Have you ever wondered if storytelling could save the world?
Before you roll your eyes at me for the absurd thing I say, I must tell you they can. But you’re right, stories might not change everything on their own; they’re just a good start. Where do you think money came from? Trees? Last I checked, a sheet of paper is worth less than a dollar.
That’s right, money started off as a story, not an objective reality.
Welcome to my odd review series, where I categorize how much novels question our beliefs about life, and how much they merely take them for granted.
W H A T I S A C O U RT OF W I N G S A N D R U I N ?
If you haven’t read A Court of Thorns and Roses or A Court of Mist and Fury, you are in the wrong place! Read my reviews here, and here, respectively, so you can get a taste of what’s about to come.
***
War means war. And much more so when your ex is included in said war. Feyra has to carefully learn how to play the game; even without her consent, every move she makes is now political. But when politics mesh with her personal goals, anything could go wrong.
But maybe, making friends with some enemies might go better than expected. As they say, all is fair in love and war.
***
The exciting conclusion of the trilogy-that-was-never-meant-to-be-a-trilogy comes!
If you’ve read me before, you know my stance on the author, but to those who don’t, I fully respect Sarah J. Maas. Being a writer is never easy, and less so a very controversial one.
That said, bring it on.
F U N
People say the second book is the best of all.
I say it’s the third.
In this last installment, we see more action and plot, mixed with some exciting and awaited character interactions. Feyre does something entirely of her own accord without Rhys’ guidance, and the High Lords finally gather to discuss politics and drama.
Peak. Entertainment.
…For the series, at least.
I do admit plot points were better connected, making the payoffs a little bit more exciting after their foreshadowing, yet it isn’t the most fun I’ve had reading a novel so far.
There’s something about the way she writes that doesn’t make it click, for some reason.
Or…
Not for some reason. For many reasons.
Yet, I’ll concede. I’ll give her this.
I live for drama.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
W E L L W R I T T E N
ACOWAR is a massive improvement for Sarah J. Maas.
I have said it.
I believe she made an effort to foreshadow things and make the ‘quests’ throughout the story feel more interconnected, yet she keeps suffering from the same things she always has:
Pacing; because half of her writing can be cut out.
Worldbuilding; because I don’t know if the world is supposed to be medieval, but then again, they had leggings, so maybe it was supposed to be modern from the get-go? But then there are the Queens and thrones, and toilets made of porcelain—
Character arcs; because there are none.
And lastly, themes; because nothing says something beyond the basics of ‘good triumphs over evil’.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
T H O U G T - P R O V O K I N G T H E M E S
I can’t say much about themes in this particular novel, mostly because it’s marked by endings, like so many books that mark the end of a series.
The threat of Hybern ends, Feyre’s and Rhysand’s stories end, and everything wrong with slavery and inequality is undergoing the end.
Endings.
Nothing too interesting is said about them.
But then again, that might’ve not been the theme anyway. But what else could’ve marked the start, the middle, and the end of the book?
Redemption arcs.
This whole book contains a bunch of redemption arcs, from Jurian to Tamlin, to the monster siblings for whom I forgot their names, to Lucien—and so on. Interestingly though, not all of them are permitted the right to redeem themselves properly, and there is also no nuance with the theme; discussing what it means to redeem yourself or another, and therefore, why it should be done, if it should be done or not… none of that is discussed or experienced by the characters aside from a few lines written by Feyre on paper, and if it is, it’s a messy way of showing it.
By the end, and to save you time from a much longer discussion, ‘good’ characters like Rhys are forgiven for the lies and manipulation they wove, but ‘bad’ characters like Tamlin, are not given the same recognition, despite risking their lives to save the protagonists.
It is given to only those on Rhy’s side.
…No matter how atrocious their actions might’ve been.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
C R I T I C A L C O M M E N T A R Y
I have nothing more for you than what I’ve said in the past.
Hybern is evil for the sake of evil, and questionable characters are painted as ‘good’ because there needs to be a ‘good side’; humans were irrelevant when facing Hybern, which made them inferior to any living creature—unintendedly so; and Rhys is the unofficial replacement for the King because everyone reveres him as one.
In short, there was no commentary outside ‘bad kings will be bad’, the most powerful and ‘morally good’ should rule, slavery is bad because of reasons, racism is also bad because of reasons and exceptional people end up being rich and famous like they deserve.
There could’ve been so much more going for the premise.
But alas, here we are.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
P R O P O S E S A L T E R N A T I V E S
More than a hope for slavery to be abolished and for inclusivity to pave the way, there is not much to say. And the problem is not what’s proposed, it is how forced it all sounds by the end.
None of the discriminated ended up possessing power or playing any part in the plot, and the whole system of Lords and subordinates still dominates, not to mention Rhys is the villain painted as a saint.
The answer is nope. Just, nope.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
To make a long story short, this book got:
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