This one was definitely my favourite of the series. I don't know if I will read further books if they come out. This is not high art literature but it is immensely entertaining and fabulously erotic, if terribly hetronormative (don't get me started on the tokenistic queer characters). Lack of gender and sexuality diversity aside, Maas writes a bloody good sex scene. This particular novel's story really appealed to me because Nesta is such a spiky character. Her "journey" is a predictable one but I had a great time on the ride so I'm forgiving that. ( )

My favourite of all the ACOTAR books (thus far). A Court of Silver Flames centres on mostly Nesta, the eldest and coldest of the Archeron sisters, following her trauma from previous events which has caused her to shut herself away from the world, even more than before. Tall, dark and handsome (not to mention hilarious and flirtatious) Cassian brings her out of her shell by training her daily and unveiling more about his own dark past until eventually the two share a very strong bond. Nesta also meets priestess Gwyn and female Illyrian Emerie who have their own traumas that they are overcoming. War has returned, and Nesta decides to train the priestesses so they can defend themselves, as Valkyries reborn. Not only is this book about the power of friendship, love conquering all but there are deeper, touching aspects of self-awareness, forgiveness, redemption and healing.

Honourable mentions in this book have got to be firstly the ball when Nesta dances, need I say any more? And then when Cassian goes to visit Nesta to give her the Winter Solstice gift. I was screaming, giggling and kicking my feet reading it that I had to read that chapter again! Like um hello, a man customising a Symphonia with music that he knew you'd love, just for you to listen and dance to whenever you wish? I'd swoon - and marry that man! Cassian is the standard in men.

The interesting part of this is that so far the books have been written in first person, from Feyre's point of view. This one is the first of which to use third person, with insight into both Nesta and Cassian's point of view, which is something I prefer. It gave an interesting viewpoint of looking at the characters such as Rhysand without looking through Feyre's rose-tinted lenses and overall bias.

I was looking forward to this story the most because of Cassian (of course), though was skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy this because I have never been sure whether or not I could like Nesta. I could not have been more wrong. I have never resonated so much with a character in my life: her struggles, the depths of her despair, but her resilience to keep getting up and keep going, against all odds. This is THE best ACOTAR book. The only unbelievable thing (yes even in a fantasy book) is the wingspan and being able to go down 10,000 steps - and back up! ( )

This was definitely not as good as the first three. It focused more on Nesta and wasn’t my favorite ( )

If you’d asked me what character I’d like to do a deep dive on, Nesta wouldn’t have come up on my list. I really enjoyed her story regardless, even though Feyre is my favorite, she did deserve a break. I liked who Nesta made herself. I definitely had more questions about what’s next and I hope there will be more books (even if they won’t fit in my boxed set). ( )

5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
Am I a little biased? Well, Nesta is my comfort character.. that being said though, she was not my comfort character before this book! I heard a quote somewhere on Booktok: "You probably don't like Nesta if you've had to deal with a Nesta, but if you love Nesta it's probably because you are a Nesta" and I think that summarizes it great. Not everyone is going to understand her and that's okay, but don't write her off before reading this book because it explains so much of 1. what's happening in her head and 2. how she gets better! Those moments are the best in this book, her journey to healing and becoming a warrior.

Does this book have detailed sex scenes in it? 100% it does
Is this book a harlequin or smut book? absolutely not and I get tired of people saying it is. Do not be afraid to read this book because you think it's just a romance novel. There are so many resources if you want to skip those chapters too.

Also, to the reviewers that were bummed it didn't seem like a good book to end the series on, this is not the end of the series! So don't worry about high expectations of plot coming to an end. There's still House of Flame and Shadow which is a crossover in the Crescent City series, and SJM has confirmed THREE more ACOTAR books are coming! So there you go :) ( )

Still not a fan of Nesta. ( )

This is a solid 3.5.

What a shame that such a well-written romance-drama is bogged down with fantasy clichés. I’m exhausted by another installment of zero-stakes writing—the war, threats of war, Maas-ian super villains amounting to nothing.
But, man, the character writing shines here. Nesta and Cassian are so superbly round, real, personal, especially when compared to the caricatures of fantasy protagonists Feyre and Rhysand.

This is easily the best book in the series (so far). I pretty much read the series to get to this book (my colleagues talked this specific book up so much, and I’m happy I made it this far), and whether or not I continue the series from here is dependent upon whoever the focus is in the next book. Lucien? Snooze. Elain? Snooze. Azriel? I will be there! ( )

At first, I thought I did not need this! I mean who cares about this sister? But once I got in it was worth it. The multiple different storylines it covers for her come together really well. The only thing that I did not like was the main character big news being a side story. ( )

Well, I don't hate Nesta anymore! Turns out I never did! Probably because I am a total Nesta. For all of the dark sections of this book, it was so uplifting. It was awesome to have a new group of Valkyries form, bringing Nest and her friends healing, power and strength in their ass-kickery.

