Summary: A single story arc split between two books.
I am behind on writing about my reading and while I have enjoyed this series enough to keep reading it (I am in the middle of the fourth right now), this if far from a perfect series. I have read pretty widely in the more classical fantasy world. And I have read some romance. The recent trend to Romantasy isn’t completely new, but this series seems to have contributed to the movement.
There are some irritating distractions in this version of fantasy. Some are silly things like flush toilets and hot water bathtubs and the level of technology constantly shifting from medieval to 19th-century references. And there is the more common fantasy issues like magic being used to bridge plot points in ways that do not make sense internally to the system.
The series has a sharp turn at the start of the second book (spoilers for the first book and these two books follow), Feyre saved Tamlin and all other Farie courts by breaking the curse. In the process knowingly killed several innocents and herself was killed. But she was brought back to life by the combined work of the seven High Lords who were all gathered together in captivity and who had just been released because of Feyre’s work. She is resurrected and becomes the “Curse Breaker”.
The second book starts with Fryre having a very clear trauma response to both her actions (especially killing the innocents) and her captivity which lead eventually to her death. She can’t be in a confined place because it reminds her of her cell. She can’t paint or do other previously enjoyable things because of the trauma response. The story turns because while there was previous evidence of Tamlin’s character in the first book, the second book starts to show Tamlin having his own trauma responses, which are expressed in abusive and controlling ways.
As part of the deal with Rhys, that saved her at the end of the last book, she has to go live with Rhys one week a month. Rhys is aware of her trauma responses and works to care for her and over time she starts to have some healing. Feyre also never really learned to read because her mother died when she was young. So a significant part of how Rhys addresses her trauma is by teaching her to read and understand her new Farie powers.
It happens fairly early in the second book, but Tamlin understands that their relationship is not going well. His response is to try to control her more. Feyre reacts to that attempt to control by becoming more insistent on resisting control. Tamlin eventually tries to force a marriage, and that is the breaking point for Feyre. A bond was created when Rhys saved Feyre under the mountain and he can sense her emotions. When she is breaking down before the wedding ceremony he arranges for Feyre to be rescued/kidnapped.
And it is at this point there is a shift in the book toward Feyre starting to heal and then fall in love with Rhys. Internally that does make some sense, but looking at it from the end of the three-book arc, there is a tension between an abusive initial relationship and a probably too good healthy relationship. Real people fall in love with problematic people all the time. There is a trope about the attraction that women have to bad guys. But what this series relies on entirely too heavily is bad characters actually being good characters who do bad seemingly bad things for hidden reasons. And those hidden reasons make sense once you gain understanding.
I don’t remember where I read it initially, but I read an article a few years ago about how many Western children’s movies are stories of good overcoming evil. While many Eastern children’s movies are about the conflict of the story not being rooted in overcoming evil but overcoming misunderstanding. Frozen 2 and Encanto are both stories where the idea of overcoming misunderstanding is more central to the plot than overcoming a specific evil character. There are still evil characters in this series, but many of those evil characters are good guys who were forced to work with the evil characters for a time but were trying to weaken the evil forces from the inside. I like this as a story possibility, but that story possibility is less interesting when it is overused, as it is here.
In this two-book story arc, Feyre has to heal from her trauma, and find faith in herself and her abilities, many of which are new as a result of her resurrection, but many of which were developments of her character and upbringing and doing what it takes to care for those around her. She is unfamiliar with the Faerie world but quickly learns. I am not going to reveal more plot points, but the two books are about 1300 pages overall and are a single-story arc. The fourth book is a pretty short addition. And the fifth book of the series appears to focus on side characters.
Because I was not interested in purchasing I listened to the Graphic Audio versions of these two books from my library. Graphic Audio is an audiobook production company that is making full-cast radio drama adaptations. Although they don’t call them radio dramas, they use the tagline, “a movie in your mind.” I don’t know how much of the story was cut but the Graphic Audio versions are about 20 percent shorter than the unabridged versions. I did not feel like there were holes in the story but I do not know what I missed so there may be plot points that were cut that would have made the overall story better.
On the whole, these felt like young adult books with a couple of sex scenes added in. The actual sex scenes could easily have been edited out without any loss to the story. I know others will disagree but that does seem important to me that the books are not written primarily around sex as plot points, but include sex. I understand the argument that this makes the sex gratuitous and not central to the story and that may be true. I don’t think that the scenes made the books better. And I do understand the critique that these are written as young adult books with sex in ways that would make young adult readers feel comfortable reading them.
Right now I am sort of listening to the fourth book as an audiobook but I have started reading the most recent KB Hoyle book. I have read every KB Hoyle book and this series has reminded me why good writing matters. It is not that Maas is a bad writer as much as she is not a deep writer, everything is on the surface. The first book in this series is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast. But by the middle of A Court of Mist and Fury we understand that while the curse against Tamlin was lifted, he is still a beast internally. She leaves because he is abusive and she eventually finds a good healthy relationship.
KB Hoyle has a series based on a retelling of classic fairy tales that starts with a gender swap Little Mermaid. And then moves to a fairy tale that I didn’t know in A Son of Bitter Glass. This third book is Son of Gold and Sorrow and continues with James, the side character in the first book, the helper character in the second book, and the main character in the third book. I bring this up because there is a difference between fluffy writing that keeps me interested (Maas’ books) and really good writing that made me stay up a couple of hours past my bedtime last night reading half the book.
KB Hoyle is writing a young adult fairy tale romance that doesn’t fit in the romantasy genre but has some of those elements. I think many who are drawn to Maas, would enjoy this series because depth of writing matters. It is not that I am opposed to sex in books. While I picked up this series because it was banned by my local school district because of the sex, the quality of the books matters far more to my perception than the sex. I wasn’t offended by the sex. In 1800 pages of the three Maas books, it was only about 20-30 pages, so I just can’t get worked up about it.
What I do get a little worked up about is that Maas’ books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and a far superior series by KB Hoyle won’t. If you haven’t already, I think you should read Holye, I would recommend her Gateway Chronicles, which are early teen fantasy. She has a post-apocalyptic series that is pitched a bit older. She has started a middle-grade series that is pitched a bit younger. She has a stand-alone novella and the Fairy Tale series that I linked above.
A Court of Mist and Fury Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook, Graphic Audiobook (radio play adaptation)
A Court of Wings and Ruin Purchase Links Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook, Graphic Audiobook (radio play adaptation)