I don't even know where to begin with my thoughts on this book... going back and reading my review for A Court of Thorns and Roses, realizing how differently I view Tamlin as a character and lover now, is perhaps one of the most mind blowing things. I think this one aspect is just one of many shows of excellent writing on Maas' part -- writing every chapter from Feyre's perspective allows her readers to grow close to and empathize with her as a character as well as remain blind to the mistreatment she suffered until someone came along to free her and allow her to see how she had been wasting away. The progression of Feyre's slow decay and, inversely, slow recovery of life and newfound power is so realistically written. In other words, she grapples with very real trauma in a very real way. And Rhysand... oh, Rhysand. One of my new favorite literary characters to be sure. So well-developed to be made out as the bad guy when all along, he was the perfect prince clothed in night itself. His selflessness, patience with Feyre, restrained love bursting forth into untameable passion, is all executed over the 600 or so pages that I sincerely think the Rhysand in ACOTAR is not the same Rhysand in ACOMAF. This has so far proven to be one of my many favorite things about this series (though it gets lost among the many other things I love about it): the characters grow into and out of themselves, evolving as the world throws its worst at them and they emerge on the other side battered but alive. I think of Cassian and Azriel as I write this, Rhysands' brothers who fought as hard as Rhys to become the fearless beings of dark and strength they are when Feyre finds them. The other female characters we're introduced to are impeccably fleshed out, human in all the ways they are High Fae, as feminine as they are lethal and loyal. I love Mor almost as much as I love Rhysand. And pertaining to the many smaller but noteworthy details of this novel, Rhysand teaching Feyre how to read and subsequently allowing her a means of escapism from the darkness and despair of her own head is one of my favorites. The plot of this book progresses as it follows the development of Rhysand and Feyre's inevitable attraction and slow descent into love -- a progression that I think would've been much less intriguing if it was only about war and defending the human realm from the King of Hybern's power. The slow-burn of their relationship, characterized by shameless flirting and banter, was perfectly executed that I really did squeal when they finally got together. I really like books that are character-driven since I think characters are what stick with you as a reader long after the large and small details of the plot have faded. And just like in the series' first book, the last 100 or so pages went absolutely off the rails and I loved every second of it. My jaw was certainly on the floor for the majority of its plot twists. I also have to mention that the spicy scenes in this book where some of the best I've ever read. That's not saying a whole lot since I don't really read spicy books, but wow... I felt the heat. And the "one bed in a small room" trope is thrown in the middle of the novel effortlessly -- I offer up a chef's kiss to Maas for that. Ok, anyways... I'm trying to get my hands on the next book ASAP.



Some of my favorite quotes from A Court of Mist and Fury:

"He thinks he'll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out."

"To the stars who listen—and the dreams that are answered."

"I am broken and healing, but every piece of my heart belongs to you."

"And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he’d done for me. For what I felt for him."

"There you are. I've been looking for you.

His first words to me— not a lie at all, not a threat to keep those faeries away.

Thank you for finding her for me."

"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."

"You are my salvation, Feyre."

One of the best things about being in a romantic literature class that focuses solely on Austen's work is that I'm finally reading some classic texts I've been trying to read for years! Sense and Sensibility, Austen's first published novel, is one of these classic works. Reading the Broadview version/edition of this text proved to be even more helpful in my endeavor to start and finish this book. One of my favorite things about this novel was how much I learned about its author and the social climate she was writing in. I learned about Austen's early life and difficulties in getting this book published as a woman. I learned about how this book speaks to the concepts of "sense," "sensibility," and "susceptibility" (three hotly-debated concepts in the realm of late 18th century social politics). And I learned about how Austen's clever writing says so much more about women, finances, love, and marriage than a first look reveals. My class repeatedly questioned how the title implies that "sense" and "sensibility" are to coexist, that one is not better or more refined than the other. We also continually analyzed how the characters modeled after "sense," chiefly Elinor, contributed to the stereotype of a more formal and logical, less emotional woman, and how her younger sister, Marianne, models the emotional and romantic tendencies of a woman ruled by a sensible disposition. One of my chief takeaways from this novel is that while it may seem like a love story on the surface (as Austen has garnered a reputation for writing romance novels), it is in actuality a lot more about money and the social game that marriage was for men and women alike during Austen's time. Seeing how the men in the story as well as the women either lean into elements of "sense" or "sensibility" all comes together to remind readers that this book follows the many interconnected lives of extremely wealthy people playing a tricky game involving fortunes and suitable matches. I loved the main plot twist concerning the complex, conniving Lucy Steele among the more subtle twists in the narrative that made me realize I wasn't really reading a love story at all, but rather a story full of characters striving for love in the midst of social obstacles and hyper fixations on money. I definitely recommend this book despite its daunting language -- read the Broadview version, it's helpful and worth it!



Some of my favorite quotes from Sense and Sensibility:

"I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way."

"It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do."

"When I fall in love, it will be forever." (like the classic song :)

"The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!"

"It is not everyone,′ said Elinor, ‘who has your passion for dead leaves."

"Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honour and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?"

"Sometimes one is guided by what they say of themselves, and very frequently by what other people say of them, without giving oneself time to deliberate and judge."

"Money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it."