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A review by voxvenati
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Jesus Christ, that was painful. I suppose I’ll start with the short list of enjoyable things.
Most of the side characters are somewhat charming: Nesta, Azriel, Armen, Cassian, Lucien. Also, the writing is easy to digest. Very simple.
Where do I begin with the problems? This book could have easily been 1/3 the length for everything that doesn’t happen in the first ~60%. I cannot emphasize enough how little happens in this book.
No character gets any true development. Some characters get assassinated by the writing instead - Tamlin and Lucien in particular.Impossibly lazy writing to have their characters descend into their current state off screen.
SJM is queen of inconsistencies. Let’s hope your attention span is short bc if you remember details from the “world building” of ACOTAR…no you don’t.
It’s been said a hundred times over, but the racism and treatment of SA is appalling. If this had not been a buddy read I would have DNF’d when they said this little number:
“The Illyrians,” Rhys smoothly cut in, that light finally returning to his gaze, “are unparalleled warriors, and are rich with stories and traditions. But they are also brutal and backward, particularly in regard to how they treat their females.”…“They cripple their females so they can keep them for breeding more flawless warriors.”
It’s funny how many similarities you can find to other works, and how SJM has just absolutely butchered them. She loves to copy other ideas, but her execution is always worse. Example:
ACOMAF: There you are. I’ve been looking for you. His first words to me—not a lie at all, not a threat to keep those faeries away.
Howl says to Sophie: “There you are, sweetheart, sorry I'm late. I was looking everywhere for you.”
Oh, and how could I possibly forget how painfully dull and stupid Feyre is. Every other character is ten times more interesting than her, but alas, we are stuck with this child.
What can I say about this in conclusion? Don’t read it if you want a dense, lore-rich world. Don’t expect brilliant plot threads or interesting character arcs. If you want some easy to read, mediocre fairy smut (that doesn’t happen really until the 60%+ mark), and a basic, macguffin based plot laced with some racist and oftentimes misogynistic undertones, this is the book for you.
Most of the side characters are somewhat charming: Nesta, Azriel, Armen, Cassian, Lucien. Also, the writing is easy to digest. Very simple.
Where do I begin with the problems? This book could have easily been 1/3 the length for everything that doesn’t happen in the first ~60%. I cannot emphasize enough how little happens in this book.
No character gets any true development. Some characters get assassinated by the writing instead - Tamlin and Lucien in particular.
SJM is queen of inconsistencies. Let’s hope your attention span is short bc if you remember details from the “world building” of ACOTAR…no you don’t.
It’s been said a hundred times over, but the racism and treatment of SA is appalling. If this had not been a buddy read I would have DNF’d when they said this little number:
It’s funny how many similarities you can find to other works, and how SJM has just absolutely butchered them. She loves to copy other ideas, but her execution is always worse. Example:
Howl says to Sophie: “There you are, sweetheart, sorry I'm late. I was looking everywhere for you.”
Oh, and how could I possibly forget how painfully dull and stupid Feyre is. Every other character is ten times more interesting than her, but alas, we are stuck with this child.
What can I say about this in conclusion? Don’t read it if you want a dense, lore-rich world. Don’t expect brilliant plot threads or interesting character arcs. If you want some easy to read, mediocre fairy smut (that doesn’t happen really until the 60%+ mark), and a basic, macguffin based plot laced with some racist and oftentimes misogynistic undertones, this is the book for you.