A review by storyorc
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

These hot idiots remain stuck in their frustrating ways but I can excuse it for the spectacle of 500-year-old fae lords hurl slut accusations at each other across a war room. Another heaping (too heaping, frankly) helping of exactly what the previous books offered - horny melodrama.
 
Do our heroes still spend negotiations flip-flopping between feigning boredom to show how cool they are and snarling self-righteously at the slightest insult to their mates? Yes. Is that hot bad boy about to drop a backstory that retroactively justifies all his misdeeds? Absolutely. Are these books still determined to bring wingplay to the masses? Are they ever! Do I still stop skimming and read properly whenever Lucien's name pops up? Maybe so.

After only a billion pages, we also get confirmation that faeries can be gay. LGBTQ rep rears its head twice; first, in a way that had me wary about bi stereotypes and then again in a 6-page jump scare near the end. It's definitely... there. 

Onto more exciting surprises: 
  • ACOWAR devotes a decent number of pages to those genuinely creepy, otherworldly beings like the Bone-Carver and the Weaver. Cool to see them really come into play,
    except the Weaver vs Hybern, that was embarrassing
    . 
  • Amren being a literal
    angel of the Lord, complete with Supernatural Angel GraceTM
    was certainly a twist not on my bingo card. 
  • My boy the Suriel also returns in style. 
  • There is a brief attempt to explore the implications of soulmates - how they are determined, what happens when they're a poor match, etc. 
  • The scale of the climactic battle was pretty cinematic! Pulled its punches too much for my taste, especially
    Amren coming back to life
    but there would have been riots in the streets if this wasn't a HEA.

These books are what they are. If you've made it this far, you'll like Wings & Ruin too. God himself could not force me to read that Christmas special sequel though. Unless Lucien features heavily.
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