A Court of Frost and Starlight - No, You Can't Skip This One

A Court of Frost and Starlight is the fourth installment in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Goodreads calls this "book 3.1" rather than Book 4, and I must agree - it's more of a novella than a full novel - but it's still really important! It sets up a lot of what happens with a couple of the characters (who shall remain nameless for the sake of spoilers) in the next book, A Court of Silver Flames.

I started reading A Court of Frost and Starlight on April 10. I also finished it on April 10. It's not a very long book.

Summary

The summary of this book is really quick and it doesn't even have that much in it for spoilers. I could write one with spoilers, of course, but just for you, I won't.

If you boil it all down, this book is about planning a Christmas party and trying to get people to come. The celebration of the Winter Solstice in the Night Court is an important event, and Feyre, Rhys, and their family, prepare to celebrate what will be the first true Solstice celebration for some of them - namely those who have recently become High Fae. From all the descriptions in the book, Solstice is comparable to modern Christmas - which, let's face it, started out way back as a Solstice celebration. They decorate the house and eat a lot of food and give each other presents. It's Fae Christmas.

Initial Reaction

Until about 50 pages in, I wasn't too sure about this book. It seemed frivolous, even shallow by comparison to the massive tomes that were A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin. However, as I got further into it, I realized two things: first, that I needed that break from the heavy content of the previous two novels before diving in to the next one, and second, that there was a lot more going on in this novella than met the eye initially. Seeing the size of the book and knowing that Goodreads called it a "novella" and "book 3.1," I considered skipping it altogether - but I am very glad I did not. It was a fun read, and gave me some insight into characters we will be seeing a lot more of in the future.

What's Important?

Beware mild spoilers

The most important thing in this installment of the A Court of Thorns and Roses is the character development, specifically Nesta and Cassian, who will play a big role in the fourth novel, A Court of Silver Flames.

Nesta struggles with having been transformed against her will, and with the events of the war that happened in the previous novel. She is pushing everyone away, indulging in drinking and partying, and essentially just engaging in self-destructive behaviour. Feyre and Rhys try to get her to come to the Solstice celebrations, thinking they can reconnect with her that way.

Rating

I give A Court of Frost and Starlight 4 out of 5 stars, and a spice rating of 3 peppers.

4 out of 5 stars because, unlike the other A Court of Thorns and Roses books, it didn't hook me right away and didn't have the content that I was expecting, but in the end I enjoyed it.

Not as much spice in this one as there has been in previous installments, but still - watch out! It gets a little NSFW in some parts.

Thanks for joining me for this review of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas! My next post will be a non-review post. What do you want to see posts about? Book shelf, book journalling, book shopping? Let me know in the comments!!!