A Court of Silver Flames

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 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 show more 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

Where to begin?!

The wait for this book was excruciating! And my wait was minimal, having only picked up ACOTAR, and the subsequent books, late last year. Despite this (And the fact that I had pre-ordered my copy) I was terrified to read it when it arrived!
I have since decided that my reluctance was because of the hype surrounding the book. I had such high expectations for it and didn’t want to be disappointed. I finally had to read it when my friend demanded that I must, so that she could discuss her views of it with me. Immediately after starting it I was sucked straight back to Prythian, fears forgotten.

In the first part of the book, I was conflicted by Nesta’s treatment: Can tough love be given if there’s not a loving show more foundation in the first instance? I made a note to reflect on this thought later in the book. My instincts tell me that the author had to make us feel sorry for Nesta, in order for us to feel protective over – And fall in love with – her. I’d always been drawn to Nesta’s character, much for the same reason I love Amren: Morally grey characters are my favourite! But I am well aware from reading other’s reviews that a lot of people did not like Nesta, and I think that is what makes this book even more phenomenal. I also need to remember that this book is fictional. Just because that style of intervention would not apply to every circumstance in the ‘real world,’ means nothing. This is a story.

Nesta, Emerie and Gwyn aspire to be Valkyries, and train in order to be so. Their journey as a unit bought me so much happiness! I loved the nod to mindfulness and meditation, and feel that it was detailed enough that we, the reader, could take direction from it. When I read the acknowledgements, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the unity I felt with the woman in the story was intentional. “I hope some of these moments resonate, and will remind you, dear reader, that you are loved, and that you are worthy of love, no matter what.”

An observation I made when reading other’s reviews (Despite viewing them behind my pillow, in case I encountered a spoiler) was that many readers felt there was too much steam in this book. Let me say it with my chest: I loved the steam in this book! Sarah J Maas may have a target audience of young adults, but us married women are where the steam should be directed!

I did have a few criticisms that I jotted down whilst reading. Firstly, I didn’t like that on Winter Solstice they all drank alcohol in front of Nesta, and even used the excuse of being drunk to justify not being able to take her home. Nesta also seemed to experience no craving being around alcohol again for the first time. As previously mentioned, yes, this is a story, But alcoholism is very real and many people experience it. Any opportunity to raise awareness of people’s suffering should be utilised in my opinion.
I also felt that all the good work that had gone into making Elain’s character more interesting and relatable in the previous book, had gone out of the window. One example being when Cassian described Elain wearing “Night Court black,” in Chapter 57, musing, “Wearing black...No matter how much she claimed to be part of this court...Sucked the life from her.”

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I can’t wait to see what Maas does next. She is currently unparalleled! show less

This is a solid 3.5.

What a shame that such a well-written romance-drama is bogged down with fantasy clichés. I’m exhausted by another installment of zero-stakes writing—the war, threats of war, Maas-ian super villains amounting to nothing.
But, man, the character writing shines here. Nesta and Cassian are so superbly round, real, personal, especially when compared to the caricatures of fantasy protagonists Feyre and Rhysand.

This is easily the best book in the series (so far). I pretty much read the series to get to this book (my colleagues talked this specific book up so much, and I’m happy I made it this far), and whether or not I continue the series from here is dependent upon whoever the focus is in the next book. Lucien? show more Snooze. Elain? Snooze. Azriel? I will be there! show less

I- why on earth would the last book in a 5 book series rush the ending so horrifically? I hit chapter 69 (nice) and wondered how on earth all the ongoing plot threads could possibly be pulled together in the last 11 chapters in a satisfying way, and unfortunately the answer was that they weren't. It's so rushed and to have the war that's been built up for the entire series just be summarily ignored in favor of a /they got married (sorry, /mated/) and had lots of sex/ kind of ending is... like I'm aware this is a romance series but there's an entire herd of elephants in the room that need addressing there. Never mind that the baby Fayre wasn't even planning until mid way through the 4th book only exists as a reason to nerf both her and show more Nesta in the end. All that build up, getting actually invested in these characters, only to turn around and pair them off in such an about-face felt like a slap to /my/ face.

