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A review by angelicalomax
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
BRO WTF. Im so disappointed.
The second book made me so excited for this book, with the second book’s cliff hanger and amazing tension and character development. BUT this third book SLAPPED me back to reality about SJM’s writing- which is that it sucks & it’s evident in this book.
SJM knows how to write sexual tension and plot, BUT she does not know how to write any depth into characters, her humor IS HORRIBLE, and this book in particular has INTENSE pacing issues. To SJM: For example of how to write about battle, read A Song of Achilles.
Pacing issues: The cliff hanger from book 2 left so much possibility for manipulation and plot twists in the beginning of this third book, but Feyre did absolutely nothing. The whole first half of this book could have been deleted or AT LEAST shortened. For a 700 page book, the plot only picked up at the very end. And even the end felt like a rushed conclusion.
Lack of tension: I think part of the reason why this book felt so long and boring in the first half is because there was absolutely no tension. I understand that Feyre and Rhys being together means lessened sexual tension HOWEVER SJM could have written in tension if she developed the side characters. THERE WAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL WITH TAMLIN! ESP IN THE FIRST HALF!
Brings me to my next point — Lack of depth in characters: bruh. I do appreciate these new relationships - Nessa + Cassian, Varian + Amren, potential love triangle with Elain + Azriel + Lucien, and Morrigan + potential lesbian lover? I hope these are all things that are explored in the future. If they aren’t then wtf is SJM doing. Another pro about this book- I appreciate more POC characters being written in and FINALLY the introduction of queer characters (wow what an ally *sarcasm bc she doesn’t do anything w these characters and just has them exist in the background*). That being said, this book could have been strengthened so much more if SJM invested in these side characters instead of focusing so much on Rhys and Feyre.
Last point: the ending. SJM sold out to what the fans wanted instead of sticking to her integrity as a strong plot writer. I wish she ended the book in either one of two ways : a) rhys dying, Feyre finding out she’s pregnant during the grieving, and then rhys being resurrected by some ominous power in the next book. Or b) do a “5 years later” and show F + R with a baby, no hierarchy within the fairies, humans and fairies intermingling, and all the side characters happily coupled. Then the series ending there (for option b).
Anyways. Idk if I’ll read the next book. We shall see. Sorry but not sorry for the unhinged rant 😂
The second book made me so excited for this book, with the second book’s cliff hanger and amazing tension and character development. BUT this third book SLAPPED me back to reality about SJM’s writing- which is that it sucks & it’s evident in this book.
SJM knows how to write sexual tension and plot, BUT she does not know how to write any depth into characters, her humor IS HORRIBLE, and this book in particular has INTENSE pacing issues. To SJM: For example of how to write about battle, read A Song of Achilles.
Pacing issues: The cliff hanger from book 2 left so much possibility for manipulation and plot twists in the beginning of this third book, but Feyre did absolutely nothing. The whole first half of this book could have been deleted or AT LEAST shortened. For a 700 page book, the plot only picked up at the very end. And even the end felt like a rushed conclusion.
Lack of tension: I think part of the reason why this book felt so long and boring in the first half is because there was absolutely no tension. I understand that Feyre and Rhys being together means lessened sexual tension HOWEVER SJM could have written in tension if she developed the side characters. THERE WAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL WITH TAMLIN! ESP IN THE FIRST HALF!
Brings me to my next point — Lack of depth in characters: bruh. I do appreciate these new relationships - Nessa + Cassian, Varian + Amren, potential love triangle with Elain + Azriel + Lucien, and Morrigan + potential lesbian lover? I hope these are all things that are explored in the future. If they aren’t then wtf is SJM doing. Another pro about this book- I appreciate more POC characters being written in and FINALLY the introduction of queer characters (wow what an ally *sarcasm bc she doesn’t do anything w these characters and just has them exist in the background*). That being said, this book could have been strengthened so much more if SJM invested in these side characters instead of focusing so much on Rhys and Feyre.
Last point: the ending. SJM sold out to what the fans wanted instead of sticking to her integrity as a strong plot writer. I wish she ended the book in either one of two ways : a) rhys dying, Feyre finding out she’s pregnant during the grieving, and then rhys being resurrected by some ominous power in the next book. Or b) do a “5 years later” and show F + R with a baby, no hierarchy within the fairies, humans and fairies intermingling, and all the side characters happily coupled. Then the series ending there (for option b).
Anyways. Idk if I’ll read the next book. We shall see. Sorry but not sorry for the unhinged rant 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail