A Court of Frost and Starlight Review

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

• Characters: 10/10

Exploring the characters in more depth seems to be the whole point of this book, really. All your favourites are back and trying to come to terms with what happened in ACOWAR. Yes, there’s plenty of Feyre and Rhysand, but I particularly liked how this book allowed us to gain a better understanding of the other characters. It was nice to have some Cassian POV chapters and as a result I think I ended up with a much bigger appreciation for his character. The biggest biggest surprise for me was when the reader was shown Nesta’s POV. I’ve never really liked her (and I still don’t really) but after this book I really think I understand her so much more than I did before. Basically, this book was fab in terms of character development – for pretty much everyone!

• Plot: 3/10

Alas, there really is little/ no plot to this book. The few points it gets are for how it sets up the plot for the next book. There were definitely a few moments when I thought “oh, that’ll be interesting” only to realise it would be developed no further within the novel. This book is essentially pure character development, with the only action consisting of Feyre going shopping and doing paperwork – how exciting…

Honestly, it’s not too bad if you love the characters as much as I do (I could read 1000 pages of just Rhys trying to put together an IKEA bookshelf and I’d be engrossed) but I’m afraid, if I’m being honest, I have to score it pretty low for plot.

• Writing: 9/10

The writing is beautiful as always. The description is on point and I love how Maas writes the dialogue throughout the book. There’s plenty of banter and witty comments, yet it all feels natural. I really like it when Maas writes action scenes – it’s one of my favourite parts of her writing. Unfortunately, due to the plot, there wasn’t really any action so I missed reading this side of her writing.

• Enjoyment: 5/10

It certainly wasn’t the most thrilling book I’ve ever read but, you know what, I kinda enjoyed it. It was quite relaxing to read and I loved reading about all my favourite characters again. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling throughout that I was reading a random ACOWAR fan-fiction, instead of the actual next book. Also, unfortunately, the lack of action really reduced my enjoyment.

• Overall: 6.75/10

ACOFAS is like the smaller, younger, sweeter sister of ACOWAR, who’s obsessed with shopping and cries at the sight of blood. Yes, it’s a bit bland but you get to read about all your favourite characters and delve deeper into some that haven’t been as heavily featured before. So it’s not bad, per se.

The Winner’s Curse Review

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love… 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

• Characters: 9/10

For the first few pages, I really wasn’t sure how I felt about Kestrel. She seemed girly, aloof and materialistic. However, it quickly became apparent that she is, in fact, a complex, highly intelligent character. She’s bad-ass, but not in the ‘I can beat you up easily’ way, more in the ‘I can outsmart you and you’ll never see it coming’ way. Arin is also a character with hidden depths. I don’t particularly like him, if I’m honest, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s well-written and believable. You can really appreciate the emotional turmoil both Arin and Kestrel feel throughout. My only problem is that I felt that a few of the more minor characters were underdeveloped – Irex, for instance. He is of some significance to the story so it might have been nice to further understand his feelings and motivations.

• Plot: 8/10

Yes, it’s another rebellion YA story. But, it manages to hold its own and separate itself from the pack. The thing I think that really helps sell the rather generic plot is the intense setting and world-building which the reader is rather immediately introduced to. It has a lot of elements of ancient Rome/ Greece, whilst remaining different. I actually really enjoyed the political/ action side of the plot (I don’t always love political stuff). It was clever, fast-paced and there were plenty of twists. I personally wasn’t really a fan of the romance side. However, bear in mind that I’m not a fan of romance in novels in general. My main problem with the roman in this novel is that it just felt forced – a bit too convenient for the plot.

• Writing: 9/10

The writing is good. I particularly liked the way that Kestrel’s thoughts were presented. We could see the cogs in her head turning as she made amazing deductions and concocted ingenious plans. However, I would have loved some additional light-hearted banter, especially between Kestrel and Arin. There was some of this earlier on between Kestrel and Ronan, but it wasn’t really enough for me.

• Enjoyment: 9/10

I certainly enjoyed reading this book and I will definitely be buying the next books in the series. It didn’t labour too much over small details (specifics of politics etc.) as some books of the genre tend to, which I appreciated. This also meant that it stayed quick-paced and exciting. I found that I really liked Kestrel as a character which really helped my enjoyment when reading it.

• Overall: 8.75/10

An enjoyable book with a cunning heroine and a decent chunk of rebellion. It’s well-written, interesting and enjoyable. I would say it’s definitely worth a read.