 access to Feyre’s thoughts and emotions, no matter how far away she goes. Even with her practicing her mental shields, if Rhysand is truly the most powerful High Lord to ever exist, he theoretically could shatter her walls and grab onto her mind anyway. Granted, he doesn’t do this, but it’s a terrifying thought that someone’s abuser has an unbreakable mental tether to them.

The narrative frames his actions as self-sacrificial and out of the good of his heart, but everything he does serves his own purposes. Everything “good” he does actually serves his own plans and goals. When he “rescues” Feyre from her wedding day, it’s a double-edged sword; yes, he saved her from marrying an abuser, but he also saved her to satisfy his own needs and plans, whether that’s because she’s his mate or because he needed her to read the book and stop the King of Hybern. He begins teaching her how to read, not because he cares if she can read, but because she needs to be able to read the book. He introduces her to the Inner Circle, a group of people who exist mainly to show how Rhysand rescues broken people by having them trauma dump their stories onto Feyre (I won’t get into how cringey their banter is or how obviously terribly Sarah J. Maas is at writing interesting dialogue). He brings her to his city, Velaris, which could have been a cool and interesting new setting, but it feels like a plot device that exists to boost Rhysand’s reputation. It feels like the author wants it to be a representation of the “inner Rhysand”, the self-sacrificing, self-righteous hero that wants the best for everyone and could change the world. Rhysand is not self-sacrificing, he is an insecure man who needs therapy (IT’S BEEN 500 YEARS, BRO) and withholds information from Feyre because he has power and control issues.

It becomes incredibly uncomfortable to enjoy the story, because Feyre’s “healing journey” is actually just a story of a toxic-relationship-turned-toxic-relationship. She is “rescued” by a man who says all the right things, but is even more nefarious because he manipulates subtly and the narrative actively tries to convince you that he is the good guy. To me, Feyre’s healing felt secondary to Rhysand’s romance. It felt like Sarah J. Maas wanted to get the “healing” part over as soon as possible so Feyre and Rhysand could have sex. The author claims that she wanted healthy representations of sex, and to show sex as part of the healing journey. The problem, though, is that the narrative’s “tell vs. show” approach to Feyre “moving on” completely cuts out any and all depth to Feyre’s character and throws in the trash any promise for an intelligent commentary on toxic relationships. She just… moves on, because thanks to the way Rhysand is written, he is there, and Rhysand is everything Tamlin is not, and he says all the right things, and he sweeps her off her feet when she needs rescuing. The sex is also written terribly; filled with gender essentialism, territorial behavior, and lots of growling and snarling and biting. I don’t know about you, but to me, that isn’t really the epitome of loving and caring and passionate. Especially when said man is an active abuser who has assaulted Feyre in the past. He also later bends her over a table and fucks her (her words, not mine) where everyone can hear. Yeah. That’s healthy, Sarah.

Sarah J. Maas has the right idea in the way she shows healing from an abusive relationship. She tries to use the narrative to push us to reject Tamlin’s abuse, but it gets lost simply due to her poor writing ability. She does a poor job showing Feyre’s development, and instead relies on the narrative to tell us how bad of a guy Tamlin is (and how good of a guy Rhysand is in comparison). She doesn’t allow Feyre or the reader any agency to contemplate the complicated nature of abuse and toxic relationships and the journey of healing. Feyre has fleeting moments of shame and attempts to work through the pain she’s feeling, but not near enough to explain how quickly Tamlin became the story’s villain. Whatever struggles with shame or questions Feyre has don’t get explored nearly enough, because Rhysand shuts down any conversation about it and love bombs her to get her to feel better. There is no exploration of how it feels to fall out of love with someone or realize a relationship that saved you isn’t healthy anymore; Feyre just simply moves onto the next problematic man that enters her life.

