A Court of Frost and Starlight

Introduction

A Court of Frost and Starlight was written by Sarah J. Maas and published by Bloomsbury publishing company on May 1st, 2018. This book is not considered the fourth in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series but rather as its first novella. It is relatively short compared to its predecessors and serves as a transition into the next storyline of the series. If you haven’t had the chance to read this novella yet, the Spoiler-Free Thoughts section will be for my general thoughts and opinions. For those looking for deeper insights, the Thoughts section does contain spoilers. Similar to my previous reviews of the series, I will be approaching this as if I have not read the next installation of the series, A Court of Silver Flames. This review will only cover A Court of Frost and Starlight, and I may briefly touch on the events of previous books as they pertain to this one.

If you would like to stay updated with Sarah J. Maas and her work, you can visit her website at https://sarahjmaas.com/ and follow her on social media @therealsjmaas.

Plot

With the war against Hybern finally being brought to an end, those left to look after Prythian are working hard to put it - and themselves - back together while they contemplate what comes next.

Spoiler-Free Thoughts

An immediately noticeable difference in this book is the perspective shifts. We read not only from Feyre and Rhys, but also from Cassian, Morrigan, and Nesta. Interestingly, Rhysand and Feyre’s perspectives remain in first person point of view - as they have been since A Court of Thorns and Roses, while the other three characters are presented in a third person point of view. It can be jarring at times, but it does keep us grounded with Feyre and Rhysand as the main characters and focal points while simultaneously allowing us into the others’ minds, which I have been wanting more of throughout this series. The inconsistency is not my favorite approach to this, but it doesn’t bother me too much.

This novella truly feels like a bridge between old and new. It wraps up many of the loose ends from the previous books regarding the war and Feyre’s journey through Prythian while pulling at old threads and introducing a few fresh conflicts that I imagine will be the focus of the next “phase” of this series. I imagine the introduction of so many new perspectives will open us up to more of that in the future, which I am hoping for given that Feyre and Rhysand’s story seems to have - for the most part - run its course.

I’m glad that Maas doesn’t seem to be allowing this storyline with Hybern to drag on, and that she’s finally allowing Feyre and Rhys to have their peace, even with a few issues being up in the air. As mentioned earlier, this book feels like a passing of the torch, and while I would miss them, I want for their characters to have their chance at happiness together, I feel like they’ve earned it. Mor’s inner turmoil is almost opposite that - especially in regards to the Court of Nightmares - and her insight is interesting, as I feel like we still don’t know much about her. As free as she is with the inner circle, she still has her fair share of secrets, and I want to dig more into the supposed lies she was accused of in the last book since we didn’t see much of it here.

I am not sure how to feel about the backslide Cassian and Nesta had. I understand the trauma of the war for both of them, but Nesta’s constant back and forth - something that has been present since book one - has always irritated me because I can’t get a read on her. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if she’s being defensive over a perceived threat, or if she’s just being cruel for the sake of it. I really want to like her, but how she treats Feyre and Cassian - who have only ever wanted to help her - makes me mad. I love a complex character though, so I want to hold out and see what comes next for Nesta. As for Elain, I don’t have much to comment on her other than that I’m glad to finally see her a bit more assertive. I’m liking the direction her character seems to be taking. I suppose the biggest question for her now is whether or not she accepts her mating bond.

I don’t have much to say about this novella. I like that it’s being used as a transition because I feel that it will make the next book cleaner and easier to get into, but there is much less action because of that. It’s a very easy read for the series, but not my favorite, so I’ll give it a 7/10. Enjoyable, but overshadowed by A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Silver Flames.

Thoughts

As mentioned above, I don’t have very much to say about this novella, so this section will be a bit repetitive to what I wrote above, but I do want to dig a bit deeper into my reads on each character and my hopes for their futures.

Backtracking to Feyre and Rhysand, I am so glad for their happy ending and for their promises of a better future. Their solstice was perfect, just their family and celebrating together. Feyre finally having the time and peace to paint is a joy not just for her, but she turns it into a gift for others to process the trauma of the war. She has always been one to help those in need, and this is a way for her to assist in getting the Night Court out of their dark places. It’s a full circle moment that further solidifies the feeling that this is an ending to this chapter of her story.

Morrigan having her own place to be alone will likely be important moving forward so long as her father insists on invading her safe place. I like her, and I like what she is to the inner circle; their ray of light and a promise that healing is hard but not impossible. I want more of her, and I want to see more of her journey to honesty and happiness within the inner circle. However, with all of that being said, I can’t help but feel as though she’s hiding something, and I can’t wait to see how this progresses.

I almost don’t know where to begin with Cassian and Nesta. I want to be angry with Nesta for how she treats all of them, and I can’t help but feel bad for Cassian as she repeatedly stomps on his heart when he has only ever wanted to protect her. It has been hinted throughout the books that they may be mates, and I am absolutely for that, but she - like Feyre - needs time to heal and figure everything out for herself. Unlike Feyre, she is much more inclined to push away every single person who could possibly care for her by any means necessary, even Elain, which is a complete shift from the rest of the series so far. I want to know her character motivations, and in the meantime, I want Cassian to be at least content with his life and their victory over Hybern. He knows his physical abilities and trusts in his competence as a general and leader, but he can’t find it in himself to see how wonderful he is in character. It doesn’t help when Nesta is the one making him feel that way.

While she is beginning to grow on me as she becomes more comfortable and assertive, Elain’s romantic life is confusing and divisive at best. It has been repeatedly hinted at that she and Azriel may be a better fit for one another than she and Lucien, and it was emphasized that the mating bond can choose wrong. She and Azriel clearly share some affection for one another, but I have never been a fan of the two of them together because of how I felt about Elain. I love Azriel, and I love Lucien. I want Lucien to be happy, and the rejection of the mating bond seems to be harder on the males. He already doesn’t have a true home. Not in the Day Court with his oblivious father, the Autumn Court with the rest of his brutal family, the Night Court with the mate who rejected him, or the Spring Court with a broken High Lord. He is one of the characters I most want to have closure, even if it isn’t with Elain.