BOOK REVIEW | 'A Court of Mist and Fury' by Sarah J. Maas
'A Court of Mist and Fury' is the second book in the booming young adult trilogy of novels by Sarah J. Maas.
Inspired by its 'Beauty and the Beast' origins, 'A Court of Mist and Fury' continues on from its predecessor 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' with character Feyre.
Feyre has survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court, but at a terrible cost. Although she has the powers of a High Fae, she still remains human at heart.
Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she undertook to save Tamlin's people, or the bargain she made with Rhysand - the High Lord of the feared Night Court.
As Feyre attempts to navigate the dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms and she just might be the key to stopping it... if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future along with the future of a world split in two.
Like with much of her other work, Maas' is very good at action sequence writing. But this second novel, and much like the first, is perhaps overabundant with sex - something that's enjoyed by her audiences, sure, but that may not be entirely what they're there for.
In interviews, Maas' explains how she enjoys exploring that primal instinct - blurring the lines between human and animal. It all makes sense when reading 'A Court of Mist and Fury', when those love scenes begin to occur a bit too much. There are surely other ways to explore the primal instinct.
Although the heightened, primal romance remains, the novel itself is easier to invest in when these romantic elements are purely subplots, and not the entire story. 'A Court of Mist and Fury' portrays characters coming together around drama first and action second, instead of the other way around.
Though far from perfect, the second novel in the series is a definite improvement upon the first, which was arguably full of 'insta-love', as relationships change and people reveal who they really are (*cough* looking at you Tamlin *cough*).
Fans will know that Tamlin was the first character that featured a notable shift, as he became a possessive, uncaring, control freak - mainly due to events surrounding Amarantha. What he experienced, and losing Feyre took a huge toll on Tamlin. And this was something readers relished.
'A Court of Mist and Fury' also happens to be the point where everyone falls in love with Rhys(and); this isn't hard when compared to the likes of Tamlin, though constant comparisons are a little annoying.
For Feyre to fall out of love with Tamlin, or with anyone, is acceptable and would be considered normal. However, transforming Tamlin into the bad guy was unnecessary, but the reasons Maas gives, it could make sense. Readers may be a little confused though, as Feyre put everything at risk to save Tamlin, only for everything to fall apart. When so much effort is put into the relationship only for it not to work out, it an be an exhausting ride for readers.
Rhys' characterisation seems a little too perfect after discovering he's not exactly the evil guy the first novel portrayed him to be. Rhys comes across as 'borderline-saint' next to the other High Lords of the Night Court who hardly care about the humans as much as Rhys. Let's hope the third and final instalment 'A Court of Wings and Ruin' (due for a May 2nd release) shows more depth to his perfection, because right now he appears unrealistic.
Despite it being riddled with cliches in its love story aspects, 'A Court of Mist and Fury' is an enjoyable read.
'A Court of Mist and Fury' is available now at your local bookstore, newsagents, and online.
