A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury has literally taken me months to get through, so I’m sorry if this review comes off as a bit angsty…
Also, heads up. This book has several graphic sex scenes involving two consensual adults. I am going to discuss them, so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip the Rhys section.
Sarah J. Maas is a good writer but suffers from length. Every book I have read of hers, the beginning is mediocre, the middle drags on forever and can often can extremely boring… The end is what keeps me going. The last 100 or 150 pages always manages to capture my attention and gets me to finish the book. The end leaves the reader on a huge cliffhanger of course, which is what pushes you to read the next book. A Court of Mist and Fury was no different. I’m not adding a Goodreads summary, but you can find it here.
Characters
Feyre
Feyre is a mediocre heroine in my opinion. I struggle with the fact that her becoming fae is what seems to make her strong. Her character growth felt like too much of it relied on her new external strength. I would’ve liked it to focus more on her internal strength and how that develops outside of Rhys who seems to be the catalyst to everything that happens to her in this book…
Rhys…
I’m totally going to get a lot of hate for this but Rhys is a character who just didn’t believably change. (In my opinion.) The excuses he gives for his abuse in the first book just don’t fly with me. I don’t like that trope and it’s been very difficult for me to get over it. I don’t like Tamlin, because he abused her too, but I think her getting over Rhys’ treatment over her in the first book is a little too easy. Rhys is extremely attractive but in my opinion he manipulates her too. He is much better than Tamlin, but again, I am still not sold. The only hot thing about Rhys is the way he can get Feyre off…. The sex scenes were written really well except for one minor issue, the paint scene. I get that it’s supposed to be hot and I was totally into it until Rhys puts his hands on a paint pallet then a few seconds later he’s fingering Feyre! Can you say UTI anyone?? I should probably get over it, but it did bother me for the rest of the scene. Like seriously, paint up there has to be painful and so bad for you… Come on, at least mention him wiping off his hands….
Though, I have to admit. There was a scene when Rhys and Feyre have a quickie and she talks about how she gets a clean cloth to clean up and I liked the accuracy of that. Too bad it wasn’t in any of the other sex scenes…
Plot
But anyway, the plot picks up nicely in the last 150 pages, pulling you back into the story. I loved getting to know all the side characters better. It was difficult to keep track of everyone, but by the end it was a lot easier remembering the characters history. It was also fun seeing Feyre develop her powers. I am very curious to see what happens to her sisters. They are involved in a twist towards the end that I’m really excited about. Overall, it’s not a bad book. It just needs to be 100-200 pages shorter and a little more sexually accurate. But that can be said of so many books….
What did you all think?? Am I completely off base about Rhys?? Let me know in the comments.