Phew. This was a whirlwind of a book. SO MUCH happened. I am still trying to process it all days later. A Court of Mist and Fury was definitely my favorite in the series, but this is a close close runner-up.

I may have a few spoilers for the ACOTAR series in this review, so be aware of that. If I get to spoilers for A Court of Silver Flames, I’ll warn you with a bolded message, but for now, I just want to talk about the book as a whole. 

So following the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, and A Court of Frost and Starlight, we now find ourselves in the aftermath of a war for the Cauldron. Nesta’s father is dead and she knows it’s her fault. Everyone hates her, but she made them hate her by pushing them all away. And Cassian? She can hardly even be around him. This girl has Trauma with a capital T, but let me tell you, Sarah J. Maas wrote Nesta’s character development sooooo well. I don’t think I’ve ever read about a character who has gone so far south, but then returns a hero. Nesta is a badass and it was so much fun reading about her story. All of the characters in this book were freaking amazing and I couldn’t get enough.

One thing that I’m just gonna say real quick so you guys know: this book is definitely the spiciest of all of them. Not a teen novel for sure. I don’t think it’s the smuttiest book I’ve ever read in my life (Haunting Adeline holds that title but it was NOT the smut I wanted in my life), but A Court of Silver Flames still had a considerable amount of heat. 

Alright done with that. Anyway, the plot of this novel centers around Nesta’s Trauma, her figuring out her powers, and the trove, which is basically a bunch of magical items that could end the world if they get into the wrong hands. There is a lot of time where Nesta is doing nothing but dealing with her Trauma, but I never felt bored by these parts and was still highly invested. I will say this wasn’t the action-y-est (not sure what word to use instead haha!) of all the books, but it still had enough going on that it kept you hooked. The end though? THE ENDING? Damn. All the action in like one spot and had me wanting to chew my fingernails. I’m just gonna have to talk about it in the spoilers below, so if you haven’t read the book, stop here!

Spoilers ahead.

Alright alright. No one warned me how absolutely insane this novel would be. The girls all training the whole novel to protect themselves and then ending up in the Blood Rite??? Like holy hell. I wished there would have been more glory for Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn after completing the Blood Rite, but I can let that go. They were all amazing and the heart pounding action that went through the whole thing was crazy. I honestly couldn’t believe Cassian would just sit back for this, but that’s just me. When he was bewitched and fought off the enchantment, I was so happy with Nesta’s total destruction of Briallyn. And when Cassian was kind of like hiding and said something along the lines of “I figured I should lie low while you did that”? I CACKLED. It was hilarious to see him so shocked.

Then THEN we get to Feyre’s birth. Like what the actual frick. I really thought Sarah J. Maas was gonna kill Rhys and Feyre (still thought the baby would live), so I was heartbroken at this point. But Nesta? Giving everything back? Being a complete and selfless hero? THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Guys. I melted. Completely fell in love right there with every aspect of the character she was, had been, and had become. Nesta is my queen and I want her to rule the world. 

Overall, this was such a good addition to ACOTAR and I am so happy I finally read it. Nesta is my new favorite character (although I really love Rhys), and this is probably my second favorite in the series now. I cannot wait for the next book and hope we get some news soon!! Easy 5 out of 5 beautiful stars. 

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)