A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
(A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 2)
Released: May 3, 2016 | Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
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The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses .
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
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One of the most memorable locations in A Court of Mist and Fury, the mysterious Prison where dangerous creatures are kept, was inspired by a real place in Scotland. Sarah J. Maas visited the Isle of Skye with her husband and was captivated by its rugged mountains, rocky landscape, and eerie atmosphere. Looking at the famous Old Man of Storr rock formation, she imagined monsters imprisoned within the rocks themselves.
REVIEW
⭐ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
What even is this?! 😕
I went into this book hoping it would improve on the flaws of A Court of Thorns and Roses, but instead it managed to feel even more meandering and frustrating. Sarah J. Maas, in my opinion, struggles with the two things this series leans most heavily on: action and romance. The action scenes are clunky, overlong, and devoid of tension, while the romance is forced and melodramatic. Scenes meant to highlight the “maturity” of the book (the ones written to be steamy or edgy) felt gratuitous, and tacked on more for shock value or fan service than for character or plot development.
And speaking of plot… I honestly couldn’t tell you what it was supposed to be. Thorns and Roses took its sweet time before finally landing on a clear conflict, but at least it eventually got there. I’m not convinced this book ever did. Characters flitted from place to place, engaged in endless conversations, and made dramatic declarations, but I never had the sense that anyone was working toward a coherent goal. The narrative felt more like a string of loosely connected events than a story with purpose.
By the last fifth of the book, I found myself skimming just to reach the end. It wasn’t that the book was long, it was that it felt long. Every scene dragged, every interaction stretched thin, and by that point, I no longer cared what happened. Reading Thorns and Roses was already a chore, but Mist and Fury was a full-on grind, and not one that paid off.
For me, this book was a disappointment on nearly every front: pacing, plot, characters, tone, etc. I know this series has a passionate fanbase, but I can’t say I understand the appeal.
