ACOWAR Part 2-5

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Chapters 33-37

Spoilers

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Discussion

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Spoilers 🪽 Discussion 🪽

Cursebreaker

Questions

1. Now that we are halfway through the book, what are your thoughts on SJM writing so far? Have your opinions changed? What about the characters, and the plot?

Recap and Discussion

In the last chapter, Elain mentioned that the Queen MIGHT come, and that statement most definitely holds significant meaning for the unfolding plot. Elain is a seer, after all, which adds an intriguing layer to her character. However, what her specific role in driving the plot forward within the ACOTAR world hasn’t quite been revealed… yet! I can’t help but think that Elain would inherently know, without a shadow of a doubt, if this powerful queen were truly coming or not. It's my hope that she embraces her gift of sight from the Cauldron and evolves into a version of herself that is more reminiscent of the Elain we saw in ACOMAF.

Speaking of ACOMAF, near the thrilling conclusion of that adventure, our group found themselves at the Archeron’s new home, where they were brokering a deal, or attempting to at the very least, with the elusive queens from the mortal realm. There was a sixth queen who was not present at this crucial meeting due to her unfortunate illness. One of the queens, cautioned our party not to place their trust in the others, insisting that the absent queen was not sick at all. Now that Elain, has transformed into a Seer, the Night Court is finally privy to the shocking truth: the Queen is very much alive. The treachery of the other queens is staggering; they betrayed her, cursed her, and then callously sold her to someone Elain refers to as the sorcerer-lord. To add to the layers of intrigue, she is also the Firebird that Elain mentioned in some chapters back, stirring the pot of mystery further. This sorcerer-lord, it turns out, holds other girls captive, and he has set up residence by a lake. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Could it be that this sorcerer-lord is one of the three ominous Death Gods we’ve heard about from the Bone Carver?! Recall, during the events of reading session ACOWAR 2-3 we learn that the Bone Carver has two other siblings.We’ve met one sibling already, The Weaver. The other is their brother, Koschei. He was cunningly trapped by the powerful ancient fae warrior near the lake. Ooooo!! It’s about to go down!

The firebird queen’s name is Vassa, and let me tell you, Vassa is absolutely furious. Elain can hear her cries of rage. The members of the Night Court seem to believe that by freeing her from the clutches of the Sorcerer and lifting her curse, there’s a good chance she will become a much-needed ally in the impending war against the forces of Hybern. After quite a bit of back and forth about who would lead the charge to rescue her, Lucien, in a shocking twist, stepped up and volunteered for this daunting mission. I’m still not entirely sure what prompted this decision from him. Perhaps it’s a move to atone for his past betrayal? His bold offer to embark on this solo journey to find and free Queen Vassa certainly raised some eyebrows among the others. How? What makes Lucien think he can accomplish this important task? As it turns out, Lucien’s metal eye is not just a unique physical trait; it's magical! (I totally suspected this.) This exceptional ability makes him the perfect candidate for this quest, as his enchanted metal eye allows him to see through glamours and various spells. He should be able to see Queen Vassa through the curse, and quite possibly, he could break it.

Soon after Lucien departs from the Velaris, Amren rushes in to report a horrific development: Hybern has launched an attack on the Summer Court. In fact, the siege is happening right at this very moment! It’s worth noting that the Summer Court has a sizable bounty on the heads of the Night Court, which definitely complicates matters—so how did Amren manage to learn of the attack so swiftly? The answer, it seems, lies with Prince Varian. Rhys wastes no time in gathering his forces to race to the aid of the Summer Court. And so, off our party goes to Adriata to aid them in the battle, but not without a trademark snarky remark from Nesta, who, I am more than happy to point out, is conveniently staying behind this time. I’ve heard that during the gripping events of A Court of Silver Flames, readers come to understand and perhaps even love Nesta, but right now… she can eat a… Adriata. We are on our way back to Adriata, and the anticipation is thick in the air!

Photo Credit: Rokii

Prince Varian of the Summer Court.

Mor and Feyre are BAD ASS! I was honestly convinced that Feyre was going to somehow Slow Mor down in this fierce fight scene, but man, was I wrong! I think Feyre definitely owes Cassian a gift basket for all his hard work and dedication during their combat training sessions. Together, she and Mor winnowed into the Summer Court palace and dispatched all of Hybern’s soldiers. Once the palace was cleared, they took to the streets of Adriata. As the battle raged on, Feyre suddenly realizes that powers seem to be weaker than normal, almost as if they are being stifled. In a moment of desperation, Feyre reaches out to Rhysand for the very first time since they arrived. he took the chance allows her through his mental wards. Rhys has managed to pinpoint the source of the spell that was dampening their powers: the King of Hybern himself! All the while, Rhysand had suspected this could be a clever trap and yet, he went in anyway. His daring plan? To take the King of Hybern alive and hand him over to Azriel for him to break apart. But seriously, why is this man so utterly reckless?

King of Hybern

I’d heard that you were a charmer, Rhysand. Yet here you are, groping and pawing at me like a green youth.”

photo credit: Fantaysy Artworks

Rhysand’s intense confrontation with Hybern stretched far beyond the limits of my patience. I just knew that SJM was leading me down a path where I might be compelled to hurl this book into a fiery volcano in frustration. (I thought she was going to have Rhys kidnapped or killed). Rhysand attempted to penetrate the depths of Hybern's mind. He wanted to break him and hand him over to Azriel. A task that proved exceptionally challenging. Hybern and/or the potent spell that he had wrapped around him was exceedingly strong. Hybern didn’t hold back, mercilessly mocking Rhys with relentless jabs, particularly about Amarantha and Feyre, which made my heart ache. Feyre, in a mix of desperation and determination, begged Rhysand to kill him and be done with it. End the threat here and now. When he finally realized that he simply couldn’t break into Hybern’s mind, Rhys, attacked, but his furious blow passed straight through Hybern without so much as leaving a scratch. It became painfully clear that Hybern had been nothing more than an illusion this entire time. Before he vanished, Hybern promised Rhysand that this battle was just the beginning. With that, the dampener on everyone’s powers faded away, and in a dazzling display of magic, Rhysand turned them all into mist and then blew the ships to splinters in an explosive finale.

My Answers

1. At this point in the story, I feel like SJM borrowed heavily on biblical events, and those particular storylines don’t feel authentic to me. I had noticed several chapters back, when Amren was telling her tale of how she came to Prythian, and I immediately thought: Angel. More specifically, Fallen Angel. Then the story of Nephelle, which I might add sounds a lot like Nephilim, and her people and their exodus brought to mind, the parting of the red sea. I had finally smacked my lips and sucked my teeth when I got to the chapter after Hyberns’ Ravens attack in the library and Amren was hunting for other spies/enemies. When Feyre asked how she could tell who friend or foe was, Mor told her that friendlies painted their doors with blood or left cups of blood on the stoops as offerings. Any of this sound familiar? Passover anyone? This isn’t a negative for the book as a whole. I still love her writing and the realistic outcomes of the party’s decisions that SJM has incorporated in her writing. These are some seriously messed up situations they find themselves in and I can feel the mental toll it is taking on the characters. Every decision isn’t miraculously the correct one and everything falls into place. There are pros and cons to every decision our party makes.

   There are some points in the writing where I feel the plot stalls and the characters are in a holding pattern. I have a love/hate relationship with these parts of the story. I love the character development, the lead up to the movement of the plot, as well as the additional world building, but I hate how long it takes for everything to get moving.