Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
“Only you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker. Only you.”
The Basics
Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: 2018 (first published 2017)
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA — Bloomsbury
Pages: 699
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Fantasy, High fantasy, Romance, Fantasy romance, New adult
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Book Synopsis
A Court of Wings and Ruin picks up right where A Court of Mist and Fury left off: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court with Tamlin and Lucien. Unbeknownst to either of them though, Feyre is a wolf in sheep’s clothing working to uncover information on Hybern’s army for her true court, the Night Court. To do so, she must walk a fine and often dangerous line between maintaining the meek persona that Tamlin has come to expect and trying to discover Hybern’s plans from those at the Spring Court without arousing suspicion and revealing her true purpose. One mistake on her part could not only spell her ruin but that of all of Prythian.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: A Court of Wings and Ruin is every bit as entertaining as its two predecessors.
A mark of a good book is that it leaves you sad at its end. Sad because in finishing the book, you must leave the world contained inside it behind. A Court of Wings and Ruin had that effect on me. While I read it, I was able to escape from reality and all its associated stressors: I left my life in Boston behind and journeyed to Prythian, where I followed Feyre and her friends as they worked to save the magical land that I too had come to love.
As with the two preceding books, A Court of Wings and Ruin has a fast-moving, action-packed plot peppered with intrigue, twists and turns, and romance. Something is always happening or preparing to happen, and just when you think you’ve figured out how everything will unfold, some unforeseen event occurs and disproves all of your predictions. What’s more, chapters often end on a cliff hanger, which in addition to making you go to bed perhaps later than you had intended, contributes to the book’s fast pace.
Besides its well-constructed plot, A Court of Wings and Ruin is enjoyable for its emphasis on world expansion. While A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury were limited to the Spring, Summer, and Night Courts, A Court of Wings and Ruin touches upon all of the courts. In this book, the Autumn, Winter, Dawn, and Day Courts, as well as their respective High Lords, are all introduced. We learn about the tensions amongst the courts and the personalities of each of the lords. This increased knowledge of Prythian is one of my favorite aspects of this book.
The book’s characters, namely their development over the course of the story, is another favorite aspect of mine. Feyre becomes even stronger and more self-possessed. Nesta becomes more likable and manages to redeem herself from her rather hideous behavior in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Tamlin also atones from some of his past actions; although, he is still a ways off from complete redemption.
And let’s not forget the multiple romances, which are another highlight of this book. Besides the fan-favorite couple of Feyre and Rhysand, there is a budding romance between Nesta and Cassian. There is also the suggestion of a potential love triangle among Elain, Lucien, and Azriel. Personally, I think Elain is better suited to Azriel, but we’ll see how that plays out in the next books.
What brings all of these components together and makes them shine is Maas’ writing. As with the previous two books, A Court of Wings and Ruin is told in the first-person narrative from Feyre’s perspective, which has the effect of making you feel as though you are the one experiencing the events. This first-person narrative also creates a sense of unknown: our knowledge of what is to come is limited to what Feyre knows. Moreover, in A Court of Wings and Ruin, the full extent of the connection among the books becomes apparent as you learn that certain events were foreshadowed in the earlier books. This latter point illustrates Maas’ mastery: without us realizing it, she laid a trail of breadcrumbs guiding us to the outcome of certain events.
The not so good
It had to end. In all seriousness though, there is not much to fault with this book. I would have liked more of the Cassian-Nesta storyline, but I believe that will be the focus of the next full-length novel in the series.
Overall
A Court of Wings and Ruin is every bit as entertaining as its predecessors, which in a series, is no easy feat. If you’ve read A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury, rest assured you’ll love A Court of Wings and Ruin.
