Wait, wasn’t ACOTAR supposed to be a trilogy?
Okay, it’s a novella. Novella no.1.
A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Series Order had such a good ending, with everyone being happy in their courts and the boys finally realizing what peace meant, so I’m curious about what we will read in this one.
From what I have heard from fellow readers, it’s not that good, and if it were even an extra page long, it would be worse. So, I don’t know if my expectations have been too low, but it seemed mediocre to me.
Oh, did you like actions? Forget about that in this one.
This one has absolutely no action and is more like the aftermath of a war. It’s more of a wintery Christmas edition of the series. I mean, you could already guess that with that cover and the design.
I’m so ready to dive into the A Court of Frost and Starlight plot.
ACOFAS Plot Explained (Spoilers!)
The rumor has it there is no action. So, if you were excited about blood, death, and catfights, you ain’t getting none here. We only have Christmas gifts and candles here. That reminds me, it’s Winter Solstice here.
I still Don’t Get Why is This Girl Obsessing over Tamlin
Okay, yeah, I get it – memories. The way I remember it since the last time in ACOWAR book, Tamlin was almost the villain. Sarah J. Maas did him dirty. Now that the Winter Solstice is here, Feyre is reminded of her last one with Tamlin in the Spring Court and relives those memories.
Girl, you literally betrayed him in the last book. Tamlin is just a victim of the circumstances, and no one can tell me otherwise. Winter has always been the cozy yet cold that makes you shiver – this has been used metaphorically in A Court of Frost and Starlight book.
Even though there were arguments, it was one big family at the end.
Rhysand’s Time is Over, Cassian is the New Feminist Icon
Remember how we swooned over Rhysand because he was all about equality? We’re into that. This time, our boy Cassian also joined the team. It’s winter solstice, the happiest moment of the year, so everyone is having the days of their lives.
Until this fundamental dispute started about women and whether to allow them in the camps. Of course, there were mixed opinions because, hey, who would clean and cook for them then?
Men have two hands, too. Boy is really out here speaking only facts today. It was finally decided that women would be getting their ninety minutes to train, and the men would be doing what women would do.
It was fun to see modern feminism peeking into Sarah J Maas books because, yes, the bar was low for her characters.
It doesn’t end with women only; some leaders think their troops were deliberately positioned in a way to get them killed, so the duo has a lot to advocate other than feminism.
Maybe brotherhood around this time?
The Aftermath of the War is Not so Fuzzy
Feyre is walking around their version of Times Square while looking for the gifts of friends and family. If you remember correctly, the war was so intense in the last book that it caused tremendous mental damage to each of the characters.
Here, we get to know that a part of Rainbow (their Times Square) was damaged. That was a moment of realization of how deeply the commoners were affected by this war. This put me into a deep philosophical thought train, but thanks to Ressina for blocking my thoughts.
And she did it for good reasons. The people who lived there were able to save their lives and were relocated to a much safer zone. And most importantly, they are thankful for that.
We already know how Feyre feels about her position as the Lady of the Night Court. I think it all started after Tamlin accused her of being a ‘power-digger’ for obvious reasons.
Feyre is still insecure by that title, although Rhysand or any of the members of the inner circle are not bothered by that. Feyre earned her place here, and that was a sweet gesture by the commoner in A Court of Frost and Starlight.
I have a feeling Feyre would still be insecure in her position for later books, but we have Rhysand to balance out the ego.
And this is why I keep saying it’s a Christmas book
I absolutely love it for this. It’s 20th December here, of course, I would.
Feyre meets Mor somewhere in between, and if you remember from the previous book, they had a big fight in the middle of the war. I did not expect any action between them either way. Still, their interaction was way too happy to be happening in the Night Court.
They meet up to share and exchange gifts while they plan other’s gifts. It was a pleasant and Christmas-y moment, and you could already tell that A Court of Frost and Starlight book is nothing serious.
The ultimate Rhysand vs. Tamlin Moment
I did not open A Court of Frost and Starlight book to see my favorite character get this badly insulted. I have always had a problem with Rhysand’s ego, and it gets intense every time I open a new book.
