A Court of Feels and Tears

Growing up, I was never a girly girl.  Raised a farm kid, I spent a lot of time outside in the dirt and in the woods.  I drove tractors, I built fences, I worked in the garden.  Dresses and tutus were not conducive to these activities - or to building forts and horseback riding.  And that was ok.  When the occasion called for it, I could dress up with the best of them - it just wasn't part of my every day.  Now, I look at my 3-year-old daughter, and watch as she runs around (inside AND outside) in her princess dresses and her damsel hat, and think if she wanted to wear that to ride her horse, she would.  Because it's her.  It wasn't me.

BUT, the fact that I always preferred my jeans over a skirt doesn't mean I didn't like fairy tales.  I read Peter Pan and the like, and loved the beautiful, friendly, sparkly fairies in the stories I read as a child.  It almost made them more special to me, because it was something so much more foreign to my own way of life.  And I've carried the love of otherworldly stories into adulthood.

That said, I don't know if I was just familiar with the wrong types of fairy stories, but I never thought blood, betrayal, war, and torture to be part of the fairy realm.  I blame Disney for this hole in my education.  

So, completely unprepared for what was to come, because I believed fairies to be small, winged creatures who lived inside hollow trees and flower petals, last fall I picked up Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses.  Ha.  More like A Court of Pain and Torture and Beauty and Devastation.  Goodness gracious, was that an emotional roller coaster.  Now, buried within this emotional minefield was an amazing story (loosely based on Beauty and the Beast) about a human who is kidnapped by fairies, and falls in love with the Lord of the Spring Court while learning the intricacies of fairy politics, all set against the backdrop of an impending war with an evil human king.  Sounds exhausting, no?  Yes.  The trick was navigating the assault on my (until then believed to be nonexistent) emotions in an attempt to get to the heart of the story.  By the end of the book I had come to terms with this new representation of fairies - and of humans in this fictional world - and had fallen in love with a new author.

At least then, when I picked up the second book of the series, A Court of Mist and Fury, I knew to steel myself.  As I did when the third title, A Court of Wings and Ruin, came out this month.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads, and the (gorgeous, beautiful, lovely, enchanting) cover:

 

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

It's hard to know what to talk about with a book like this - it's extremely long and involved, has plots within plots, and isn't for the faint of heart.  So, I thought I'd go with high-level stuff so as to give a good feeling for what someone would be in for if they haven't read the first two books of the series, and want to delve in.

CHARACTERS
Sometimes I wonder if Maas just dumped an armload of Scrabble tiles into a velvet bag and started pulling them out at random when she made up names for her characters.  Now, regular fairy tale and lore fans will recognize Tam Lin, but other than that, good luck pronouncing them all, and even more luck remembering them all.  Personally, I just made sure I had the key players down, and went from there.
Feyre- is our main heroine.  I say main, because there are several strong female characters in these books I consider to be heroic, all who play a pivotal role.  Fayre is not even my favorite female character, but that's ok.  I like that throughout the series we get to see her change.  She starts out as a weak, scared girl unwilling, really, to stand up for herself or any of those around her.  By now, though, she is fierce.  She protects those she loves - and even those she doesn't - because it is the right thing to do.  And she is loyal to a fault; sometimes it causes her more problems than it solves.  And she is brave.  I think I like that about her most of all.  She is not afraid to face her fears, to face those who threaten her, to make hard decisions.  I think her biggest fault is that she, for all her personal growth, is a little selfish.  Though she recognizes this and acknowledges it is a problem, she has not yet overcome this weakness.  Overall, though, I think Feyre is an admirable character.
Rhysand- is undoubtedly the hero.  It's in his very nature to be.  Decision after decision he makes for the good of his loved ones often are to his own detriment.  He endured years of torture at the hands of an evil enchantress to save his subjects.  Where Feyre is borderline selfish, Rhysand is borderline too giving of himself.  His love for his friends and desire for his people to be protected is his downfall, and this enemies know it.  However, he is someone who not only commands, but earns and deserves the respect of the people around him.  For those of you who are sitting there thinking this guy sounds so good he's boring, never fear.  Rhys is also a warrior unafraid to fight for his people, his love, his life.  And he's got serious powers.
The Cast- There are many supporting characters in this book, but I'll talk about my three favorites.  Lucien is the enemy-turned-friend who no one fully trusts, but everyone really wants to, because he's basically awesome.  He gave up everything to help Feyre, and I think he's going to be a key player in the upcoming installments.  Cassian is the warrior of my dreams.  He is smart, loyal, savage, and full of snarky wit.  He handles conflict like a boss, and has the ability to command the allegiance of legions.  Nesta is Feyre's older sister, human-turned-fey.  She is bitter, she is hard, and she is awesome.  Slowly (like, at glacial speeds), I can see her settling into her new life and her new identity, and I believe that, before it's all over, she is going to take the fey realm by storm. 

SETTING
I like the setting of these books - it's fluid, and changes as the story moves.  Each of the seven courts is distinctly different, and reflects the personae of the ruler itself.  And then there are deep, hidden places, dangerous crevices where shades and shadows lurk; and bright, shining, glorious peaks where brave deeds are heralded.  The setting is the perfect backdrop for the epic-type quality of this saga.

PLOT
These books are long.  And A Court of Wings and Ruin is, thus far, the longest.  But it's to accommodate the massive undertaking that is this continuing plot line.  Overview: fairy realm and human realm don't get along thanks to a massive war centuries ago; there are hard feelings; there is a wall that separates the two realms; evil king wants to take over the land and destroy the wall, leading to another war; good fae-folk want to resist; bad fae-folk don't; there are political maneuverings, betrayals, and machinations aplenty; there is much evil and much heroism.  And that's just the overview.  Nestled in here are awesome characters and the relationships between them, fairy and human history, a fascinating back story, and many, many other elements.  If you like epic stories, this is a great one.  

I haven't regretted starting this series; I haven't regretted a single minute I've spent reading what exists of it so far.  And I look forward to the continuing installments.  In fact, my regard for this series has inspired me to pick up Maas' other series - one that's been in publication longer than the Court series, and that's her Throne of Glass series, which features a sword-wielding lady assassin.  Yes, please.  There are currently five novels, one collection of novellas, and a sixth novel to be published in the fall.  I'm there. 

With regards to read-alikes: to try to come up with something that's exactly like this title would be difficult, as it's very unique.  However, there are some titles I would recommend that lay along the same vein.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge -  This contains a complicated romance, an intriguing world, and danger at every turn.  It's also a loose Beauty and Beast retelling, and spotlights an intrepid, determined, and fallible heroine.
The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long - Caught in Fae politics she doesn't understand, the heroine of this fantasy story uses her wits and talents to save herself and her developing romance.  The book is lushly detailed and has equal parts romance and fantastical adventure.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - Themes of love and sacrifice feature in this fast-paced fantasy set in a reimagined faerie world. The strong -willed heroine becomes a pawn in a deadly faerie game and encounters magic, secrets, danger, and plenty of steamy romance. 

***One word of warning, though, about this Maas series - if you have an aversion to sex scenes, this may not be the series for you.  Though marketed as a YA series, I think it definitely rates for a more mature YA audience.

Soon to come:  Though a little late, May's book haul post; June's preview post; and a Top 10 Tuesday post.  

Cheers!