I loved reading from Cassian's perspective. I love the three brothers - can't get enough of them which leads me to . . . GIVE ME AZ ALREADY NOW PLZ!!!

My biggest complaint (outside of SJM writing cringe) is if I have to read "like seeks like" one more time I am going to puke (which is apt considering how vomit is almost a side character through-line for SJM's series). ( )

Half of this I adored and half of it I felt super frustrated by! Anyways I love Nesta and think she's one of the best characters in this series. Rhys is on my s*** list. ( )

Sarah J Maas did not disappoint. She tells Nesta and Cassians stories beautifully and if you weren't fans of them in the beginning, you will be by the end of the book! ( )

Another chocolate biscuit feast. Not much plot, lots of angst and lots of sex. Sometimes you just want your brain to have a rest and a romantasy (as they are now called) is just what is needed. I'm still not a massive fan of Cassian - I just don't think he's clever enough for Nesta but heigh ho. Based on SJM's previous series being 7 books, I'm guessing the next one will be Elain's romance with someone? and then final book will be the big fight against the magician etc. ( )

Dit boek vertelt het verhaal van Nesta en Cassian.
Nesta is volledig de weg kwijt na de oorlog met Hybern.
Ze drinkt haar pijn weg op kosten van het hof.
Als laatste optie besluit het hof dat ze elke dag zal moeten trainen met Cassian en moet werken in de bibliotheek om haar gedrag goed te maken of terug moet naar de mensenwereld.
Nesta kiest voor de training en het werk in de bibliotheek.
Naarmate het verhaal vordert merk je dat er iets moois bloeit tussen Cassian en Nesta.
Opnieuw wordt het hof bedreigt deze maal door de mensenkoninginnen.
Nesta zal opzoek moeten gaan naar een speciale schat die enkel zij en haar zus kunnen aanroepen omdat zij gemaakt zijn.
Nesta weet de schat te vinden en te gebruiken en zo iedereen te redden.


( )

I really don't think I have fully comprehended the fact that I am finished with this series. This book in particular held such a gorgeous story and character development that truly hit me emotionally in all of the right places.

Nesta's story of guilt, shame, and grief, reflects a deeper psychological battle that I feel is not often shown in fantasy novels. The journey of healing and self-discovery that she goes on, not only independently but also with her friends and family had me sobbing at the end of the story. There is an ability for readers to conduct their own self-reflection and acceptance of their own personal darkness that is assisted by the writing style and characters developed by SJM.

I struggle to find the words to describe how much this whole story and this whole world means to me. I could write essays on how much I have loved existing in this world in my head. ( )

I loved all the books in the ACOTAR series so far, so when I heard Nesta would be getting her own book I was equal parts excited to return to this world and concerned about her as the main character. It turns out, I was right to be concerned, but for the wrong reasons. Nesta Archeron as a protagonist actually ended up being the thing I enjoyed most in what was an otherwise disappointing and underwhelming read.

At the start of the book, Nesta is a shadow of her former self, as she has seemingly lost all interest in life and passes her nights getting drunk in seedy taverns and sleeping with strangers. Nesta is clearly struggling to cope in the aftermath of the war with Hybern and all the trauma of being transformed into High Fae, going through a war and the violence and death that follows. Always a difficult person, her anger, venom and need to lash out at everyone around her seem to now have increased tenfold as she struggles to fit in with the rest of the Inner Circle.

Here is also where my problems with the book started. One of my main sources of disappointment was the way characters I had loved in previous books suddenly seemed completely changed in the way they relate to Nesta and push her to change her behaviour and, ultimately, herself. Rhys, Amren and Mor (for the short time she's actually around) seem nothing like the supportive, understanding characters who helped Feyre recover from her trauma and reach her full potential in previous books.

Now, were Nesta's coping mechanisms for dealing with trauma healthy? No. Should trauma be used to justify her behaviour and nastiness towards others? Also no. Is any of this a good reason for the Inner Circle to constantly belittle, body shame and slut-shame Nesta? Absolutely not. In particular, Mor's suggestion that Nesta should be sent to the Court of Nightmares for engaging in activities that were harmful to no one but herself (and Rhys' wallet), when Mor herself had been punished by her awful family for doing something not all that different actually enraged me. And this is all without even getting into Rhys' own patronising and controlling behaviour, both towards Nesta and towards Feyre, which would make this review way too long.

I also can't get over the fact that so much hostility towards Nesta is ostensibly rooted in her behaviour towards Feyre while they were in the mortal world, but none of it is extended to Elain, who was guilty of the exact same thing. Both of them were older than Feyre, and neither of them did anything at all to help her save them from starvation. Yet, for some reason, all is forgiven for poor, sweet, innocent, hypocritical, manipulative Elain but Nesta must atone for her sins and be punished for her past inactions. Elain is easily the character I dislike the most, in case you were wondering.

