Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass surprised me in the best way — not because it’s flashy or twisty, but because it’s quietly, steadily building something deeper beneath the surface. I went in expecting a straightforward assassin‑turned‑champion fantasy. What I found instead was a story about identity, trauma, resilience, and the slow, deliberate reclaiming of self after being broken down to nothing.

Celaena isn’t written to be likable in the traditional YA sense. She’s prickly, arrogant, wounded, show more and trying very hard not to show how much she’s lost. And that’s exactly what made her feel real to me. She’s a girl who has survived the unthinkable and is still trying to remember who she was before the world demanded she become something else.

The emotional heart of this book lives in the relationships — not the romance triangles people always talk about, but the interior relationships:

the one Celaena has with her own past

the one she’s trying to rebuild with her body after trauma

the one she’s forming with the idea of a future she’s not sure she deserves

And yes, the dynamics with the prince and the captain add tension, warmth, and complexity, but what struck me most was how each of them reflects a different possible version of Celaena — who she was, who she could be, and who she fears becoming.

The worldbuilding is still in its early stages here, but you can feel the mythic threads tugging at the edges. There’s a sense of something ancient and powerful just out of sight, and Maas lets it simmer rather than rushing to explain it. As a reader who loves symbolism and emotional foreshadowing, I felt those little sparks everywhere.

This is a story about a girl standing at the edge of who she used to be and who she might become — and choosing, again and again, to fight for the version of herself that still believes in freedom, justice, and joy.

It’s the beginning of a long arc, but it’s a beginning that knows exactly what it’s doing.

I closed the book feeling that familiar tug — the one that says there’s more here, keep going, the real story is just starting. And I can’t wait to follow where it leads. show less

Trigger warning for SA: If reading about sexual assault makes you uncomfortable; skip Chapter 9. There is mention of Lucien being forced to have sex with Ianthe, and a scene in that chapter where she tries to rape him again. There are also flashbacks to Ianthe forcing herself on others.

The beginning of A Court of Wings and Ruin was delightful, as the new High Lady of the Night Court craftily manipulates her old home, the Spring Court, into turning against itself. I LIVE for this trickster show more quality, and surprisingly, Feyre has it in spades. She deceives everyone except Lucien, and their escape was quite satisfying. Maas' writing really comes together too, with little details resulting in a big impact.

Phrase of the book: Illyrian leathers. The next part of ACOWAR involves lots of politicking, a fair amount of spice (library smut is the best smut), but not much love or emotion between Feyre and Rhysand. There's very little sincerity in their relationship—it's entirely ludus, or playful love—and I honestly can't figure out why they got married so quickly. Her nickname for him; "Prick", isn't particularly endearing anymore, and I certainly wouldn't want a marriage where I constantly insulted my spouse. There is one sweet moment later on that almost made me cry, where Rhysand sees Feyre is about to break down, and without a word, he opens his arms and comforts her—even though he's also recently returned from a harrowing experience.

I didn't think I liked reading about war in fantasy, but it's so much more enjoyable with a female protagonist, and women having agency in positions of power. It's a lot better than angsty men droning on about what they're fighting for, and the costs, and why they must psych themselves up to kill people in order to protect their love interest. Women-led stories like this one are much better, and the men involved didn’t irritate me too much. However, war is a difficult subject to write about, and while it’s meant to be good for character development, I’d like to see the characters actually do something with their newfound growth, instead of just falling back into established patterns. Mor is a notable exception to this, but I don’t want to give away too much.

A Court of Wings and Ruin cements the ACOTAR series as the pinnacle of romantasy, and if you enjoy fantasy politics, ACOWAR will not disappoint.

Random spoiler-y thoughts:

What is the deal with going in and below mountains? I mean, there's Amarantha's mountain, the Court of Nightmares, the Bone Carver's prison, the library, and I think Feyre and Lucien hide in/on one briefly during their escape.

Was the Bone Carver based off of Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon a Time? When Feyre and Rhysand visited him the second time, all I could think of was that scene in the pilot where Snow and Charming (also married monarchs) go to visit him, and he requests their firstborn as payment for his help. Feyre sees her child in the mirror he asks her to bring him…is there perhaps a connection here? show less

Nesta's family and friends have had enough of her wallowing and give her an ultimatum: live in the House of Wind where she'll train with Cassian in the mornings and work in the Library for the rest of the day or return to the human lands where she'll essentially be an outcast. Nesta is angry but settles into her new routine finding friends and bonds in the least expected places. But old and new enemies lurk on the borders and threaten everything Nesta holds dear.