After the gift exchange part, Mor tells Feyre that they have to go to the Hewn City as a part of the tradition. I thought it was going to be a soft and seamless journey like A Court of Frost and Starlight book has been giving since the beginning, but we find Eris there. Yes, the one to marry Mor.
I expected more tension and suspense, but at this point, I am convinced that we are not getting any action whatsoever. Eris was talking about occupying more territory for Autumn Court, and guess who has to grant this proposal before executing it? Tamlin.
Since Tamlin and the court that he is in is on a direct border with the human land, it’s common sense that you would have to ask for his permission before launching your plan.
If you remember correctly, Tamlin isn’t quite impressed with us. He had a full-blown-up moment in the Night Court with Feyre, Rhysand, and Lucien.
Rhysand, of course, goes to the Spring Court to talk to Tamlin about the border, and yes, as you predicted, things didn’t go well. Things wouldn’t go well, but I hate Rhysand for pulling up the blame game again, and this time, it was brutal.
Rhysand visits Tamlin, and the whole Spring Court is abandoned. Now, that’s a big issue, meaning the whole court is unprotected, and any outsider could easily barge in and take over.
Tamlin, though, that man is heavily depressed. SJM knocked some sense into Rhysand because I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was offering Tamlin help with the armies.
Tamlin declined for ego reasons.
Rhysand lost it. And I hate him for this. Tamlin is clinically depressed at this point, and this guy dares to tell him that he deserves everything that he is going through. Tamlin simply asked him to leave instead of arguing like a dog. And I respect him for this.
The worst part has yet to be revealed. Rhysand goes back to the Night Court and tells Feyre everything. Feyre, instead of seeing this from a diplomatic point of view, says something like It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, even though you almost destroyed someone’s will to live. She didn’t say the last part. Of course, she’s not that iconic.
Nesta Has Her Own Lore Going On
Listen up, I know how annoying siblings can get. More if they are younger.
Nesta was on another level.
Everyone’s having those happy-happy Christmas moments when Feyre asks Nesta if she could join the Winter Solstice with them. She disrespectfully refused. But girly is still unemployed, and she has to pay rent. What can a girly do other than listen to her sugar parents either way?
Elain was bullied in the name of being ‘over-protected’ way too much in this one. She’s just recovering from the broken marriage and dealing with this new body besides being discovered as a seer. Let the girl breathe.
Even though I love Lucien, I’m rooting for Azriel for her. He seems to be the perfect match.
Nesta said no to the meeting several times before but somehow ended up there dramatically at the last minute. I mean, it’s her sister’s birthday, can she really say no?
I don’t support the concept that you can be mean to anyone just because you have had mental issues or dealt with trauma beforehand.
She has issues with Cassian, too, and I lowkey think that she didn’t come out of her love and respect for her sister; it was for the money and to pay the bill. I expect no less from Nesta.
Everyone’s happy, we’re happy
This part is so vanilla. It’s almost like if a podcast was written, it would be something like this. But we have the yearly tradition of the bad boys – the Snowball Fight.
Everyone exchanges gifts, and also, feyre’s birthday is on the same day as the winter solstice. I liked the attention to small things for Feyre by Rhysand – he gifted her art supplies, which meant he really noticed that she liked doing sketches or painting in general.
Rhysand was true to what he loved. There’s no debate on that. I just wished he would know when to keep his mouth shut.
Lucien visits them and is naturally awkward seeing Elain.
The silence is too loud in their case, and that’s why I ship Elain with Lucien; it’s easier that way.
Feyre offers Lucien to spend the solstice here with them, but Lucien declines, and that just makes him pity him more. He was disowned twice, once by his own family and later by Tamlin.
Elain is not so comfortable around him, so I understand why he is feeling the way he is. I feel the same, if not worse, for Cassian. Nesta’s hella rude.
