After a very long wait, the next installment of the A Court of Thorns and Roses is finally here! I had mixed feelings about this upcoming book for a lot of reasons. Not only is the main character my least favourite character of the entire series, but I could have written an essay about all of the reasons that I absolutely despised this character. If you haven’t guessed already, this book is about Nesta Archeron. What I’ll start with is the fact that I am really glad that this book series has been re-classified as adult and it allowed Sarah J. Maas to explore a depth of character in this story that I genuinely wasn’t expecting, and not only that, but to find a mirror reflected there, showing us some of the darkness that lurks within us as well was surprising. I’m glad I was forced to be home because of a winter storm as it allowed me to enjoy this under the cover of the snow and by the warmth of a fire.
As this is part of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, it’s best to read this book as part of the series. While I think people could try to pick it up without reading the rest, you’d be missing a lot of nuances and tidbits from the previous books that could make this more enjoyable. I encourage you to pick up the rest of the series if you really enjoy a smutty fantasy chock-full of fae.
Nesta Archeron is a woman full of thorns and pride, and she’s quick-tempered and slow to forgive. Since becoming High Fae against her will through the Cauldron, she’s struggled with finding a place for herself in this new world. She also can’t seem to move past the horrors of Hybern and the war. No one sets her off more than Cassian, whose rank in the Night Court keeps him firmly entrenched in Nesta’s orbit. It’s not just a temper that flares between them though, there’s an underlying passion that burns every time they get close to one another. As the human queens begin to scheme a new alliance and threaten the courts, Cassian and Nesta will both have to face their haunting pasts in order to both survive what’s ahead and ultimately, find healing that might allow them to move on.
I’m going to tell you right now, I was ready to chuck this book a few chapters into it. I was absolutely FURIOUS with Nesta. Everything about her personality and just genuine behaviours rubbed me the wrong way for four books. For every show of vulnerability, she shut down even harder in the next moment. Maas deliberately wrote someone that was seemingly irredeemable, and it was so easy to go into this book feeling that nothing would change. What I genuinely wasn’t expecting was the exploration into just what made Nesta this way. I honestly can’t believe I’m about to make this comparison, but it’s almost like Shrek, Nesta’s personality (and story) is just like an onion with it full of layers and for every page we see progress, there will also be chapters that are absolutely rough to get through.
Nesta’s relationships with everyone is being seriously affected by her mental health. She has gone through horrific things, and has been traumatised by the events of the war. Rather than reach for help though, she retreats within herself, which was hard to read, and I was in tears a few times in this book. When she’s forced to face the beast of her own creation as well as the one lurking behind her power, I think readers will make a connection with her.
Of course, we also have to talk about Cassian, who I felt for immensely. He works perfectly as a catalyst and buffer for Nesta’s growth, while also showing his own vulnerability and strength. My favourite scenes are the ones he shares with Rhys and Az, which I wasn’t quite expecting in this story. While the story is mostly in Nesta and Cassian’s points of view, there are small winks of other characters as well.
If you’re reading this book because you’re also wanting that signature Maas smuttiness, then be prepared for some intense scenes. I mean, I thought the previous books were quite a lot, but this one definitely took the cake! These scenes are steamy, and VERY detailed.
There’s definitely some aspects of the book that I’ve never really cared for like the territorial fae male stuff, but I do feel like Sarah toned it down in this book. Not completely, but less. This is in part because I don’t think it would really mesh with Nesta’s story at all, but also because there’s also a greater story at play here to do with the Illyrians.
A significant portion of this storyline centers around Nesta’s power, which I was really interested in. We were teased about it in A Court of Wings and Ruin, and I loved seeing the reveal of it. I can’t say too much about it, but let’s just say that it’s certainly befitting of her.
At a whopping 800 pages, I was hoping to see more of a conflict, but at the same time, this story was definitely more about healing. I think the bigger conflict is still to come, but this story certainly served to set up a new part of the series. There’s a new villain, and I’m dying to know more about this new enemy.
Maas teased some other storylines that we might get to read eventually, and I can honestly tell you the one I’m looking forward to the most is Elain’s.
So, love her or hate her, Nesta is going to be a character that I think might change readers’ minds at the end. I definitely encourage people to pick this book up if they’re lovers of the series, and if you’ve read it and disagree, let me know, I’d love to discuss! It’s a 9/10 for me, and of course, I can’t wait to see where the next book will take us.
A Court of Silver Flames is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up A Court of Silver Flames? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.
I love this review so much! I totally agree that this book feels like a setup in terms of plot for the future books. I too am most excited for Elain’s journey next. When I re-read ACOSF, I found myself really interested in her character and actions. I think SJM purposefully left her so undeveloped so we can really explore her character in future books. And of course, there’s some interesting speculation with regards to who her romantic interest will be.
Anyways, I loved Nesta’s journey so much and I think SJM did such a good job with her character and it really resonated with me. I need more Nessian fluff though!
I completely agree! I was so frustrated with Nesta at the beginning but I love the way it ended and the bonds she formed with the other characters. I think it would’ve been nice to see what was happening with Rhys/Feyre and the baby from their own pov (I can only imagine how heartbreaking it would be) but I understand why it strictly stuck with Nesta/Cassian. There could’ve been more clarity on certain aspects but hopefully we’ll get that in future books!
