Let me start off with the fact that I did NOT pre-order this book. I actually didn’t love A Court of Thorns and Roses and had serious mixed feelings about continuing the series. I thought “maybe one day” I would read it….but….day after day, friend after friend kept raving about how ACOMAF was a million times better than ACOTAR. 

Here’s my mixed review for ACOTAR.

Alright, let’s get this party started!

***WARNING*** I normally never give spoilers but to be honest, I’m not sure I can talk about this book without some sort of spoilers. I’m keeping it fairly vague but BEWARE if you haven’t read it already. (And if you haven’t, stop whatever you’re doing immediately and go read it!)

The Story

A Court of Mist and Fury picks up 3 months after the end of ACOTAR and Feyre along with a temple priestess who are planning her wedding to Tamlin. Tamlin basically has been in and out protecting the kingdom while Feyre is stuck home dealing with nightmares and boring wedding planning on her own. She loves Tamlin but doesn’t love this new role put on her to be the dutiful lady of the house and then stuff hits the fan! She’s whisked off to The Night Court and everything she thought was true…wasn’t. 

What I loved:

• EVERYTHING! (seriously, haha)
• Feyre: I honestly don’t remember liking Feyre in book 1. I loved Tamlin and Lucien but that’s all. Feyre is broken and raw in this book and she goes through the most AMAZING character development I’ve ever seen in a book! Her depression, anxiety, fierceness is so well written that she’s become one of my all time favorite heroines. Sometimes I feel I walk away from books loving the male love interests better than the main girl character but Feyre rocked it out!
• Rhysand: Wow! I wasn’t sure what I thought about him in ACOTAR. I knew there was something up with him and that he was technically a good guy but we never really completely understood how. But in ACOMAF his true character is revealed and it is mind blowing! Rhys is the epitiome of what I love in characters, willing to do WHATEVER is necessary to protect the ones they love, no matter the cost to themselves. Self-sacrifice speaks volumes and all that Rhys had to endure for those 50 years under the mountain being sexually used and abused really made his character truly amazing. He LOVES his friends and his people. Plus he’s so darn sexy 😉
• The Inner Circle: I love it when a book has AMAZING secondary characters. This, to me, makes a book great! We are introduced to Amren, Mor, Cassian and Azriel and they are all fantastic! Amren is scary but someone you want on your side, Mor is hilarious and also self sacrificing regularly, Cassian was such a great humorous addition and Azriel was the silent strong type that I always love. Sarah really knocked it out of the park with these characters!
• The Rawness: So much of this book is dealing with post traumatic stress, suffering and the after effects from the experience from Amarantha under the mountain and it was BEYOND beautiful. This was something I noticed and loved about Heir of Fire is that Sarah can write hopelessness in such a true form and one that is relatable to anyone who had suffered with depression. There were these moments when Feyre would admit to wanting to have died or die and Rhys would comfort her and wow, they were so powerful.
• A Strong Relationship: Feyre and Rhysand really complimented each other well. They BOTH were strong and willing to sacrifice themselves! They truly were equals and I love seeing this type of relationship in books. They truly helped each other to heal. (Also, it was super sexy! Hello!)
• The Pacing: I thought the pacing of this book was perfect! It’s a HUGE book and I read it in a few days. It was a book that you just couldn’t put down! 

Overall

A Court of Mist and Fury has made it’s way up onto my all time favorites list. And because of the major twist we learn about in this book, I am desperate to reread ACOTAR. This book was full of perfect scenes, great characters and a story that will span the test of time! It truly was beautiful, heartbreaking, inspiring and everything a book should be! 

5 Stars!