Level: Adult
Recommended Age: 18+
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Competition, Drama, Family, Magic, Sisters
Mature Content:

  - Graphic sexuality: Multiple detailed sex scenes, along with examples of sexism and one description of rape.

  - Mature violence: Multiple scenes with physical attacks, with details of killing and torture.

  - Mature language: Many uses of profanity and F bombs. Detailed scenes exploring self hatred, depression, and PTSD.

“So Nesta had become a wolf. Armed herself with invisible teeth and claws, and learned to strike faster, deeper, more lethally. Had relished it. But when the time came to put away the wolf, she’d found it had devoured her too.”

Nesta Archeron is the sister of Feyre Cursebreaker, now made Fae. But she didn’t come out of the Cauldron unscathed, and the power she stole is threatening to destroy her from the inside out. As Nesta trains to control her new abilities, she has to face herself, her decisions, and her past in order to accept her new life. With a steamy Illyrian romance of her own, and a band of Valkyrie warriors in training, Nesta’s continuation of this world of Fae is just as stunning and enlightening as its predecessors.

Review:

“I am worthless and I am nothing, Nesta nearly said. She wasn’t sure why the words bubbled up, pressing on her lips to voice them. I hate everything that I am. And I am so, so tired. I am tired of wanting to be anywhere but in my own head.”

I’ve been waiting for years to read Nesta’s story and it did not disappoint. She’s easily irritable, extremely confrontational, and thoroughly self-destructive. She’s hard on everyone, especially herself. This is a low point in her life, where she’s lashed out at the people she loves and torn apart any healthy relationship. Without her mortality, family, or friends, Nesta really simmers in her rage and trauma.

What I really love about this book is how the author uses Nesta’s journey to healing as a way to explore her own struggles with mental illness. Nesta is so utterly destroyed, struggling with depression and self-loathing and PTSD. But manages to push herself out of it, with huge help from her family. And while I know everyone’s mental health journey is different, this one really resonated with me and my experiences.

Nesta has to push herself through physical challenges and get back into shape before she can emotionally face her past. It’s not a matter of “I found a cute boy and now all my problems are gone” it’s more of a celebration of how the people in our lives can help guide us to healing if that’s truly what we want for ourselves.

I absolutely love Nesta’s temper, her snarky snarling is so funny and clever. Her insecurities are relatable and often lead to good learning experiences as she works through her self-perception. She offers more insights on their mother, which was really interesting. And she is an incredible dancer, with the grace and control of a queen. I see many similarities between Nesta and Celaena, with their tempers, confidence, and violent sass.

Most of all, I love the female friendships in this book. Without Gwyn and Emerie, this book would not have hit quite so deep. The three of them have suffered, but now they are together and helping each other become stronger. Their bond is breathtaking and shows the importance of girls bonding together. I hate the trope of an alpha female/popular girl who has to take everyone down. Girls need to look out for each other, and that’s a big part of this book.

There is graphic violence and sex, as well as descriptions of torture, abuse, and rape. This is definitely Adult, not Young Adult. Maas’s writing has not only aged up, it has matured. Comparing this book to the first in the series is almost shocking. Maas has truly built an entire world over this four book series, and pieced together a fantasy that is gorgeous and breathtaking. And while this book does have moments that make more sense after reading the first three books, it does focus on a different character. So starting with this book instead of backtracking will offer spoilers and maybe some confusion but isn’t impossible. So far there is news of two more books in this series, focused on other side characters like Mor and Azriel. However, it might take a while since the author is also currently writing another series, Crescent City .