A Court of Wings and Ruin by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review | Re-read

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 703

Publication Date: 5/2/17

Categories: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Faeries, Series

The epic third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre’s world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.

Content Warning: violence, death, slut-shaming, war

My Goodreads review of this one was 4 stars at first read and I’m keeping it at that!

+ The best part of this book comes in the second half of it and this is quite a long book at 700 pages. So in my re-read it was kind of a slog to get through the first part. But once it hit the halfway mark and things start happening then it just goes off the charts. Just everything that happens in that major battle scene against Hybern is amazing. It’s emotional, it’s chaotic, everyone is on the verge of dying! So good.

+ Nesta. This is where my appreciation for Nesta grows even more and we know her story is going to be amazing because she is badass. That woman is feral! Her book is probably my favorite of the whole series. Elain – we get to see more of her personality and struggles but we REALLY need her book now.

+ That scene with the girls and their dad – ugh, it gutted me in the first read. I think I cried. This time I didn’t but that scene will always stick in my mind.

+ Everyone comes out of the woodwork in this one ti fight against Hybern. It gives me Lord of the Rings – the Battle of Helms Deep – vibes! Can you imagine if this was on screen?! Especially when they think they are going to lose and it pivots. Anyway, everyone puts aside their differences <looking at you Tamlin👀>

~ The first half is a lot of build-up, trying to gather allies, support and leading up to this big battle with Hybern. It wasn’t quite holding my attention, maybe because I knew what was coming but we get to see some things like Lucien and Elain try to be around one another. Some Nesta and Cassian interactions.

~ Tamlin. Man…what happened to you? Sometimes I feel bad for him though because he did love her. Like does he deserve his own happily ever after? I sometimes want it for him but also…he’s such an ass.

~ I got even more tired of Rhys and Feyre calling one another “my mate”. Can’t they just use their names? lol…

My Final Thoughts:

The battle with Hybern is so epic and my favorite part of this whole book. I’m glad that part lived up to expectations. I think there are a lot of things in the first half that could have been cut out just to make the story move faster but I know there was a need to build up the tension of an epic war coming.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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A Court of Mist and Fury by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review | Re-read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review | Re-read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Court of Mist and Fury by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review | Re-read

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 626

Publication Date: 5/3/16

Categories: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Faeries

The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses .

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.

Content Warning: violence

This is another book I’ve re-read countless times but it’s been awhile since I did my last re-read. My Goodreads review of this one was 4 stars at first read but I’m bumping it up to 5 after this re-read.

+ What I appreciate about this book after time has passed and I’m a tiny bit older is I love Feyre’s growth as a character. She gave her all, risked her life because of Tamlin. She was so in love with that man- but did she really know him? Or like she says in the book, did she just attach herself to the first person who showed her any kind of affection? Feyre wasn’t whole to begin with, she never had a family that showed love, except for Elain who is just a sweet sister, and then Tamlin came along. But in this second book she’s even more broken after what happens Under the Mountain and this is her story about rebuilding herself into something broken, but strong. Someone who can live with what she’s done, someone who can accept herself as who she is.

+ If ACOTAR is beauty and the beast then ACOMAF is Hades/Persephone which is another favorite of mine!

+ I love Rhysand’s family and friends. For the supposed villain that he is, he’s been hiding a whole city that he loves and protects and family and friends that he’s sacrificed everything for. And they welcome Feyre, who is broken, they don’t pity her, they don’t coddle her – Cassian trains her. Feyre is around people that accept her as is.

+ Yes, she goes from Tamlin to Rhysand, but hey she’s a woman with her own mind. Tamlin wasn’t the right fit for her but I do love how her relationship with Rhysand transpires, it builds slowly with time, patience and friendship. He knows she’s suffering and he’s there for her as a lifeline but not as someone she’s madly in love with – just a person on the other side of the hell she’s in telling her, she’s not alone. I love that about them. It really is a beautiful love story between them. Also this is where the series gets spicy!

~ Tamlin’s character is just shredded in this story. He is way overprotective, too possessive – because he is afraid of losing Feyre and he loses her anyway! I honestly didn’t love how Feyre loved this man SOOOOOOOOO much, she did all of those things Under the Mountain, for HIM…and he ends up being a jerk in this book. Like come on, there has to be a reason why she felt all those things with him. He can’t be that awful?! I know…they are both broken after what Amarantha did to all of them but I had hope for Tamlin in this book and nope…he is tarnished in my eyes.

~ This is a longer book than the last one, as is SJM’s style so once more there is a lot of talking and explaining. Rhysand alone in the end giving Feyre his explanation for keeping the secret of them being mates is a few pages long! 😅 I don’t mind but seriously…oh and this is the part of the series where we start hearing the word “mate” repetitively and I am very used to it by now but still, it was this series that made me start rolling my eyes at the word “mate”. I also still laughed out loud when she starts glowing during their spicy scene…like what in the Twilight?! lol…

My Final Thoughts:

I love this book because of Feyre’s growth and we learn so much about Rhysand and Velaris. I love all the secondary characters like Cassian, Azriel, Mor and Amren. Are there issues that I found, sure I mean…there a lot of things that get repetitive like the whole mate thing but I’m in love with Feyre and Rhysand’s love. By the way, this is where Nesta captures my attention, she’s a very unlikable character in book one but her strength and not giving a crap is compelling regardless how bitchy she comes off – which is why her story is one of my favorites. Story wise we learn more about the King of Hybern and that intense ending again was awesome. But the romance between Feyre and Rhysand is where it’s at.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review | Re-read

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 419

Publication Date: 5/5/15

Categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Faeries

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Content Warning: violence, death, torture

I can’t say how many times I’ve read this book. But it’s been so long that I’ve done a re-read, I thought why not right now? In my initial review for this book in 2015 on Goodreads was 4 stars. So I’m bumping it up 1/2 a star because I loved it the more I re-read it.

