A Court of Wings and Ruin: The Soap Opera Version

Part 2-2

Chapters 17-22

Spoilers

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Discussion

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Spoilers 🪽 Discussion 🪽

Cursebreaker

Questions

1. With Rhysand’s revelation about why Lucien wore the fox mask, do you think he is more dubious than he seems?

2. We know WHY Rhysand kept up the ruse about the Night Court, but in the long run, did it hurt their chances of gathering allies for the upcoming war?

3. Stepping away from plot and character questions, What do you think of SJM writing style? What do you appreciate about these books?

4. How do you think Feyre is handling the balancing of family and High Lady?

Not in the mood for reading today? Select the audio files to listen instead.

*Disclaimer: The audio files are informal recordings of snippets, notes, and reactions made during reading sessions.

Recap and Discussion

In the last part of the blog series, the Night Court decided that Feyre, Nesta, and Elaine could be the key the patching up the weak points in the wall that separates their world from the human realm. The most pressing question was: Will they be willing or in Elaine’s case capable of helping?

It’s dinnertime! Chapter 17 begins with our group gathering for a family dinner at the House of the Wind. (Where’s a funny Thanksgiving dinner meme when you need one.) 😁Elaine is MIA, Lucien is dressed to the nines, but utterly confused by the apparent disregard for dress code, and Nesta has everyone on edge. The only ones who seem unbothered by her is Amren and Cassian. Amren sees a kindred spirit in Nesta, and Nesta has no qualms about asking Amren the questions everyone else is too afraid to ask. Other than the fact that I think Cassian and Nesta are mates, I haven’t really come to a conclusion on their relationship and why they are constantly at each other’s throats and why, despite their constant bickering, Cassian can’t seem to stay away from her. Even still, I think Nesta fits right in.

Speaking of dinner, I laughed out loud when I recalled back in A Court of Mist and Fury, how Nesta bit Feyre’s head off when Feyre had the audacity to turn her nose up at the food Nesta served at the Manor. Now Nesta is forced to admit that Feyre had been right about how basic human food is.

Photo Credit: Storm @ Pinterest

“We are the same, you and I,” Amren said. I wasn’t sure I was breathing. Through the bond, I wasn’t sure Rhys was either. “Not in flesh, not in the thing that prowls beneath our skin and bones…” Amren’s remarkable eyes narrowed. “but…I see the kernel, girl.” Amren nodded, more to herself than anyone. “You did not fit-the mold that they shoved you into. The path you were born upon and forced to walk. You tried, and yet you did not, could not fit. and then the path changed.” A little nod. “I know - what it is to be that way. I remember it, long ago as it was.”

The conversation turns to the current plan of gathering all of the High Lords and to gauge which side they are leaning towards allying themselves with in the coming war. Tamlin included. We all know that because Tamlin is petty AF that he will show up just to talk shit to them all, right? Our group also has to go to the Court of Nightmares. They will need Keir’s Darkbringer legion, who according to Mor, were just as bad as the enemy during the last war. Mor, not crazy about the idea of asking her father for help, voices her concerns and things get heated at the dinner table. In an effort to change the subject, Feyre announced that she wants to learn how to fly. The still frame of everyone’s reactions that my imagination conjured up live rent free in my head until the end of time. It is HILARIOUS! 🤣 After composing his self, Azriel agrees to help train her. Feyre taking advantage of the course of the conversation turns her attention to Nesta asking for her help in closing the holes in the wall. Feyre believes that with training Nesta will be able to hone her new magical abilities. Amren points out that the Hewn City is full to bursting with magical objects that can be used in her training, and even offers up her assistance. Nesta agrees, but only if they promise to kill her enemies: The Queens from the human lands who betrayed them for immortality, and the Hybern King. I have the feeling that Tamlin and Lucien are pretty high on that list. Feyre agrees and, pushing her luck also decided to ask Nesta to provide testimony to her experiences with Hybern and the events at the conclusion of ACOMAF during the gathering of the high lords. When Nesta declined, Feyre pushed and regretted it.

None of us spoke as she left the dining room and slammed the door shut behind her. I slumped in my chair, resting my head against the back. Something thumped in front of me. A bottle of wine. “It’s fine if you drink directly from it,” was all Mor said.

Photo Credit: dreamworlddweller@instagram.com

Anyone else want to visit the library built beneath the house of the wind?

I wonder what monster lurks in its depths.

