Apologies for the delay, I know it’s been a bit quiet on reviews recently but I’ll go ahead and blame that on the series you see above. Disclaimer: there is one more book in the ACOTAR series (The Court of Silver Flames) which I haven’t read, so this will only be covering the first four. Initially, I wasn’t going to review these for 2% – thus the lapse in posting because they are chunky books – but I’m swallowing my embarrassment about being basic and reviewing them anyways. Buckle up, this is a not your regular 2%.
Prythian is a world of faeries and humans, with a boundary wall dividing the two worlds. The story begins with Feyre, as a consequence of her actions, being whisked into the faerie world. Once there, she strives to make her way home again to protect and care for the family – her dad and two sisters – whom she was taken from. As she starts to befriend, and even fall for (classic), the faeries she’s staying with, she must decide where her home truly is.
That is a gross oversimplification of the first book, but I feel it sets the scene for the series. Throughout the next few books, Feyre and the faeries she allies with must fight an outside force bent on conquering Prythian and destroying the humans living there. Again, this is the best I can do to summarize almost 2,000 pages.
Now for the review.
The first book starts a bit slow, but it’s been a while since I’ve read anything fantasy so I didn’t really mind. There wasn’t as much “world building” as you’d expect in a fantasy series, and I know some people have found that disappointing. I’d say this does tilt more toward the romance side of the genre, but has quite a bit of action, which keeps the plot moving.
While a slow start, I was completely engrossed by the end of the first book and that is when the series really picked up for me. I personally liked the second book the most: there was a lot going on, a lot of unknowns, and I was engaged the whole way through. The end completely caught me by surprise and, again, had me racing straight into the third. While I liked the third book, it started feeling like the same scenarios and conflict resolutions from the first two were being reused, and I didn’t feel as drawn into the story. The fourth book is a novella and is a bit “meh” – nothing happens and it just feels like fluff. I kind of wish that I had stopped after the third and am unsure if I’ll read the next one. Maybe I just needed a bit of a break and will pick it up when the rumored sixth book comes out.
As a PSA: the books are fairly sexually explicit at times (increasingly so throughout the series), so I feel that’s worth mentioning.
These books have been all over social media and it took me a while to actually take the plunge. My favorite part about reading the series was dissecting them with friends who had also read them. You do fly through them, but it is quite a commitment for the size of the books. While I think the series is good, the second book is the main star in my opinion, and I’m not sure the series as a whole lives up to the hype on social media outside of that.
If you’ve read ACOTAR, I would love to talk about it. I still think that’s one of the best things about books that become this popular, and I have such a blast critiquing and assessing all the different facets of the characters and the story.
2% Rating (for each book):
A Court of Thorns and Roses: 6/10
A Court of Mist and Fury: 8/10
A Court of Wings and Ruin: 7/10
A Court of Frost and Starlight: 3/10
Recommend? I would recommend if you’re looking for romance-leaning-fantasy, but not if you just want dedicated fantasy.
Re-Read? I would maybe read the second one again, but I don’t know if I’d ever re-read the series.
Time: 4:12
(I hope you’ll forgive the extended review since it’s a series)