Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

acomafTitleA Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Pages: 640
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Genre: YA Fantasy, New Adult Fantasy
SummaryFeyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court–but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms–and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future–and the future of a world cleaved in two.


TRB Review – 4/5

I’m going to try my absolute hardest to keep this review spoiler free, but there’s so much to discuss and it’s hard to do that without delving into details, hmm this will be very difficult. Just in case, if you’ve yet to sell your bookish soul to the lovely Sarah J Maas and her Night Court (meaning you have not finished ACOMAF yet) – do not read beyond the “STOP READING HERE” warning I’ve set up for you below. Instead, skip to the comments and tell me whether or not you’ve started the series, and what you think!

A Court of Mist and Fury is the second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. The hype that surrounded ACOMAF on Bookstagram is what lead me to reading series. I am very happy that I did, but like I mentioned in my ACOTAR review, I think the hype surrounding them was a little bigger than the truthful quality of the content. Before you start angrily thrashing your keyboard in the comments – I say this only because of how long it takes for the story to really get good. Maas takes some freedom in the buildup to the most important parts of the story, although in this second book the time spent in the first half is necessary because of the internal struggle that Feyre is facing and must overcome for the story to continue as it does.

STOP READING HERE
(skip to the comments if you have not yet finished ACOMAF, spoilers ahead)

Where do I even begin. While reading the first book I had a very hard time liking the main character, Feyre. She was a strong and tougher than nails, but the broken and hopeless girl from the first book transformed into a hardened and guarded Feyre moving into ACOMAF. After her trials Under the Mountain and the transformation that she experienced, she had some soulful healing to do and I think that Maas did an excellent job letting us into her head and heart and experiencing her pain and fears along side of her.

I immediately regretted my prior fondness of Tamlin. It was apparent very quickly to me why everyone was on “Team Rhysand” from the end of ACOTAR, I think I was just blinded by Tamlin’s High Fae glamour or something? It’s no excuse. I about hooted and hollered when Rhysand swooped in and saved the day, and I was very mad at Feyre for her ignorance. I really thought that Tamlin was out of the picture, but surprise surprise when he and his snot nosed court showed back up to ruin the day! Although to be fair, I did really like Lucien and still believe that he’s going to break away from the madness of Tamlin’s corruption…but who am I to interject my personal thoughts and opinions here. Actually, this has turned into more of a discussion than review anyway it would seem.

The unique way that Maas introduces her characters and builds you up to their full personality and character potential is very interesting to me, and I enjoyed learning about each of them (Rhysand’s right-hand ladies and gents) as Feyre spent more time in the Night Court. They continued to awe me event towards the end of the book, of course there is an air of mystery around them all anyway but as pasts are revealed the characters are really rounded out. I was thrilled that there was so much more going on in ACOMAF, the lack of action bored me before which was very well made up for this time around. Feyre continually grew and developed, a great improvement from her hopeless romantic persona in ACOTAR. She was so snarky, it made me laugh out loud more times than I can count on my fingers and toes!

It’s true, I have jumped on the Rhysand train and I refuse to look back. He’s the newest addition to my ever-growing book boyfriend list, and I mean, if he’s ever looking for a new mate…

I’ve definitely fallen in love with the world that Maas has created in this series. Velaris, really the Night Court as a whole, has stolen my heart and refuses to release it back to the real world. I am looking very forward to the next book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, which is set to release in May of 2017. Yikes, that’s so far away! I’m assuming if you’ve come this far you must have finished the book, I am really curious to know what other readers thought?

Comment below with your thoughts on ACOMAF. What did you think? I have so many questions that I hope ACOWAR answers next year, until then I will burn my Starfall & Rhysand candles and make irrational and unnecessary bookish purchases to hold me over.

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Book Review: Weregirl by C.D. Bell

weregirl-ciSynopsis: C. D. Bell’s WEREGIRL is a fast-paced teen thriller set in Tether, Michigan, a town on the brink of shutdown since it was stripped of its resources by corporate polluter Dutch Chemical. High school junior Nessa Kurland is a cross-country runner with her eyes set on one thing: a college scholarship as her one-way ticket out of Tether. 

Talented teammate Cynthia Sinise invites Nessa on a nighttime run through Tether’s overgrown forest trails. But she speeds ahead, leaving Nessa alone to discover a trapped wolf. Nessa tries to free the animal but is badly bitten, seemingly ruining her hopes for a strong fall season with the cross-country team. 

Instead, Nessa’s freakishly quick recovery is followed by improved running times. All her senses are heightened. Nessa has transformed. 

She has become a werewolf. 


TRB Review – 3.5/5

Weregirl is a feminist twist on a classic usually male-driven werewolf transformation story. It was dramatic, witty, and detailed – just not exactly my cup of tea.

A little bird told me that this was going to be better than the Twilight series, which I can happily say is true. It’s a much more feminist story with a very strong and determined female lead character. Unlike the gloomy and uninteresting Bella Swan, Nessa fights hard for what she believes in and although she is struggling through the story with her changes and adjusting to the new life that she’s be chosen for, she remains feisty and curious.

I unfortunately was not a fan of this author’s writing style. There were countless sentences where unnecessary information was added in parenthesis, I find this to be an overused and frankly loose form of writing that I have difficulty appreciating. This book is not necessarily dramatically high school level, but I would say that it is geared more so towards readers who appreciate or can relate to said age group’s maturity level and way of behaving. One thing that I did enjoy was the occasional pop of very expressive scenery and senses.

“She could hear the running of water, the music of wind in the trees. She could smell the heaviness of leaves turning to soil, the acidity given off the broken branch of a pine tree.” Weregirl, pg. 150

I was pleased that the author included more than just the expected teenage wolf drama. The side story of the town’s chemical exposure kept me intrigued, it was a buffer that was very welcome and moved the story farther along that just a normal “girl gets turned into a wolf and has to find her place in the world again” story. Overall, the story is well rounded and the characters are nicely developed. This was an uncorrected ARC, so it’s very possible that the grammatical issues I had were entirely based off this fact. Regardless, I was impressed with the multi-faceted story weaving that was done, and the fact that this wasn’t your average teenage angst werewolf tale. I’d suggest this to anyone that doesn’t mind a little high school drama and enjoys a good feminist lead character.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author’s publicist in exchange for an honest review.


About the author:

weregirl-author-picWhen she’s not biking the streets of Brooklyn, NY, you can find C. D. Bell writing in a decrepit RV clinging to the side of a hill in upstate New York, trying to teach herself to watercolor, or inventing her own recipes. She is a voracious reader of anything and everything fantasy, supernatural, or romance. And she swears that the monsters she often writes about are not real— at least she hopes not.

The second installment of the WEREGIRL trilogy is already in the works.

You can follow the Weregirl team via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or visit the official website for updates & info!

Order this book via one of your favorite retailers today!
Amazon, Book DepositoryBarnes & Noble, or purchase an autographed copy here!