6 Things I Loved About A Court of Silver Flames

March 10, 2021 by Jeann @ Happy Indulgence | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

6 Things I Loved About A Court of Silver FlamesA ​Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on February 16, 2021
Source: Publisher
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Fiction
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia
Add to Goodreads

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.

If you’re a regular around Happy Indulgence, you’ll know that I haven’t been the biggest fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Here’s my famous review about why I didn’t really enjoy A Court of Mist and Fury.

But I’d be damned if I didn’t pick up a new Sarah J Maas book, so when A Court of Silver Flames came out, I along with the rest of the book community rushed out to buy it and read it upon release.

While Nesta is a prickly, proud and “unlikable” character, her character growth in ACOSF was absolutely phenomenal. And like many others, this is the book that made us fall in love with Nesta and her mate Cassian.

Here’s some things I absolutely loved about the book:

Nesta’s anxiety & depression felt very raw

Mental health issues are not to be taken lightly, and Nesta’s journey portrays her overcoming her innermost demons in such a beautiful way. She’s been through a lot of past trauma, and she’s still coping with a lot, and her family and friends weren’t exactly the most supportive of her. In ACOSF, she’s given the space to be strong, to heal in her own time, but also provided with love and care without any pushing or pressure, and I loved seeing her grow through this process.

Friendship and sisterhood

We hear so much about the inner circle and the Court that it’s high time to find some new characters to love, so I loved how Nesta formed a life of her own outside of the Court. She’s drawn to Gwyn and Emerie not only for their penchant for survival, but also their toughness and loyalty and I just loved seeing her form a sisterhood with them.

Valkyrie plotline was the best

Until now, we’ve been lead to believe that the Illyrian warriors are everything and the best, most powerful, strongest in existance – but nope, not only do valkyries surpass them but they are also all female! I loved how the trio bonded together over learning valkyrie techniques and their dedication to learning the old ways. It made my feminist heart happy.

The House that takes care of you

The House is one of my favourite characters in the series, which is kind of weird, but hear me out. So basically Nesta can communicate with the House of Velaris and they share romance novels, it takes care of her, brings her food and quietly nudges her towards Cassian. It brings comfort to her when she’s feeling at her worst, and I think it really helped her come out of her shell.

Cassian’s support

I’m usually not a fan of SJM’s males, I think they’re a bit too ego-driven for my tastes, but I actually really liked Cassian in this one! I found him the polar opposite to Rhys in a way, while Rhysand takes a firm and direct approach with Feyre’s journey, Cassian kind of provides a calm, gentle support for Nesta. He doesn’t pressures her into anything she doesn’t want to do, and only intervenes when he really needs to. I found Cassian being there for Nesta really helped her healing process.

So much smut

Which leads me to the next point, there is SO MUCH smut in this one that it definitely made me blush! Past SJM books sometimes fade to black or use more creative fantasy terms during the sex scenes, but the scenes in here are straightforward, plentiful and very very raunchy. Going in, I think most of us know what to expect, and it surely doesn’t disappoint. Just be sure to be prepared when reading this in public.

So do I think A Court of Silver Flames is the best book in the series? Absolutely. I absolutely loved having a new character to follow who had a lot to offer. I also adored the character growth in this one, the found family, the romance with Cassian and even the smut. While I did have some problems with some secondary characters and plotlines *cough Rhysand cough*, Nesta was the shining star out of this one, and I think fans would adore this instalment.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for sending me a review copy!

Trigger warnings: anxiety, depression, alcoholism, grief, disordered eating

A Court of Silver Flames is available from Australian bookstores for RRP$29.99 or from The Book Depository or Booktopia.

The following two tabs change content below.
Jeann is an Aussie YA blogger and mum who loves to read and recommend books! You can usually find me fangirling about books on my various social media channels including Twitter @happyindulgence, Instagram and Youtube.

Tags: , , , ,


2 responses to “6 Things I Loved About A Court of Silver Flames

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge