Sarah J. Maas

“The world,” Aelin said, “will be saved and remade by the dreamers, Rolfe.” ❤️

A beautiful quote before your heart gets ripped out and stomped on.

Now we finally start seeing everyone come together. Aelin begins gathering allies for the war that's coming, and for a brief moment you almost think things might work out.

Then there's Manon.
Manon discovers the witches have been lied to all along and finally turns against her grandmother.

“Then Manon Blackbeak whirled and brought show more Wind-Cleaver down upon her grandmother.”
Talk about choosing violence. 🤣🖤

And then Elide and Lorcan...
Absolute slow-burn perfection. Lorcan quietly becomes completely obsessed, and honestly, we all know how I feel about an obsessed male.

Then comes what might be the biggest twist in the entire series. Maeve betrays everyone. And suddenly all hope disappears.

Incoming emotional damage: Aelin is captured, chained inside an iron coffin, whipped, and tortured until you're left wondering how much one person can possibly endure.

And then she whispers: "Tell Rowan I'm sorry."

I was absolutely wrecked. No jokes. No commentary. Just tears. show less

Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City opens like a glittering urban fantasy and then quietly, steadily, becomes a story about grief, loyalty, and the brutal work of rebuilding yourself when the world thinks you’re done. Bryce Quinlan is messy, sharp, hilarious, and heartbreakingly human — a heroine who refuses to be flattened by tragedy or defined by anyone else’s expectations. And Hunt Athalar? The slow‑burn tension, the reluctant partnership, the way their emotional arcs braid together show more — it’s addictive.

The mystery at the center of the book is genuinely compelling, but the real magic is how Maas layers the world: angels, demons, fae, shifters, politics, corruption, and a city that feels alive in every scene. By the time the final act hits (and it hits), the emotional payoff is enormous — earned, cathartic, and unforgettable.

It’s a massive book, but it reads like a season of prestige fantasy television: propulsive, character‑driven, and full of moments that make you sit up straighter. If you love found family, morally complicated heroes, and fantasy worlds that feel like they could swallow you whole, this is the kind of story that stays with you long after you close the cover. show less

This book? A masterpiece. I gave it 100 stars because it was that good. Like, I knew it was gonna be intense going in, but I wasn’t ready for how deep, emotional, and powerful it actually was. It’s not just a fantasy romance, it’s a full-on healing journey, and it hit me right in the heart over and over again.
The character growth in this book is next-level. Watching Nesta face her pain, her past, and her own self-worth had me tearing up and cheering her on all at once. It’s raw and show more honest and written in such a real way. And don’t even get me started on the romance. It’s slow-burn, spicyyyyyy, and filled with so much tension and chemistry, I was living for every scene.

Also, the sisterhood, the friendships, the strength and softness woven together? So good. The training scenes, the emotional breakthroughs, the little wins, it all builds into something powerful and unforgettable. A Court of Silver Flames is easily one of my favorite reads ever. It’s fierce, emotional, empowering, and everything I didn’t know I needed. show less

Update 7/26/2023: I love this series, even with all of its flaws, so I'm increasing the ratings on each of them, which means this one now gets 5 stars. I mean, I am reading it for the 3rd time (I think!)

Wow. It's rare for me to find a sequel that is far better than the initial book in a series. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses enough, but I didn't love it. The love story felt off for one: Feyre and Tamlin didn't have the connection that made me want to root for them. I did want Feyre show more to succeed, but I definitely had more interest in Rhys from the get-go. (I have a weakness for the redeemable-bad-boy trope.)

Without getting spoiler-y about it, this book affirmed my initial reactions and I reveled in the ship that should have sailed from the start. I get why it didn't and I'm okay with it - again, it showcases how in traditional folklore, you couldn't trust the Fae from one moment to the next. And honestly, it's a nice change of pace from a lot of fantasy novels.

One little thing bothers me: Rhysand's scary parallels to a character in [author:Anne Bishop|26897]'s Black Jewels series, Lucivar. Without getting into too much, here's a few similarities: Illyrian versus Eyrien, both races that have hunting/training camps and tend to demean the females in general. Both Rhys and Lucivar have black, membranous, bat-type wings which they would rather die than have destroyed in any way. Both are sarcastic, charming, and scarily powerful, and both have received the insult-nickname of "Prick" from someone they care deeply about. Rhys and Lucivar are both half-breeds, so to speak, and both go through a mating frenzy/ "the rut". I know there are more too, but either way, it's not a complaint per se, since I love both characters. I just wonder if it's a compliment to [author:Anne Bishop|26897] that her character was so readily rewritten or if it's a little lazy to borrow so many of the same elements. I guess it's possible that it's all just a coincidence too.

Either way, if you didn't love the first book in the series, I still recommend that you give this one a try. I rushed through a 600+ page book in less than 24 hours - even for a speed-reader like me, I would say that's impressive. I can't wait to read what happens next! show less