Because of this, Feyre actually has no redeemable qualities or individual traits at all. Everything she says sounds like it’s parroted from Rhysand. Feyre’s moments of weakness and self-reflection are fleeting and easily glossed over thanks to The Great Rhysand telling her she’s sexy and delicious and strong and stuff. Thank you, man, for allowing me to have power. Also, Feyre’s entire character arc revolves around her becoming a powerful High Lady, the first to ever exist. Except like… she has no power, at all. Rhysand never actually gives her any power or control. He never tells her what he’s planning or allows her to be a part of deciding what’s best for their people. He keeps things from her even after she begs him not to do it again. The entire climax of their relationship — the mating bond — was kept secret from Feyre for the whole time they are together because Rhysand wanted to see if he could manipulate her into falling in love with him. Feyre becomes yet another pawn to be used in Rhysand’s story. Everything that Feyre has exists because of Rhysand and how great he is. Her friends, her newfound home, her money, her powers, her “healing”, everything. I challenge you, dear reader, to give me any details about Feyre’s character or personality. Besides that she likes to paint. I’ll wait.

Beyond narrative issues and plot holes, the book just generally utilizes poor and lazy writing. Repetitive phrasing, overuse of em dashes and ellipses, flat dialogue, and heavy info-dumping made the already long 640 pages feel even longer. The pacing felt wonky because of the heavy-handed focus on Rhysand and Feyre’s romance, so the actual plot of the book was very little and interrupted by page after page of exposition dumping and dialogue between the main characters that served to either a) increase the sexual tension for the ultimate unsatisfying slow burn, b) info-dump characters’ backstories in a lazy attempt to make rich and complex characters, or c) info-dump exposition and world-building. I want to say I enjoy a character-driven novel sometimes even more than a plot-driven one, but this book felt like it was driven by… neither? Everything that happened, everything that was said, only served the purpose of furthering Rhysand and Feyre’s flimsy romance. I had hope for the world-building but it just got muddier. The magic system is expanded, and we get to explore other Courts in Prythian and learn a bit more about the culture and politics of the world, but it’s flat and lacks any distinction or sense. Nothing makes sense and the fantasy world serves as a backdrop rather than an immersive experience. The plot reminds me of a poorly-designed MMORPG: Go here, talk to this person, go back. Go here, collect this item, go back. Go here, defeat this enemy, go back. There were so many missed opportunities for cool conflict that were easily solved or glossed over. The conflict with Hybern felt secondary, and events leading up to the conclusion and plot twists felt like trudging through mud. Everything cool happened in the background while Feyre and Rhysand made goo-goo eyes at each other or we listened to some boring trauma story. It felt like the climax (literally and figuratively) of the book was actually Feyre and Rhysand’s first smut scene, and the unravelling of the mating bond.

I could go on and on about the things I hate about this book, and I already have. I think the bottom line of what bothers me most about this book and this series is that it pretends to be something that it’s not. It’s touted as a beautiful, lush, high fantasy, immersive storytelling experience, but it’s little more than an erotic romance with vaguely fantastical elements happening in the background. Every review about this book has put Sarah J. Maas’s character writing on a pedestal, praising her “morally gray” characters who actually have very little substance and are constantly pushed-and-pulled to fit the narrative’s goal. Many people have said A Court of Mist and Fury is an expertly crafted exploration of trauma, PTSD, and healing through the power of love, but it actually just reads as people whose trauma is exploited to further serve the problematic romance that is the story’s focus. Feyre and her relationship with Rhysand are constantly being used as fuel for “couple goals” or “feminist icons in fiction”, when in reality the narrative romanticizes Rhysand’s abusive tendencies and praises him for doing the bare minimum.

Overall, A Court of Mist and Fury, like its predecessor, is a fun and entertaining read if you don’t look too closely. I completely understand why this book is so popular. Personally, it’s not what I look for from a fantasy story, and the inclusion of omegaverse and gender essentialism ruin the magic for me. Once you recognize the plot holes and problematic behavior of the characters, it’s hard to ignore, so be sure you’re squinting a bit while you read. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read romance that has a fantasy flair, A Court of Mist and Fury is fine, but it doesn’t live up to the claims I have seen so many reviewers make.

Content Warnings