A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas Book Review

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre: Romantic Fantasy, Adult Fantasy
Year of Publication: 2017
Date of Publication: May 2, 2017
Pages: 736
ISBN-10: 1635575605
ISBN-13: 978-1635575606

Summary of A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third book in A Court of Thorns and Roses series (ACOTAR). The story picks up from the events of A Court of Mist and Fury.

Feyre Archeron is back to the Spring Court. She pretends to be loyal once again to Tamlin and also acts like the bond between her and Rhys has been broken. Feyre pretty much becomes a spy of the Night Court. Her main goal is to find out what the King of Hybern’s war plans are.

Feyre’s sisters, Nesta and Elain, are now Fae. Both of them are seriously struggling to adjust to their new lives in the Night Court.

A lot of this story is about rallying allies in preparation of the war that Hybern is planning and doing everything to prevent the wall that separates the Fae from the mortal lands from coming down.

Main Characters

• Feyre Archeron, Rhysand (Rhys), Tamlin, and Lucien: All four return in this book, and we learn much more about each of them.
• Morrigan (Mor): Rhysand’s cousin and third-in-command in the Night Court.
• Cassian: General of the Night Court’s armies.
• Azriel: Rhysand’s spymaster and a Shadowsinger. He owns the dagger Truth-Teller and is one of the most powerful members of the Night Court. Like Rhysand and Cassian, Azriel is an Illyrian warrior.
• Amren: Rhysand’s second-in-command and one of the most dangerous beings in Prythian.
• Nesta and Elain: Feyre’s sisters, who played key roles in the earlier books, take on much more prominent and active roles in this installment.
• Hybern: The King of Hybern is the central antagonist. He wants to use the Cauldron to conquer Prythian and place the mortal lands under his control.
• Jurian: A resurrected human warrior who once fought in the War against the fae.
• Prince Drakon: A powerful fae lord who fought alongside humans in the War. He reappears in this book with vital support.
• Miryam: A human woman and legendary figure who helped end the War. She now lives in hiding with Drakon.
• Bryaxis: A terrifying, ancient creature that dwells in the deepest level of the library beneath the House of Wind.
• Eris Vanserra: Lucien’s eldest brother and heir to the Autumn Court. Mor was once betrothed to Eris.
• Beron: High Lord of the Autumn Court and Lucien’s legal father. Cruel, manipulative, and abusive.
• Helion: High Lord of the Day Court. Charismatic, powerful, and has tires to one of the original characters from ACOTAR.
• Kallias: High Lord of the Winter Court. Stoic and fiercely loyal to his people.
• Tarquin: Young and idealistic High Lord of the Summer Court. Open to alliance and reform.
• Thesan: High Lord of the Dawn Court. Known for his healing powers and diplomatic nature.
• Queen Vassa: A mortal queen cursed to turn into a firebird by day. She plays an important role in the final conflict.
• Graysen: Elain’s human fiancé.
• Keir: Is the Steward of the Court of Nightmares and Mor’s father.
• The Bone Carver: The Bone Carver returns in this book. We briefly met him in the second book; he remains one of the most mysterious and deadly ancient beings in Prythian.
• Ianthe: A High Priestess of the Spring Court. She makes a brief but significant appearance in this book.
• Brannagh and Dagdan: Twins from the Kingdom of Hybern. Niece and nephew of the King of Hybern, both possess strong mind-manipulation abilities.

Writing Style

In ACOWAR, Sarah J. Maas really expands the worldbuilding significantly to include all of the fae courts. Unlike ACOTAR and ACOMAF, which focus primarily on the Spring Court and Night Court, ACOWAR takes us across all seven courts of Prythian, giving us a much more detailed look into fae politics, power dynamics, and alliances.

The book continues to be told mostly from Feyre’s perspective except for two parts of the book (the epilogue and Chapter 81) that are told from Rhy’s perspective. But even more remarkable is the fact that although there are so many characters in this book, as a reader, you are not overwhelmed.

While this is a story based on fantasy, there were portions of the story, especially in the latter chapters, that stretched believability. Almost too good to be true! With that said, the majority of the story was well written, the characters continued to be extremely well developed, the humor still on point and the plot very engaging.

There is a scene where Rhys is thanking his friends and his mate and it was truly beautiful, so well written.

Favorite Quotes

• “What we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength and that the most unlikely person can alter the course of history,”—Azriel
• “Six out of seven. Not bad Cursebreaker. Not bad at all.”—Rhysand
• “This is Truth‑Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.”—Azriel

“I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided by the Mother, or the Cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don’t know. I don’t really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is. Grateful that it brought you all into my life. If it hadn’t… I might have become as awful as that prick we’re going to face today.

“If I had not met an Illyrian warrior‑in‑training,” he said to Cassian, “I wouldn't have known the true depths of strength, of resilience, of honor and loyalty.

"If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.

"If I had not met my cousin, I would never have learned that light can be found even in the darkest of hells. That kindness can thrive even amongst cruelty.

"If I had not met a tiny monster, who hoards jewels more fiercely than a firedrake, my own power would have consumed me long ago.

"And if I had not met my mate… I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have… the wait was worth it.

"I believe that everything happened, exactly the way it had to… so I could find you.”—Rhysand

Impact of A Court of Wings and Ruin

This book really solidified the A Court of Thorns and Roses series as a powerhouse in romantasy. It achieved high rankings on best-seller lists and earned a whole lot of attention across BookTok.