That's not even getting in to the outright hamfisted way the war (you know, the main plot of the rest of the series) interfered with the rite, when it would have made more narrative /and/ thematic sense to have said interference be from the same hide-bound jerks who claim the presence of women (sorry, /females/) defiles the rite. This absolutely ridiculous turn lead directly into the incredibly rushed ending, so. Gonna be mad about this one for a while, tbh. show less

Nesta Archeron, Feyre's sister who wrested powers from the Cauldron, is living - but barely. She drinks and has casual sex and shuts out those who love her, and her family is sick of it. Finally, she's given an ultimatum: go back to the human world, or train with Cassian. Nesta resents every moment, but as she and Cassian are in close contact, she starts letting her guard down.

I love the first two books in this series especially. Maas has an incredible way of pulling seemingly disparate strands of a story together, creating twists that I don't see coming but also fitting perfectly with everything that's happened in the story. And at this point, I've come to really love these characters and enjoy spending time with them. That is why I show more kept reading when the first 150 pages or so of this 750 page tome were really slow going setting everything up, and while Nesta was at her least likable. But as the story continues, more political machinations in the Faerie courts reveal trouble bubbling under the surface even as Feyre and Rhys want to promote peace after the war with Hybern. This is as much a romance as a fantasy, as Cassian and Nesta's relationship develops and - whew! those sex scenes - this is definitely an adult book. It's still a humongous book and I probably wouldn't read it again as a standalone but it, and Nesta, won me over in the end. I teared up, burst out laughing, and enjoyed the read immensely. show less

Y’all listen. Sarah J. Mass writes straight up trash, like I’m not gonna say this kind of reading takes work. But good lord does she know how to make you feel. Was it heavily sex based with limited plot? Yes. Does that mean I didn’t enjoy every minute of it and get sucked into the magic of it all? No it does not. I’m not saying this book was literary gold, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat from the start. It wasn’t mentally stimulating in the slightest, but it was stimulating in a different way and that’s what matters.

5 / 5

THAT’S RIGHT BABY! me, the biggest goodreads snob alive, is giving this book FIVE STARS. FIVE OF THEM. this was such a slay, you have no idea. i loved it, loved it, loved it - SARAH J MAAS has come so unbelievably far with her writing abilities, her skill in writing interesting characters, her ability to craft a good plot. she ate this shit UP.

nesta, nesta, nesta. NESTA ARCHERON. man i hated her so so much in the first four books of this series - i thought she seemed entitled, BITCHY, ungrateful, volatile, and nasty as nasty comes. so it was really REALLY brave of SJ MAAS to dedicate this book to her - arguably the longest in the series (but don’t fact check me on that okay). she verrry easily could have lost readers between 4 show more and 5. it’s such a left turn from the action we’re used to - we have to learn about nesta from a totally new perspective, we have a new love interest, new supporting characters - this book could have TANKED the series. but instead? it waS MY FAVORITE ONE! and i’ll tell you why:

nesta is FAR FAR FAR more interesting than feyre. where feyre is gentle and empathetic, nesta is unyielding and malicious. nesta is downright UNLIKEABLE. so it is one hell of a fucking accomplishment that she turns out to be my favorite character by the end. this book is way more feminist, way more understanding of trauma - the way nesta’s past comes out, the way we see her uphill climb towards recovery … IT’S SO GOOD?! it’s so much more nuanced and complex than feyre’s and rhys’s story. it’s the essence of the antihero: unlikeable bitch of a character gets BIG and STRONG and learns to LOVE THEMSELVES and how to treat other people kindly. nesta’s redemption is so unbelievably satisfying - the fact that she recovers with the help of two female friends? who also heal and grow from their trauma together? THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BESTIES! eSPECIALLY for women. i saw real female friendships reflected in nesta’s relationships with gwyn and emerie.

the end?! OH MANN THE ENDING?! best ending of the series. so much drama. no holds barred, just BAM! ACTION! I loved it, i thought it was honestly very moving and incredibly satisfying. i may have cried?! i just love female empowerment so much and i Loved how the male characters take a backseat for much of this book. sure, cassian is a main character, but he honestly doesn’t occupy much space besides the sex (which… best sex of the series, EASILY).

it has been so fulfilling to read this series and just watch it kEEP GETTING BETTER. SARAH J MAAS just blows the doors down in this one - she went for the jugular. she is conniving, PLOTTING, and she’s got me wrapped around her teeny little finger. the only thing i didn’t like was the villain, but (as we know) this series has never been great with its villains. as far as i’m concerned, A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES is the best book in this damn series and no one can change my mind. FIVE STARS!!! show less