A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
If you read my last review (which I no joke JUST typed out about 10 minutes ago LOL), you know I am in the midst of settling into a new home after moving across the dang country.
Which means LOOOOOOOTS of unpacking.
So. Much. Packing. Paper.
No joke… I dream about drowning it. LOL
And OMG….
Wow.
The boxes. Cardboard magical breeding monsters… right when you think you have a handle on them, you find six more. I don’t even know how many I’ve sliced open, taken shit out of, and dismantled this week.
Probably at least 500 bagillion.
If I lose my trusty box cutter, I am up shit’s creek for real for real and even David in his fabulous lighting bolt sweater can not save me from the mess I will be in.
BUT….
The one advantage of constantly unpacking is that I continuously have my headphones on and can listen to SO SO MANY audiobook chapters.
I finished book 3 of this series one day and jumped right into book 4 here….and now today I am just now starting book 5.
Within 24 hours 😄
Here is the official summary for book 3:
“Months after the explosive events in A Court of Wings and Ruin, Feyre, Rhys, and their companions are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated – scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.”
This is the shortest book of the series so far so don’t be TOO impressed that I got thru it so quick (and it’s obviously the shortest official summary 🤣) …but I literally have spent about 12 hours of unpacking each day for the past 4 days (with meal times and potty breaks and parenting duties thrown in the mix too of course) so I have had some time to be able to absorb myself in stories through my headphones quite well.
This book is told from different character POVs again…and THIS TIME we don’t just hear from Rhys and Feyre, but ALSO other characters!!! HOORAY! It was JUST like I wanted in the last book!
Obviously, I super enjoyed hearing from so many perspectives.
This book has heavy and in depth character development and analysis…which is COMPLETELY my jam and I TOTES adore.
The story focuses on the rebuilding after a war and the difficulties associated with doing so….for the communities affected and also for the leaders and fighters involved in the epic battle that occured in the last book.
The author really dives into the concept of maneuvering how to heal and mend both externally and internally–not just individually but also relationally and communally. How trauma can be handled in a multitude of ways, both in healthy ways and unhealthy ones as well is also analyzed in the characters. I think the author does a beautiful job of directly addressing the many layers this encompasses in a delicate and loving yet also honest way.
In this story of the series, familial ties is a big theme. The families born into and tied to biologically and also the families created out of love and necessity. I am always drawn to and intrigued by this type of dissection of what family means…because the definition can be so broad and special and also damaging and life giving depending on the situation and experience.
I can not believe I am on the final book in this series….every inch of me is like “WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN????”
“WILL IT REALLY BE OVER??”
I have already been warned by my trusty ACOTAR fan advisor (my friend Jessica) that book 5 is legit the MOST scandalous of the series….so I’m buckling up for THAT piece of it all 😄 Can’t decide if I am looking forward to it or nervous about it…probably both equally since I am always a living contradiction in every sense of the word LOL
Did you notice I didn’t say much yet about the steamy love scenes in this one? I know for some of yall that is your FAVE part…
Don’t worry …they are still there, I promise…one of which is stop you in your tracks FIERCE. I heard it while unpacking boxes in my closet and one of my kids popped in and asked me a question RIGHT in the middle of it….and even though I had my headphones on and they could not hear a damn thing, my cheeks burned bright red and I felt busted LOL.
But the love scenes in this book aren’t as frequent as the others. So some of you may be disappointed with that parr of it…
Although…now that I think on it, maybe that’s just because the book is way shorter than the rest …🤣
My final thoughts on book 4…still love this series, still love these characters, still love the whole vibe.
And I know for sure I’ll have MAJOR book hangover when it’s all done when I finish book 5 in a few days….
Side note: I have consumed two VERY large glasses of red wine while typing up this review and the last…so I don’t have a whole lot of very deep thoughts to say in adequate verbology …and I can’t decide if drinking while reviewing is a not great idea or a fantastic idea…but it is what it is so here yall go 😁