A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: Five stars
Series: A Court of Mist and Fury 2
Date published: May 3, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.
With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

A Court of Mist and Fury is the second book in Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series. The first book was good but didn't thrill me; this book completely blew me away. It's a fantastic read, one I'd recommend to fantasy readers as well as readers that like slow burn romance that isn't overbearing. Sarah J. Maas became my favorite author after I read her Throne of Glass series last year, but I didn't really feel the same love for A Court of Thorns and Roses as I did for her first series. This book changes that.

Maas's second book in the series is a fantasy book first and foremost. Where the first one revolved around the budding relationship of Tamlin and Feyre, this one centers around finding two halves of a book, which is perfect for us readers, huh? Feyre and her friends need to nullify a cauldron before the king of Hybern uses it to get rid of the wall and invade human lands.

I loved the characters and the scenery. Maas has a way with introducing characters or bringing back ones from the first book and then making you love them. You can't help it. It's impossible not to love the characters here. Feyre really came into her own in this book. Now that she's Fae, it adds a whole other element to the plot. She's now an equal to all the magical characters around her. Hell, she's even better than them. A Court of Mist and Fury explores all the powers she inherited from the lords who resurrected her in the first book. She begins to master a few of them while also learning to fight. I was so thrilled she took the initiative to learn how to defend herself. It's something that makes me love a character even more and that was no different here.

Tamlin, however, was the one exception to this rule. He was an overbearing douche in the scenes he was in and I wanted to throttle him. The beginning part of the book made me think this was going to be similar to the first book and it turned me off it a bit, but I'm glad I continued reading because Tamlin is hardly in A Court of Mist and Fury. I feel like shouting happily and clapping just typing that.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rhys was my favorite character. I think he might give Rowan from the Throne of Glass series a run for his money as best male lead. Rhys is not the person everyone thinks he is, and we get to see it firsthand in A Court of Mist and Fury. He treats Feyre like a woman should be treated and he cares about his people more than his own well-being. He's a dreamer, constantly seeing a better world. He's the opposite of Tamlin in every way.

The other new, supporting characters were all a pleasure to get to know. They all have well thought out backstories, which we get to see a glimpse of. Mor, Amren, Azriel, and Cassian all felt very real, which I find is hard to pull off with so many characters being introduced together.

Every moment of A Court of Mist and Fury just wowed me. It was a long read, but I loved every second of it. I'd read it again in a heartbeat and I can't wait to get my hands on the third book in the series.