A read and listen book review consist of time spent both reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook.
I admit that I'm one of the Rhys character fan girls, so I jumped on this book the day it was released and finished it pretty quickly. Was I happy with the book? Generally yes. Was it perfect? No. Read on to find out if A Court of Wings and Ruin lived up to the hype.
I admit that I'm one of the Rhys character fan girls, so I jumped on this book the day it was released and finished it pretty quickly. Was I happy with the book? Generally yes. Was it perfect? No. Read on to find out if A Court of Wings and Ruin lived up to the hype.
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 699 | Audio Length: 25 hours 8 mins
Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy, YA, New Adult
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 699 | Audio Length: 25 hours 8 mins
Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy, YA, New Adult
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
This book had lots of buzz leading into it's release date. Being that I just fell in love with this world in book two, I had high expectations. This installment was essentially a war story. The art of subterfuge and war. The secondary story-line revolved around family and love. It's a complex tale and I think that Maas did a good job with this installment.
I enjoyed the closer look at the various high lords. I liked seeing the interactions between the courts and all of the courtly drama. I love how strong Feyre grows in this book. She's no longer unsure of herself or her place. She's got a task and she'll get it done no matter the costs. Rhys also has been playing a dangerous game. Keeping his people safe while defending his home, Prythian. The secondary characters added another layer of depth and I enjoyed all of Rhys's court. Powerful, loyal and all complex characters with their own backgrounds, and complex histories. Now on to Tamlin. If you’ve been reading along, Tamlin has become a villain of sorts. Will he remain one? What happens to the Spring court after Feyre sinks her nails into them? There’s lots going on and I reveled in all of the “art of war” moments.
When I started on the audiobook version, one thing that I noticed immediately is that there was a change in narrator - from Jennifer Ikeda to Amanda Leigh Cobb. Did I notice the difference? Yes, of course, but it only took a chapter before I was fully loving Amada Cobbs version of these characters as well. She pacing was spot on. I didn't even need to double the speed. This book was in no way close to a steamy romance, but there were quite a few scenes that included sex. I'm ranking this as headphones optional. Just be aware that the moans of Feyre and Rhys may be a bit embarrassing if listening on a loud bluetooth speaker. Add to that this is a book about war, there are scenes with violence, but it's not overkill in my. As expected, Recorded books delivers a well edited audiobook with excellent audio quality.
In my opinion, I am utterly confused by this YA reading level that some have attached to this books. It's too much sex and other things that are adult in nature to consider this young adult. I'm firmly putting this series into the new adult category.
Is this the end of the COTAR world? I hope not because there is a lot more that can be developed. The end of this book does read like a conclusion, but I've spotted upcoming books in this series on Goodreads. There wasn't a cliffhanger, but there are remaining loose ends that could and should be addressed. It seems like Maas plotted for a trilogy, but then after the success of book two the series was extended. If that's the case, then it makes sense that this is a clear end of a story arc, yet everything wasn't answered. I'm anticipating a time jump of some sort, but we'll see!
While I didn't fawn all over this book like I did with A Court of Mist and Fury, I enjoyed it. Did it live up to the hype? Not 100%, but it was a strong installment and fans of the series will likely enjoy it. There seems to be camps of those who loved it and those that hated it. Which camp are you in? Please share, I'd love to hear differences of opinion on this title.
Is this the end of the COTAR world? I hope not because there is a lot more that can be developed. The end of this book does read like a conclusion, but I've spotted upcoming books in this series on Goodreads. There wasn't a cliffhanger, but there are remaining loose ends that could and should be addressed. It seems like Maas plotted for a trilogy, but then after the success of book two the series was extended. If that's the case, then it makes sense that this is a clear end of a story arc, yet everything wasn't answered. I'm anticipating a time jump of some sort, but we'll see!
While I didn't fawn all over this book like I did with A Court of Mist and Fury, I enjoyed it. Did it live up to the hype? Not 100%, but it was a strong installment and fans of the series will likely enjoy it. There seems to be camps of those who loved it and those that hated it. Which camp are you in? Please share, I'd love to hear differences of opinion on this title.
Get the Kindle and/or Audible versions here: 
