Solstice Shadows & Silent Scars
Day 1
Chapters 1-7
Welcome to our first day of the A Court of Frost and Starlight buddy read! We’re diving into chapters 1–7, where winter winds stir old wounds, new tensions, and the quiet ache of healing. Whether you’re here for the emotional unraveling, the political intrigue, or the solstice shopping drama, there’s something for every kind of reader in these opening chapters.
Let’s break it down, chapter by chapter:
The Longest Night Begins: Feyre’s POV
The story opens in the aftermath of war, with Velaris slowly stitching itself back together. It’s been two years since Feyre’s fateful journey into the woods. The day she killed Andras and set everything in motion. Now, winter returns, and with it, the solstice and Feyre’s 21st birthday. There was a time when the beginning of winter meant something different for her and her family.
Elain still lives at the townhouse. Nesta, ever distant, has her own apartment across the city. Lucien, too, has found solitude by the river. Everyone is scattered, yet tethered by invisible threads of grief, guilt, and hope.
Velaris Shadows & Windhaven Storms: Rhysand’s POV
Nesta’s apartment? In one of the worst neighborhoods in Velaris. Despite Rhys offering her Feyre’s old job (with a generous salary), and several others afterwards, she’s declined every offer. Why? What is she holding onto, or running from?
Meanwhile, at Windhaven, Cassian is locked in a battle of wills with Lord Devlon over training protocols for Illyrian girls. The war may be over, but dissent simmers. Many Illyrians believe their battlefield assignments were punishment for past mistreatment of Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel.
Rhys wears his crown with grace, but inside, something is cracking. Joy feels borrowed. Love feels too good to last. And he wonders if the peace he’s trying to build is just another illusion waiting to shatter.
Ashes Beneath Ramiel: Cassian’s POV
Cassian takes to the skies, leaving Windhaven behind. On his way to his final destination he flies toward Ramiel, the sacred mountain that is the heart of the Night Court. It’s more than a landmark. It is the insignia of Rhysand’s family, and its the final Illyrian trial that Rhysand, Cassian, and Azrial passed all those years ago.
His flight ends at the ruins of his birthplace, a village he razed in fury. The same place where his mother was brutalized and discarded.
There’s no ceremony in this chapter. No fanfare. Just a warrior standing in the ashes of his origin, haunted by the cost of survival and the silence that follows justice.
Shattered Rainbows & Solstice Secrets: Feyre’s POV
Feyre wanders through the Rainbow, the vibrant heart of Velaris, and her favorite place in the city, now marred by memory. A storefront catches her eye. Its windows fractured, its walls still bearing the scars of Hybern’s attack. The owner didn’t survive. The space is for sale, but the grief still lingers in the air like dust. Even in a city rebuilding, loss is never far.
We also learn that Amren and Varian continue their slow-burning romance, still unofficial, still simmering beneath the surface. And Rhys’s relationship with the Winter Court? It’s thawing, like ice melting under a reluctant sun.
While shopping for Amren’s solstice gift, Feyre is intercepted by Mor, who delivers a tradition wrapped in dread: they’re heading to the Court of Nightmares.
Eris will be there. How chummy has he and Keir become? The solstice may be a time for celebration, but in the Night Court, even joy comes cloaked in shadows.
Bone Carver Whispers & Birthday Dread: Feyre’s POV
Rhys hasn’t eaten all day, and Feyre is done watching him burn himself out for everyone but himself. She insists, no, demands that he pause, breathe, and care for the body that carries so much weight.
But what begins as a moment of concern spirals into something deeper. Their conversation drifts into the topic of cycles. Feyre’s, now biannual and brutal, a cruel reminder of her altered body and the magic that reshaped her.
The mention of her cycle stirs a memory: the Bone Carver, who once appeared to her as her son. When is that going to happen? Fae children are rare. I supposed now I know why. If you only have a cycle twice a year it could be terribly difficult to conceive.
And then, the question that I don’t think the answer has been revealed in the previous books. Why does Feyre hate her birthday? While I’m waiting for the answer, Rhys has the perfect response:
“You were born on the longest night of the year. You were meant to be at my side from the very beginning.”
The Court of Nightmares & the Ghosts That Follow: Morrigan’s POV
Eris is here. Of course he is.
The Court of Nightmares lives up to its name, and Morrigan walks through it with ghosts clinging to her every step.
Eris stands beside her father, Keir—smug, unreadable, and all too familiar. The memory comes to her easily: skewered and bleeding, left at the border of the Autumn Court. I half expected this to be Eris’s redemption arc. It isn’t. Not yet.
Eris tells Rhysand that Beron is eyeing expansion into human lands and casually deflects responsibility to Tamlin whose border lies closest.
Beron wants power.
But Mor? Mor just wants to breathe without choking on the past. There’s something about having both Eris and Keir in the same room that gives her pause. The air thickens. Her fear isn’t just a memory. It’s present, alive, clawing at her throat.
Mor stands in the heart of her trauma, surrounded by the very men who carved it into her bones. And still, she does not break. Not in front of them, at least.
Fractured Borders & Unspoken Names: Rhysand’s POV
Eris drops a quiet bomb: Tamlin may be neglecting his borders.
Rhysand sees the cracks forming and decides to make the journey to the Spring Court himself. It’s not diplomacy he dreads. it’s Tamlin. The visit will be tense, brittle. Rhys would sooner rip off Tamlin’s head than shake his hand, but peace demands restraint. For now.
Azriel may have uncovered the source of Illyrian unrest, and he wants to resolve it in the most Illyrian way possible, but Rhys isn’t looking for bloodshed. Those warriors might be needed again soon. The mortal queens are still out there, still a threat. And speaking of queens; Feyre’s village never had one. So, Jurian has stepped in, claiming the Greysen estate as his seat of power. A strange twist, but a necessary one I suppose.
Still, the shadows are stirring. Bryaxis is missing. It never returned to the pit after the war. A creature bound by bargain, now vanished. How strong must it be to simply… disregard the terms?
And Azriel? He’s off to Rosehall. To see her. Whoever she is. Wherever that is.
Meanwhile, the air around Cassian remains volatile.
Nesta’s name is a landmine. Despite everything that passed between them during the battle with Hybern, everyone walks on eggshells when she’s mentioned. Especially around him.
And one more Solstice update: Lucien has returned to the Spring Court for the holiday at Tamlin’s request.
Which is laughable, really.
The last time Lucien visited, he came back with a split lip and a black eye.
So… cheers to holiday traditions?
Final Thoughts: The Solstice Is Just Beginning
Chapters 1–7 have laid the groundwork for a season of tension, tenderness, and tangled truths. From Feyre’s quiet grief to Mor’s haunted strength, from Cassian’s ashes to Nesta’s silence. Every thread is pulling us deeper into the heart of the Night Court.
Whether you’re here for the psychoanalysis, the political intrigue, or the emotional chaos that is Solstice dinner, this buddy read is your space to reflect, react, and unravel alongside the characters we love (and sometimes want to throttle).
So let’s talk.
What moment hit you hardest?
Which storyline do you want more of?
Who’s your emotional wildcard this Solstice?
Join the discussion in the comments, tag your reactions with #ACOFASBuddyRead, and don’t hold back. Every dramatic gasp, every quiet ache, every theory - I want it all.