I still do not understand Nesta’s audacity in dissing Cassian, even though he saves her every time she’s in trouble. The guy even bought her a gift she had wanted for a long time, only to get insulted and throw the gift into the river. I hope the next book from Nesta’s POV does him justice.
Gifts that are only possible in Maasiverse
The power couple has yet to give each other the greatest and most unrealistic gifts of all time. Feyre is now ready to have a baby, and Rhysand gifted her a mansion for that.
But I think the greatest of them was to forgive Tamlin and somewhat rectify the strained relationship. The interaction ended on a good note, and I’m hoping to see more of the bromance.
Or I don’t know, I don’t want to traumatize myself or Tamlin.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Characters Almost Feel Like They were Written by a Fan
Or, the whole novella felt like fan fiction to me.
First things first, we have to talk about Feyre’s nonchalant development in comparison to other books. She is not fierce anymore, just a next-door neighbor who’s extremely powerful, but only when she wishes.
I didn’t like Feyra in the previous book because of her selfishness towards Tamlin and the need to feel validated by Rhysand. Like girl, did you forget you were the epitome of feminism? Exactly, get on your feet, girl; you are embarrassing us.
Also, I felt like the responsibilities were pushed because, as far as I remember, she was still insecure about her position. A Court of Frost and Starlight has nothing, almost no in-depth analysis of the character, and that’s why it feels like someone else has written the character the way fans will like it.
It seems more like fan service to me.
It did more good than bad though. I couldn’t bear Feyre since the last book; she was terrible to Tamlin, but this one helped dilute the hatred.
I have a feeling that she will not be as relevant as before in the latter ones. Hence, this is SJM’s way of bidding our debated favorite character goodbye.
Rhysand was annoying just like the last one. One would argue that he has to be in a certain kind of way because he’s the High Lord of the Night Court. Okay, I get it. But what’s with the unnecessary rudeness and aggressive fighting with Tamlin?
The guy that saved your wife for “God knows how many times.”
Someone needs to step up and tell Rhysand that If he can’t speak well about someone or something, he shouldn’t speak at all. But apart from that, this strong emotion is the result of a perfect portrayal of the character.
Rhysand is the baddest of them all with that strong personality – is what Rhysand fangirls say, and that’s something I can agree with; he is the most sensible and the most powerful one. I just don’t like it when it gets to his head.
Tamlin was just plain stupid in this one, and this is coming from a Tamlin fangirl. He doesn’t act like this in the original trilogy, and that’s why this novella seems badly written fanfiction to me.
You just have to accept Tamlin is the worst one and cheer for Rhysand. Or, this might be the aftereffect of the war, the pain of losing your loved ones and feeling betrayed.
I hope Tamlin comes back stronger and wiser. The last part of the book did manage to get him a good scene, but Rhysand was also there to take all the credit.
Yes, I want a Tamlin comeback or another novella based on his POV after the war.
Nesta is getting her own book. Something is off about her that the fans need to know. Elain is doable because she’s not rude to Lucien; she’s awkward because she’s not interested, and that’s okay.
Nesta’s like that one pet animal you can’t potty-train. She will find ways to get on your nerves. I feel bad for Cassian, but he chose this for himself. We are definitely getting more of them in the future.
Do I Recommend A Court of Frost and Starlight Book to People?
I thought Sarah J. Maas was going to launch a trilogy, and that’s why I was upset about the fourth book; it’s gonna ruin the vibe. But thankfully, it’s a novella, just a quick read around Christmas time.
The last book was heavy on violence – this one is just a bonus for that. It’s filled with love, gifts, romance, and anything but action.
If you loved Sarah J. Maas’s action write-ups, A Court of Frost and Starlight book will be a huge disappointment. The last book was a bomb, I couldn’t breathe, and people were dying left and right – brutal would be an understatement.
This one is a breath of fresh air, or winter, as a bonus to all the damage caused. Small Christmas blooper. I wish the characters were true to the original ones that showed more depth, and it would have been perfect for a cozy read.
For the cozy times – yes, it’s a need. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so I suggest reading the blurb before getting started; it will not disappoint you.