No. Truly disappointed in this one. There were so many things that just felt wrong. (SPOILER WARNING)
– Nestas recovery. Very, very slow at first and then suddenly very fast. No real explanation of her trauma or why she acted the way she did.
– Her being “rescued” and forced to train and work felt like a story told a thousand times before and as a previous commenter wrote: Why did she have to redeem herself? It feels like she was forced to be likeable, or else…? I would have loved a strong female character that did not worry about being liked, forgiven etc. I SO wish she would just have walked away and had her own adventure.
– The romance between her and Cassian was partly well written and partly just… boring. Tbh, Cassian mostly made me think of Joey in Friends, and that’s probably not a compliment.
– The sex scenes was just a big no. It was too much (as when Nesta fantasizes about two guys) and there was no real anticipation. We all knew what was going to happen and then it just happened, happened again and again and it wasn’t remotely interesting.
– Herpower was one of the most intriguing things and it would have been so much more interesting to read a story about how she learned to live with that, but of course she gives it away in the end. Just like Amren did. So, the strong male character – Rhys – is still unthretened by any strong females.
It’s not a bad book, but it’s definitely not what I expected from SJM.
I will definitely be picking this book up!
I won boxset 1 of books 1 – 4 from from a US author after entering a competition & winning it on my 45th birthday (3 years ago this year), I wrote about my favourite fae series, which at the time was Laurell K. Hamilton’s The Meredith Gentry Adventure Series, but is now on equal par with Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass Series which I read immediately after completing this ACOTAR boxset which I devoured.
And while I love this series, its not completed & is a more YA rather than adult & for me personally not at the same standard yet, but this book may help take it up a notch or two.
I’ve been longing for Cassian/Nestor story as she really redeemed herself in my eyes in book 4 for the love of her sisters, her actions & for what she was beginning to feel for Cassian with their love/hate relationship in book 4, it was something special. Plus everything prior to book 5 is from Feyre’s POV. When the story comes from Nestor’s POV we will learn much, I’m sure. Personally I like Nestor, she’s more than just plain vanilla like Feyre, she’s got bite, spunk, & spice.
The biggest issue for me is I can’t get matching book jackets as the boxset with books 1-4 have gorgeous pictures, but buying the books separately the covers are different & I don’t like these new plain coloured covers.
I would have to wait until the series is complete to buy a matching boxset 2, if they even make it.
But how many more books will there be 1 or 2 ? There’ll be one more for sure with Elaine & Az story or the Queens if its not intertwinedin these 2, or possibly one on Rhys’ Cousin.
I’d say probably 6 all up, but that means a huge wait! I don’t want to wait that long!
Guess I can borrow them from the library & buy them on audible if the narrator is good until then.
I feel the opposite. She allowed her mistakes to rule her, but she didn’t deserve to be treated the way they treated her in the book. They all went overboard, and the Nessian romance was practically non existent. SPOLIER ALERT! Then she lost almost all of her powers? I don’t like the power imbalance Rhys has over everyone either.
I really enjoyed Nesta and Cassian’s arch. You got to see the development of their romance from their view rather than Feyre’s which is lovely and I think Nesta’s friendships and ending relationships with her family are well deserved. I sympathized with her in the first few books, she had been the oldest when the family went to ruin, so would have suffered the most when adapting to a new life, especially they way her mother had raised her. I also love how her family was supportive of her, trying to help her recover and be there for her even if she didn’t want it. Nesta and Cassian’s relationship developed beautifully as the trauma Nesta had started to change, we got to see how the war had affected Nesta in the way of their relationship and how her journey to healing allowed her to find someone that understood. Her journey also allowed us to see we all have shadows and pasts we are scared/ashamed thanks to the house of wind, and showed Nesta’s realisation that she is worth saving, even if she treated people poorly or was self destructive for a long time.
All-in all I love the direction Maas is taking the book series, an Azriel arch, Elain and Mor arch would be beautiful (and learning more about Amren and Varian) and maybe even Tamlin and Lucien Arch would be really great to tie it all up, especially with the human queen’s and the continent’s Fae lands. I really love Maas’ writing so I’m about to read the Cresent City series to fall in love with more beautifully written characters!
Meh it was okay… I wasn’t as invested in this book as I was in the others, I did not teally enjoy it that much, I’m hoping that we get more Elain and Azriel in the future I think that their perspectives will add something different towards the storyline and not make it so…boring.
I just finished the book and from what I’ve been reading about it online, it looks like most fans of the series didn’t like Nesta and actually liked her journey. I honestly didn’t like her at all in the first book. She was mean and selfish and appeared heartless. However, let’s not forget she was described from Feyre’s point of view, which is fallible. From book 2 onwards, Nesta started to grow on me and by her own book, I was in love. She isn’t irredeemable. She didn’t have that much to redeem to begin with. She handled poverty poorly? Yeah, so do a lot of people. We don’t call them irredeemable. Her mental health is suffering and yet we put the blame on her for not seeking out help? That’s toxic. She should have apologized to one person only – Feyre, because other than the fact that she has a “prickly” personality, she doesn’t do much to hurt anyone. So her only apology should have gone out to Feyre, who took care of the family while they were poor and on the brink of starvation. That’s it. The rest is just made up reasons to hate a character that isn’t likeable. Don’t we all know that likeability doesn’t equal worth?