Despite all this, I did like the way Nesta's character grows and develops throughout the book. Her journey towards healing and self-acceptance is not an easy one, but it was great to see her persevere and find her place in the world. I loved the whole "Valkyrie" element and her friendship with Gwyn and Emerie, two characters I wish we'd seen more of throughout. Cassian was also great, and I loved how supportive he was of Nesta. I also liked having the dual POV, even though Cassian's inner voice sounds more like that of a horny teenager than a centuries-old, mature male.

Which brings me to my next big issue with this book. There was way too much smut. Now, I don't have a problem with sex scenes in general and I do appreciate them when they're well-written and add depth to the book. Here, however, it was just too much for my taste and I found most of the scenes to be repetitive, with ACOTAR's signature mix of growling, purring, roaring, etc. being repeated again, and again, and again... The plot was virtually non-existent for the majority of the book, as over half of it is Nesta training, shelving books and having sex. What little plot there was felt rushed, and most elements were predictable and/or deeply unrealistic within the world of the book.

I'm sorry, but I just can't get on board with Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie beating all the Illyrians in the Blood Rite after training for a few months, when the males have been training for the Rite their whole lives. I'm all for female empowerment in books, but it has to make sense.

Overall, I was entertained and did enjoy the book (and I will definitely read the next in the series), but I was very disappointed by it, probably because my expectations were too high. Despite its length, I was left wanting more, in terms of characters but also plot-wise. The pacing and editing felt off, I almost forgot the villains existed, and there were also way too many elements that for me were problematic. I ended up really liking and rooting for Nesta, a character I had always found difficult, and so ultimately it was worth reading for me even though it didn't live up to the previous chapters in the series.

CW: this book contains mentions of abuse, rape, violence, explicit sexual content, death, grief, trauma, addiction, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, body shaming.

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought. ( )

When picking up this book I was slightly dreading going from our High Ladies perspective to Nesta's, however this quickly became my favorite book in the series.

Nesta is a complex lead right off the bat, not a likable one, but complex. You spend a good chunk of the book at first feeling frustrated for her and aligning with the rest of the court as they try and get her to shape up. However slowly as Nesta allows herself to process her own trauma you start to see it as well. Nesta is for those with trauma and self-hate, she is a reflection of those who have looked at the world and thought it would be better off without them in it and yet somehow came out the other side and chose life.

The rest of the characters flesh out the world and the new perspective allows us to see them outside the ideas Freye holds of them. The world building in this book is clearly leading into something big and setting up all the players.

A great read that kept me hooked. ( )

One of my favorites of the series. I enjoyed that this book focused more on Nesta and how much she developed as a person and I was glad to see her get a better ending than in the other books. I do feel like the ending was a little rushed though and there are quite a few open endings in the other characters' stories and seems like it was left open for another book down the road ( )

Oh my goodness. I couldn’t wait for this since I finished ACOWAR. This was so worth the wait!
I want to give it more than 5 stars! ( )

This is the 5th installment in the fantasy series started with A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Quite a few graphic sexual scenes that I could have done without.
I just started skipping over them because, okay, I got the gist that they were happening, now lets just get back to the OTHER parts of the tale.
The sub plots themselves are satisfying. However, this installment did not read like the end of the series. Definitely need resolution(s) on the storylines of several major characters. I can envision 1 or 2 more books in the series. ( )

Explicit sexual content, profanity and violence

Where do I even start with this book?

My initial, and probably final, reaction to this book is disappointment. I did not have high expectations for this book and apparently those low expectations were too high.

I am not a fan of Nesta and I’m still not but that isn’t why I’m so disappointed by this book. I am well aware that this is an adult novel but the sex overshadowed the entire plot for the first 500 pages.

Most of the first 3/4 of the book was sex. There was some plot, but not enough. And the parts that had actual plot progression in them were so rushed they held no weight at all. I think that everything happened to Nesta too conveniently and she just “happened” to find certain things way to easily.

Finally we get to the last 200 pages, and SO many things happen. The plot finally gets going. Good (and horrible) things happen to the characters and there are a lot of amazing and tender moments that happen. But they are squashed into 200 pages while the majority of the book is just a bunch of horrible writing.

I expected more from this book. I was looking for the amazing, complex, “gets you right in the feels” writing from Sarah and it’s just not here. Maybe for a brief moment in the last 50-75 pages you get that kind of writing, but for the most part it’s just not there. ( )

I loved this book the first time I read it, and after the second time, I'm pretty sure it's my favorite book in the series so far. (Which is a bit odd, given that its main characters are secondary characters in the previous four books... I can just relate to Nesta in more ways than Feyre maybe? Still not sure, but maybe I'll figure it out on my next re-read.) ( )

Rating: 3.5/5 ( )

Love Nesta! ( )

Why is this book even a thing? And why is the plot such a drag / weak? Petition to rename this as. : The many health benefits of training. ( )