A Court of Silver Flames

Introduction

A Court of Silver Flames was written by Sarah J. Maas and published on February 16th, 2021, by Bloomsbury publishing company. This is the most recent addition to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, though it is certainly not the last, as Maas has been reportedly contracted to write several more books for the series. I enjoy reading this book, and I would recommend it to fans of the series, though this book should come with a minor disclaimer in regards to the more intimate chapters, as they tend to be more descriptive than previous installations. That being said, it is a solid entry in the series, and I look forward to seeing what comes next for these characters. If you haven’t read this book but would like a general overview of my opinions, the Spoiler-Free Thoughts section will be safe for you to read through. Keep in mind that the content from previous books may be mentioned here for the sake of discussing this story. Those who have read it and are looking for deeper and more specific insights will find the Thoughts section more suitable to them.

If you would like to keep up to date with Sarah J. Maas and her upcoming works (it seems like there will be a lot of them coming up), you can visit her website at https://sarahjmaas.com/ and follow her on social media @therealsjmaas.

Plot

The King of Hybern may be dead, but he was not the only threat to Prythian. There are other ancient evils to face, and this time, Nesta and Cassian must figure out what could possibly be worse than the power of the cauldron. 

Spoiler-Free Thoughts

I have always wondered about Nesta’s ever changing feelings and actions towards Feyre and the others within the inner circle who have tried to help her. At times she seemed truly grateful and like she could find a place there as her sister did, while other times she seemed one breath away from trying to kill all of them. Getting her perspective in this book sheds light on a lot about her character, and I like the layered complexity of it. She may be one of the most complex characters in this series, and I am here for it. It is so difficult for her to let people in and to even let herself admit when she cares for someone, yet she takes no comfort in being alone. The closest she gets is a discontented feeling of being almost safe from the world around her and never from the one within.

There is a distinct trend with the Night Court’s inner circle. For all of their swagger, none of them seem to think very highly of themselves. I like that Cassian’s rough exterior of the unforgiving general fades away with the inner circle and with Nesta. Like with Feyre, he sees straight through her aggression and hateful words, and he is willing to call her out while also unwilling to let her tear herself apart. Unlike with Feyre, Nesta only has Cassian. When he’s not with her, he’s taking on more responsibility within the Night Court, and I like watching him attempt to navigate this new battleground, especially in contrast to the ease with which Nesta seems to do it. 

She and Cassian are two sides of the same coin, and they complement one another very well. He finds it difficult to match Rhysand’s skill with subtlety and clever use of language, but he walks onto battlefields with the kind of confidence only centuries of training could have instilled in him. Nesta, on the other hand, is more likely to be a liability in a war, so she honed words into her weapons, and wielding them is second nature to her. Her mother taught her to play the game of kings and queens, and she executes each move with cunning intent. Beyond this mutual - albeit opposite - experience, their perceptions of themselves seem just as evenly matched, and I hope that translates to them bringing out the best in one another. One thing I did notice was that the intimacy in this book was far more frequent and explicit in comparison to its predecessors, which definitely isn’t for everyone, nor was it for me at times.

There is a lot of follow up in this book on the threads presented in the previous two. I like that the new threat had a loose connection to the previous one, so it doesn’t feel like it’s coming out of nowhere or like it’s the same problem on a different day. The perspective being switched not just from Feyre and Rhysand to Nesta and Cassian, but also from first person to third person point of view also makes the series feel fresh, if not brand new, which I surprisingly like. It makes me wonder how her structure and style will change as the series continues. In general, I enjoyed the plot, and I do think it gets better as it goes, but with as long as this book is, the story does occasionally drag. I did enjoy the continued themes of found family and forgiveness of oneself and one's own flaws. My favorite of the four parts would have to be the fourth one, as I have always been partial to the final segments of stories. Everything finally felt like it clicked, and while there is a continued threat, there is also temporary peace. It felt like a good way to close out this story.

While I like reading this story, and I greatly enjoy the depth of the characters, the pacing does seem to drag at places, and the level that the spicier scenes were taken too was occasionally a bit much for me. However, those things don’t make me dislike this book, so I would call it on par with A Court of Wings and Ruin. That has me giving this book an 8.5/10.

Thoughts

It was easy to tell Nesta carried significant trauma from the war against Hybern, starting even before she was thrown into the cauldron, and she never accepted any of the help offered to her. Every negative thought and feeling was allowed to grow and seep its way deeper into her. It got to the point where she would rather destroy herself than show any affection for those she loves because it could risk their lives. The guilt, shame, and perverse satisfaction she gets from hurting others - and herself in the process - is difficult to face. She found it difficult to face as well, so she turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms and allowed herself to spiral into a shell of the woman she was before the war. Her backslides bring a brand new depth to her character that not only shifts the view of her in this book, but also casts a new light on her brief appearances in the previous installments.

I find it very interesting that even though Cassian laughed and preened when Feyre referred to him as Lord Cassian in A Court of Mist and Fury, he denied the title outright in this book, not believing himself to be worthy of it. Whereas Nesta seems more inclined to tear herself apart and put little stock into what the others think of her, Cassian takes the words of others to heart. It makes it more difficult to read their arguments knowing that each brutal word exchanged between the two hurts both of them. Cassian has long been one of my favorite characters. His fierce love and loyalty is always worn on his sleeve, and he says what he means. I love seeing that blunt honesty and affection among the scheming between courts and battles.

I have long suspected their mating bond, and I assume Maas had a feeling she couldn’t treat it as a shock when the characters themselves were recognizing it. Their relationship feels very parallel to Feyre and Rhysand throughout the second and third installations in this series. Cassian recognized the bond first and fought it because he assumed she didn’t want it and that he wasn’t good enough for her. After dancing around it, both eventually agree to keep their relationship purely physical, though both want more. Eventually, there is a declaration of love before tragedy strikes, but they eventually wind up together and happy. It’s a great love story, but it’s one that - at its core - we’ve already seen play out amongst other characters, and I hope there’s something new to see in the next book.

Moving forward in this series, I want to see more of Eris and learn more about him. He becomes more interesting with every new installation, and so does his past with Mor. Moving from Eris to his half-brother, Lucien, I am sad that his character seems to be taking a back seat. He was one of my favorites in the first few books, and I’m not quite ready to see him go. However, I can admit that Elain seems to hold no affection for him, and she never has. While I don’t love the idea of Azriel and Elain together, that does seem to be the direction the story is going in, and I am beginning to like Elain more as she becomes more independent and confident in herself.