Irina about "A Court of Wings and Ruin"

"Sarah did a flawless job writting this book and I think even hardcore male readers will be impressed with her war and negotiation writing skills."

>>Check out my review of the previous books in the installment here!

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fairytales, epic war battles

Recommend it highly if you like: “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas, Fairytales, Epic reads, Adventure, Love stories, Fantasy, (literally everyone in my opinion can find something in this book)

“It’s a rare person to face who they are and not run from it – not be broken by it”

Hello lovelies, 

It is finally June, a bit after all my defenses and Thesis writing and Poster presentation and I am now officially a Master in Biomedical Sciences (thank you, thank you!!). That means a lot of things, but what I am most happy about is that I FINALLY have more time to catch up on reading. My Goodreads yearly challenge is in serious pain here. And my TBR pile will soon reach my height (and here I must insert that I am 1.70m so not short at all..). I still managed to steal some hour here and there to read one of my most anticipated books of 2017 and I give you my review of “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas.

That on its own puts the bar so high that even the logical flow of the story (being the 3rd book) can’t reach – at least not on the emotional level that ACOMAF cemented in our hearts. With that said, I think the book is amazing for what it is supposed to represent. It is written with a lot of skill, in the same thrilling manner so typical for Sarah and if some people found it heavy to read I think it is solely because reading about war preparation, actual battle, war camps, travels, meetings etc. is NOT like reading a contemporary love story – it always takes more energy and focus to actually imagine everything described. To me she did a flawless job and I think even hardcore male readers will be impressed with her war and negotiation writing skills.

(if you didn’t do a re-read of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “A Court of Mist and Fury” and the story feels too far away – check out my review (link above) to refresh your memory prior to reading this 😊) 

What to say – I loved this book. A lot of people have a problem with this book, mainly because they are comparing it to the 2nd instalment – “A Court of Mist and Fury”. Yes, ACOMAF was absolutely mind-blowing for soo many different reasons and I also find it my favorite from the series (up until now), but that is due to the stage of introduction of the story. The 2nd book is focused on development of our love story – a moment, highly anticipated and written with so much skill and experience I might add (because to be frank, you can’t write a relationship that realistic if you haven’t lived through it). It is really a perfection in YA literature and one of the top 5 books I have ever read in my life.

To give you an overview “A Court of Wings and Ruin” (in typical Maas style) continues right after the 2nd book, following Feyre at the Spring Court. The main focus of this book (as expected and said above) is the upcoming war, with hundreds of pages dedicated to it. Throughout the book, Sarah doesn’t shy away from describing the love life of our beloved protagonist couple (may I say in a really sensual way). Rhys and Feyre are my absolute favorite “cliché” couple, showing love, sense of humor and deep belief in each other. And what I value the most – equality! And as we all know them:

“Night Triumphant – and the Stars Eternal.”

One cannot exist without the other!

The story ends logically to me (again, unlike some people who had a problem with the ending) with some plot twists unravelling and love interests developing. Happily, no major cliffhangers this time as our beloved author often chooses to torture us. 

What I love about her writing style the most (and I think I may have said this already) is that she takes her time layering all her characters, creating elaborate relationships, interactions and situations. I always find myself absolutely lost in her stories, being so realistic (even though situated in the fey world). I can relate to situations, decisions, love, sorrow, pain, hurt, hopes and dreams, and the urge to fight for everything you believe and to protect the ones you love. 

Without a doubt in me - 5 out of 5 crosses! And again, I can only conclude that Maas is firmly cementing herself as the current queen of YA Fantasy! And I would like to finish with a quote from the book, directed towards Feyre, as well as our beloved author: 

“You bow to no one!” 

I can’t wait to receive the next masterpiece Sarah has to offer! 

Irina 😊