Rhysand’s character and its depth never ceases to amaze me. The “librarians” are priestesses who were harmed in one form or another. Rhysand had given them the library as refuge, to heal and regain some sense of normalcy after their tragic encounters. No one is granted access to the library without their approval. We also get more background on life for humans prior to the war. The libraries were full of ancient knowledge, humans were not allowed in unless they were a slave on an errand. The fae wanted to prevent humans from learning about magic. They were scared that the humans would find spells and use them on the fae. Feyre mentions that humans don’t possess the capabilities to wield magic. Rhysand tells her that there are some humans that can, and those humans can claim some distant Fae ancestors. Now the story starts to get deeper. Fae and humans procreated and a lot of the time it wasn’t consensual. When the wall went up the children suffered greatly, no matter what side of the wall they landed on. Foreshadow point number 1. Point number 2: There’s something/monster deep beneath the library.

Feyre and Rhysand find a lot of information about the wall, but mainly mixed stories about its creation, but nothing that can actually help them.

Rhys has accepted the fact, that he may have to shoulder the brunt of the war on his own. He will do anything and everything to make sure that his people and family are safe. In that moment Feyre realized just how much her world would suffer without Rhysand in it. I’m not sure how Feyre actually came up with the idea, but in an attempt to even the odds against Hybern, and to keep Rhysand from facing the upcoming war on his own, she decides that it could be a good idea to have the monsters on their side. One in particular. The Bone Carver. Rhysand, ever the supportive husband, agrees and sends her to the Prison with Cassian at her side.

At the close of chapter 22, Feyre and Cassian have arrived at The Prison, and are in conversation with the Bone Carver. There are a couple of jaw dropping revelations, which also leads to more questions. First, we know that the Bone Carver appears differently from one person to the next. Cassian went pale at whoever the Bone Carver projected to him. Feyre has finally put the pieces together and realized that who she is seeing is her and Rhysand’s son! I’m almost positive that I pin-pointed that when Feyre and Rhysand went to talk to the Bone Carver in ACOMAF. But there is also a possibility that I thought she was seeing a younger version of Rhysand. This also brings up another question for me. Does the Bone Carver have control over what people see or are they subconscious projections of the person looking at him? He would obviously know what they are seeing. And if he does have control over what they are seeing, is it knowledge he hears from the cauldron?

It is now that I am realizing that our part titles: Princess of Carrion, Cursebreaker, and High Lady, are coming from the Bone Carver. I am also still adamant that it is also things the Book of Breathings would say. Are they all of the same world? He also calls Feyre girl, which is also a word that Amren uses when speaking to women much younger than she is. Is she and the Carver from the same world as well? We also find out that the Bone Carver has a sibling trapped in the world with him. The Weaver of the Wood! He asks Feyre if she has stolen from her. What an oddly specific question to ask. That is going to show up again. Soon, I hope. 😁 The Carver began to taunt Cassian with promises of information about Nesta and what she has become after being forced into the Cauldron.

The Carver seems intrigued by Feyre’s proposition, and I am excited to see what he asks for in return for his help in the Hybern War.

The Bone Carver

“What did you wake that day in Hybern, Prince of Bastards?” My blood went cold. “What came out was not what went in.” A rasping laugh as the Carver laid the shar of bone on the ground beside him. “How lovely she is - new as a fawn and yet ancient as the sea. How she calls to you. A queen, as my sister once was. Terrible and proud; beautiful as a winter sunrise.”

My Answers

1. This question isn’t as straightforward as I thought it was when I asked it. I actually looked up symbolism for the fox. It says that foxes are associated with cleverness, slyness, creativity, and charm. But they also represent trickery, deceit, manipulation, and protection. I don’t think Lucien is dubious, but I do think he can be all of these things if the circumstances call for them, and when his friends and found families need him.

2. I think not. At the beginning of the book, there were a couple of characters, Jurian as one example that remember Rhysand before and during the war, who find the rumors hard to believe. They remember Rhysand as being a really good male. But even if they do believe the rumors, I think they would choose to side with Rhysand during war than have Hybern rule. Especially after Amarantha.
   

3. I like SJM’s writing style. In fact, I think I love it. The plot and characters are intricate and have depth which is something that I tend to rate harshly on my book reviews. I appreciate that, as morbid as it may sound, that there are realistic consequences, rewards, and/or outcomes to the decisions and situations our characters are in. For example, what came after Under the Mountain. They all had to deal with the PTSD. They all didn’t come out and live happily ever after. Another example taken from events in ACOWAR, Elaine and Nesta did not come out of the cauldron perfect, and even though Feyre can conjure wings, still has to learn how to use them, and it is a LOT of hard work.
   

4. At this point in the story, I don’t think she’s doing too well. Not because she isn’t capable, but because it is still new. We see this with her exchange with Nesta at the dinner table. She grapples between High Lady and sister. Nesta is her elder, and in this case Feyre may have yielded the argument to Nesta. But now that Feyre is High Lady, she outranks Nesta, and could have commanded her to do the task.