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A review by downsophialane
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Court of Silver Flames is outstanding, but it is not for the faint-hearted. My girl Nesta goes through it. There are parts of her journey to healing that are hard to read, and this novel is long, but it's absolutely worth it.
This summer is my reintroduction to speculative fiction after a long time away so I'm not fantasy expert; thus, I'll leave the critique of the fantasy worldbuilding to other reviewers. My expert area is romance though, and the development of Nesta and Cassien's relationship is something special. This book is notably sexier than previous SJM books, but I would argue that the explicit scenes here are doing what they need to, to serve the emotional arc (which is what sex scenes in romance novels are supposed to do). Cassian is also a god among men in the ranks of romance heroes. He is fully devoted to Nesta despite her tendency to lash out at him, but he doesn't veer into creepy "persistent" territory where harrassment is treated as romantic.
Truly, I would go to war for Nesta. She is what may be called an "unlikeable heroine", but that label feels reductive when the reason is so clear and deliberate... She isn't unlikeable, she has debilitating trauma and self-hatred. She is surrounded by people who are not able or willing to give her the grace of being depressed, compounded by her lashing out at anyone attempting to reach her. I felt the conflict between Nesta, Feyre and Rhysand was so well-done: no one is blameless but everyone's perspectives are understandable.
SJM's unabashed appropriation of romancelandia chat, Nesta's friendly house that reads romance novels, and the Valkyries' training also affords some much need levity. This book is as much a celebration of female friendship as it is a soarching romance.
This summer is my reintroduction to speculative fiction after a long time away so I'm not fantasy expert; thus, I'll leave the critique of the fantasy worldbuilding to other reviewers. My expert area is romance though, and the development of Nesta and Cassien's relationship is something special. This book is notably sexier than previous SJM books, but I would argue that the explicit scenes here are doing what they need to, to serve the emotional arc (which is what sex scenes in romance novels are supposed to do). Cassian is also a god among men in the ranks of romance heroes. He is fully devoted to Nesta despite her tendency to lash out at him, but he doesn't veer into creepy "persistent" territory where harrassment is treated as romantic.
Truly, I would go to war for Nesta. She is what may be called an "unlikeable heroine", but that label feels reductive when the reason is so clear and deliberate... She isn't unlikeable, she has debilitating trauma and self-hatred. She is surrounded by people who are not able or willing to give her the grace of being depressed, compounded by her lashing out at anyone attempting to reach her. I felt the conflict between Nesta, Feyre and Rhysand was so well-done: no one is blameless but everyone's perspectives are understandable.
SJM's unabashed appropriation of romancelandia chat, Nesta's friendly house that reads romance novels, and the Valkyries' training also affords some much need levity. This book is as much a celebration of female friendship as it is a soarching romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Alcohol
There are some outstanding visual moments in this book - her first time with the silver flames after her nightmare was memorable, and I won't forget the horrific description of the Kelpy in a while. I also squalked aloud when she was turned on by Cass and Az sparring and imagining a threesome... Thank you SJM, I need that levity in your PTSD book!