The temptation to summarize show more this as "How Nesta got her groove back" is high. Out of the whole ACOTAR series, this one is the best written (don't get me wrong, there were still some bits that had me sending snarky texts to my friend). Nesta is a complex character and watching her heal is compelling. I also was so pleased to finally see a female character with female friends and Maas writes that really well. There are enough plot threads dangling that if Maas writes another ACOTAR book, I'll probably pick it up because I like the characters enough. But I will NOT be diving into the rest of Maas' bibliography, because there's only so much hate reading one can do, lol. show less

** spoiler alert **
Update: Six Months Later
I really hated this series, and after a friend spoiled the ending of House of Sky and Breath for me, I've decided I'm never picking up another SJM book ever again. I'm dropping my rating to 3 stars because in retrospect I just don't like any of these books lmao, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Okay... so I loved this book, but I have a lot of feelings. I usually write reviews on my phone but I had to come onto my laptop to type this one. That says show more a lot for me, because I'm lazy and pulling out my laptop is a hassle. Just a fair warning, my emotions WILL lead to cussing.

Just as a spoiler-free tidbit before I continue: great book, highly recommend if you're into high fantasy and heartbreaking romance.

I'd like to preface this saying I had the endgame couple spoiled for me long before I even bought this book, so if you haven't seen the fanart like I have, please do NOT continue reading this. Knowing is what made it difficult to read.

All in all, I really enjoyed this! I mean, clearly, because you see the five star rating. I love how the reader is introduced to this series with a twist on a classic fairytale. I think I remember my friend telling me it was a Beauty and the Beast reimagining years ago when she first recommended it, but I definitely didn't realize it until like halfway through lol. The characterization and the world building is so beautifully done. I feel connected to Feyre and the Spring Court fae, my heart aches for Tamlin, and Lucien is my precious snarky boy. Now, when it comes to Rhysand........... Rhysand is where the majority of my issues lie. Again, I know he ends up becoming the love interest for Feyre over Tamlin. What I can't figure out is WHY.

I published several of my notes already, and as you'll notice, the majority of them are from the last quarter of the book. When Rhysand first appeared at the Great Rite, I was like "oh okay cool this is gonna be like a ASITE/Plated Prisoner thing where everyone's terrified of him because he can kill people but he's actually a really wholesome guy who just doesn't wanna see people get hurt". And then we find out he's the one who sent the disembodied head to be displayed on Tamlin's fountain AS A JOKE and my brain turned into that clip of Tyra Banks saying "We were rooting for you! We were ALL rooting for you!"

Rhysand DRUGGED Feyre and forced her to give him lap dances in front of Tamlin nearly every night for three months. THREE MONTHS. Oh but he healed her arm and used his magic tattoo to help her win the second task because she can't read. Like big fuckin deal. He laughed at her pain, literally marked her as his property, and purposefully dressed her up in skimpy clothing she felt embarrassed in because he wanted to make Tamlin angry. Way to just objectify this woman and use her as a tool to hurt the guy she actually loves.

And then this mans has the AUDACITY to excuse his behavior and justify it by saying that he didn't want history to remember him as someone who stood in the background and did nothing, that you wanted to be written down as someone who fought against Amarantha "at the end". But bitch where were you BEFORE all of that??? Acting as her damn lackey and having sex with her. And worse of all - Feyre actually starts feeling for him! You're just gonna let three months of abuse slide under the table because "he feels as though no one should die alone just like I do!"

I just know this is gonna turn into a Severus Snape thing where the whole audience is expected to forgive this asshole for treating Feyre like garbage because he's dark, mysterious, and did a couple not-shitty things. Tbh most of the reason I wanna continue the series is because I wanna know what happens to Tamlin and I've heard Cassian is way better than Rhysand.

Okay I'm done ranting for now, if I have anything more to add I'll edit this some other time when it's not 2 AM and I'm being fueled by rage. Peace bitches *finger guns* show less