A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
This is book five of the ACOTAR series….. I have just truly enjoyed my little trek thru this series this summer.
It’s a FANTASTIC series in my opinion, yall.
But OMGGGGGGGGGG……..
This book is hands down the RACIEST of them ALL.
By like a BAGILLION levels.
I was warned ahead of time…but DAAAMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNN.
They were NOT LYING. 😨
Before I get going too much about it, let me give you the official summary:
“Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance – and healing – in each other’s arms. “
This book has another different narrator….she was SUPER DUPER expressive and VERY theatrical in her reading. It took me a few chapters to get on board with all the different ways she voiced the characters….it is VERY different than the other narrator….but once I did, I really enjoyed her vocal performance.
This book is focused on Nesta and Cassian…the story is told from both of their perspectives, which yall know I always really like.
You really begin to have true compassion for Nesta and understand more and more why she acts the way she acts. She is HUGELY emotionally scarred and traumatized. She does not know how to handle it in a healthy way.
Now….I need to let yall know that in this book, the raciness takes a GINORMOUS TURN.
I’m talking smutty, down and dirty…. like the cheap romance novels that Nesta enjoys so much. (and my own grandma, Nonnie also read in mass quantities LOL)
And THEN….it goes from THAT level and keeps on progressing until it gets to SOFT PORN level of smut.
I am talking NEXT LEVEL with details regarding body part appearances and various acts of intimacy, yall.
Too much for me I gotta say…..just tooooooo much.
Hearing “he fucked her mouth”, “his balls smacked against her”, “her pink sex was on full display” and the word “cock” a million times over I could totally do without in my reading 🤣
It is soooo graphic (and also…no WAY this book is a YA book. NO WAY AT ALL)
There is sooooo much of it too.
I eventually was rolling my eyes by the end.
Which some of yall will be totes into and will definitely enjoy….so yall go have your fun…no judgement from me!
I am not hating on raciness or books that “go there”….to each his own with their literary enjoyment.
Just not my own personal thang.
It crossed a line for me into unenjoyable territory.
Not. For. Me. At. All.
I mean, it even got to a point where the love scenes were so smutty, they were downright comical.
Sometimes, they’re thrown in there out of NOWHERE and you’re like “Oh dang. I did NOT see that happening in this moment ONE BIT. But ummmm…..okay…they’re doing the damn thing now” 🤣
I feel like maybe the author went balls to the wall with this book (literally) because the fans expressed their immense enjoyment of that aspect of the story in previous books…so in this one maybe she was catering to that more, IDK 🤷♀️
And also…my fellow ACOTAR fan friend Jessica (who I’ve mentioned numerous times over in previous reviews…we text quite frequently about this series, yall ) made the point that THIS book is more about how Nesta and Cassian’s brains, hearts and loins work….NOT Feyre’s and Rhys’….so maybe THAT is why this book is FAR MORE fiery than it’s predescessors.
Which is a hella good point to make.
It did also make me wonder how the narrator feels when reading all of that….
Like, did she practice ahead of time? Is it awkward sitting in a booth with a sound engineer watching you through a pane of glass while you read all those passages aloud with PLENTY of dramatic emphasis? Or was she completely unbothered and uneffected and just sipping her mocha latte from the local cafe’ in between chapters?
I often wonder about this in regards to actors filming movie love scenes as well…. is it so weird to be directed in how to touch a fellow actor’s nipple while filming a scene in front of like 20 people??? Or do you just become immune to it all and feel like it is just “part of the job”?
These are the heavy and important things I wonder about LOL
ANYWAY….
The sex is A LOT LOT LOT for me.
BUT…I was sooo committed to the gripping storyline and fascinating characters outside of all of it, that I just HAD to stick with it and find out what was going to happen.
I mean, the whole Nesta/Cassian avoidance of true intimacy got a tad frustrating and irritating…and even kinda middle school like in it’s vibes. “Does she REALLY like me?” “I’ll just pretend I don’t like him and be mean to him and everything will be better.” Ugh.
I also again think the author addresses the issue of trauma and it’s various lasting and damaging effects on lives. Trauma is a very layered, complex thing with so many differences and expressions. The author does not gloss over or ignore how detrimental and long lasting it can be….and how long healing can take to process, if EVER.
Forgiveness is also again examined…this time I feel like it is more focused on SELF forgiveness although it does also touch on relational forgiveness as well. Those things are also intertwined with trauma and healing, and I feel this story (and entire series) does a good job of speaking into this. Even though this series is fictional and also fantasy, there are plenty of real life parallels and connections. (Which in my own bookworm opinion, is one of the signs of a VERY good book)
I appreciate how consent is ALWAYS ALWAYS present when it comes to physical interaction between characters…both in a sexual nature and nonsexual nature. We need more media to stress this importance!!!!! 🙌
Okay…so in this book there is PLENTY of sex….but there is also PLENTY of adventure, magic, heart wrenching moments, strong storylines, and tremendous character development.
And I LOOOOVVVVVED the ending.
So. So. So. Much! ❤
I really look forward to seeing what the author does with future books (which I *think* the next one comes out end of summer/early fall THIS YEAR!!!! YIPPEEEE!!!) What characters will be focused on moving forward? What will happen in the upcoming years?
GAH….there are SO many amazing possibilites!
If you loved the other books in this series, you gotta hang in there with this one even if the excess sex stuff is NOT FOR YOU. Trust me…STICK WITH IT.
And if you didn’t love all the sex in the other books…then I’ll tell ya right now just don’t even go there with this one. Don’t even turn page one because you will clutch your pearls and faint dead away. LOL
BUT….if you read the other books and LOOOOOVED those love scenes and couldn’t WAIT for more…..then honey….BUCKLE ON UP and get ready for a ride. You will most DEF have a grand ol’ time here. 😃
Final opinion on the 5 books so far in this series: HIGHLY enjoyable. Even though there is some of it I am not all about….as a whole, I truly love it.
Now when is that Hulu series coming on out, yall????? I”M READDDDDYYYYYYYYYYY.