+ Feyre is a fantastic character. She’s a survivor, she does makes mistakes, she’s not even the strongest person physically but she survives on her instincts and is always learning. I love her bravery even when she’s deathly afraid. I love that she took care of her family and has complicated feelings about her family.

+ I love that this first book in the series had a beauty and the beast vibe where Feyre goes to Prythian to live in Tamlin’s home as punishment because she kills one of his men, without knowing he was a faerie. I like that this faerie world of Prythian is dangerous and Feyre comes in contact with many different monsters while living there.

+ The world building is so good. And I loved how bad a villain Amarantha is. The ending of the book is what made my jaw drop about this book. What Feyre does for Tamlin and her bravery throughout it all made me admire her so much.

+~ Ah, the romance. It’s so good when you don’t know what’s coming in book two! 😅 All my re-reads after reading it the first time made me look at Tamlin a different way of course. But here’s the thing, it was so good between Tamlin and Feyre. He was this gorgeous, scary beast and all he wanted to do was protect though we find out later there is an ulterior motive to having her in Prythian. She risked it all for him!

~ There is a lot of talking in this book, in this whole series actually because there is always explaining to do. There are stories that Feyre doesn’t know, faerie lore, there’s a lot she needs to catch up on and figure out so yes…sometimes it’s a lot of explaining happening.

My Final Thoughts:

I never get tired of re-reading this book, especially this first one because we see this human girl turn into a broken almost superhero at the end, all for the guy she loves. But also, this was the first book that introduces us to this amazing world of Prythian and I truly love all the adventures Feyre has capturing the Suriel, fighting the Naga and the worm, and helping to end Amarantha’s reign of terror. It’s a dark, sultry story without it being spicy. Of course I have my issues with it too but overall I love the story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by. Jenny Han | Book Review | Re-read

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 276

Publication Date: 5/4/09

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Teen, Summer, Coming of Age

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Content Warning: cancer

I read this back in 2009 and gave it 4 stars on Goodreads! That was 13 years ago…wow, I was single or just about to date my hubby. Crazy how long ago it was and my headspace was super different. Now I’m in my early 40’s with 2 kids, one who’s about to turn 10 years old. 😅 I don’t usually review re-reads but I will definitely do them if I never did a review for them on this blog. And I only did a re-read of this because the series on Amazon came out and I think they did such a good job. But so many people said lots of things were changed and I wanted to see what they were since I didn’t really remember the book except for being annoyed with Belly and being in love with Conrad. 😂

Here’s what I thought:

+ This is a such a quick read, it’s only 276 pages! Now young adult books can be like 500 pages long, so this was quick. It gave all the summer vibes as expected. I did forget all the time jumping it did from past summers to the present. The show didn’t do as many flashbacks as the book.

+ Jeremiah and Belly have more time together in the book than in the show. I can feel their bestie vibes.

+ Conrad is still that guy! I can see why I fell for Conrad because he’s the hurting, handsome guy and I was reminded that Belly was always in love with this guy. It’s always Conrad for her.

~ Because I’m so much more older – this actually bored me a bit. Belly is whiny and understandable because she is young! It’s jumping timelines from when she’s 11 to 14 to 15, etc…so we see her as a whiny girl. And I can’t see that much changes from 11 to 16. I can see why Conrad pushes her away and I’m glad he does.

~ There are SO many changes from the book to the show, I can see why hardcore fans didn’t love the show! There is no debutant ball in the book, Steven doesn’t stay for that summer when she turns 16 – he is in flashbacks though. I get why they made the changes….how do you stretch out this 276 book into 7 episodes? I felt like they did have all the parts from the book in the show though – like all those late night talks with Conrad. I don’t mind the extra stuff I thought it made it entertaining. But yes so many different changes from the book.

Why you should read it:

perfect for teen readers, it’s short, has summer vibes and summer crushes

Why you might not want to read it:

Way different from the Amazon series!
Belly is still annoying me after all these years 😂 but she doesn’t annoy me that much on the show

My Thoughts:

I’m glad I did my first read in 2009 and loved it as a story about a young girl who has these amazing summers with 2 boys and their lovely mom. It’s about friendship at its core and love. At my age now, I do prefer the show because there is many more things happening to keep me entertained but I can see why that didn’t make fans of the series happy also because a whole lot of things were added! But I will say this – them using “This Love” from Taylor Swift for the trailer was genius because this song is ALLLLLLL Belly and Conrad forever feels lol. So here’s a video:

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book:

“I love Conrad and I probably always would. I would spend my whole life loving him one way or another. Maybe I would get married, maybe I would have a family, but it wouldn’t matter, because a piece of my heart, the piece where summer lived, would always be Conrad’s”
― Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty