What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:
*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*
Books
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas – Ch 54-82
I managed to finish the final stretch of ACOWAR with a bit more patience, perhaps because I had prepared myself for pretty much anything to happen. This last third delved into the war with Hybern, as the King’s army invades the mortal lands and starts wrecking havoc. They leave a trail of ruined villages in their wake, but since the five Courts that were allied had several winnowers among them, they managed to get a number of them to safety within Fae lands. Rhysand, of course, very generously offers his own city as refuge where others didn’t or couldn’t, and once they managed to save as many as possible, they finally get down to the fighting.
It’s a series of small pyrrhic victories for the Prythian forces, and as their forces dwindle and their army’s morale deteriorates, Feyre manages to pull yet another trick out of her hat. She’d already managed to ensure that the mysterious creature in the library joined their forces, but was convinced that this would not be enough to win them the war, she finally decides to face the infamous Ouroboros that the Bone Carver asked her to get as payment to join her cause.
This is the kind of thing I find astounding: not only did she manage to overcome something that legend claimed had driven greater people than her to madness, but she managed to do it in the space of one night. It’s one thing to have convenient plot devices; it’s another altogether to write completely counter to what’s been previously established.
And perhaps that’s where I was most let down by this series. We had Tamlin set up as our lead, only to have his personality take a 180º turn. We had Feyre go from being a level-headed young girl to master manipulator, yet never reprimanded for her decisions. Rhysand was also conveniently excused for his behaviour, which was always explained away in some way by his inner circle as being for the greater good.
While I was pulled in by the universe of the series, I felt that the second and third book let me down in many ways because of how enthralled I was by the first one. Maas never truly followed through on a lot of the threads that she set up, which ultimately left me with a bitter aftertaste. From what I know of the direction of future books in the series, I’m not particularly inclined to read further than this book. I feel like this is a good ending point, with a characters in a place where their story feels like it has been completed.
Colourful Granny 