Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined series continues with the journey of Feyre’s fiery sister, Nesta.
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.
Amazon Link: A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #5)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
This book was a departure from the earlier series because the perspective switched from Feyre to her sister, Nesta. I wasn’t sure if I would like it at first because of the change, but I quickly found out there was a lot more to Nesta than what Feyre thought about her.
This story seemed to focus on the ways that different people heal from trauma. In the first three books, we got to know a lot about Feyre’s traumatic experiences and how she began to recover from them. But Nesta has a very different path to recovery.
Nesta’s friends and family don’t understand her PTSD at first and blame her for self-destructive behavior. They don’t know how to respond or to help her, and it leads to a lot of pain all around. I thought that was realistic because even well-meaning people don’t always know what a victim needs. Since Nesta is so closed-off and won’t communicate, they can’t help her.
Gradually, Nesta finds her own path by bonding with other survivors and encouraging them to come out of their shells. The bond she makes with Gwen and Elairie in particular is a great female friendship and saves them in the end. She also reconciles with her sisters.
I think it was interesting to read about an outside perspective beyond Feyre. But not all fans of the series liked the change in the protagonist. If you’re expecting this to be in line with the first three books, you may not enjoy it.
This book does have a lot of triggers including sexual assault, alcoholism, depression, PTSD, and traumatic childbirth.
