"Whilst ACOMAF will always remain elite, ACOSF is superior in my eyes.

Yeah, I said it. 🤷🏾‍♀��

Especially in terms of the mental health representation.
Especially in terms of character study and growth.

And the girls that get, absolutely fuckin�� get it!

Nesta’s arc was incredibly well done. I really fuckin�� like that she wasn’t likeable.

We get a lot of heroes that are as much of a dick as Nesta is. And they easily get a pass.

Well, I wanna see more dickish women in my stories.

This is a book that will always have value to me and it was far, far better the second time round.

It’s equally exhilarating and unnerving to see yourself so well represented within a character. Many things about Nesta made sense to me.

The negative self-talk, the toxic mentality, her viciousness and cold-hearted nature felt deeply relatable.

Her depression is relatable!

She had an armour of the biggest kind and it was impenetrable.

Nesta is a character that’s unique.
You have either experienced her in some capacity or you cannot relate and thus, do not understand.

Her pain was painted vividly, it was jarring.
There’s no saving someone that’s in the business to self-destruct and it was conveyed beautifully, albeit depressing to read.

At the same time, it felt healing to be surrounded by all of her.

I love Sarah J. Maas for writing this story. ♥️

CW: depression, suicidal ideation, sexual assault, loss of a parent, grief, parental abuse.


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🔥 ORIGINAL REVIEW 🔥

"So Nesta became 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."

Just out of respect for this book, I feel like I should be going through a mourning phase, sit with this story a little while longer and let it simmer, rather than trying to move on. I can't even begin to tell you how much of a therapeutic reading experience this was.
It had all the SJM trademarks, great friendships, great emphasis on found families, great character development, and even greater sex. Of course.

I'd call this Part 2 to A Court of Mist and Fury. It echoes that book very much in terms of the themes discussed, i.e. depression and going through the process of healing from trauma, which she very much highlights is never linear.

With Nesta that depression took on a different, more aggressive form:
�� Nesta is a stone-cold bitch. I relate.
�� Her anger was fierce. I relate.
�� She pushed people away with her attitude. On purpose. I relate.
�� Lack of self-worth. I relate.
�� Extreme discomfort to emotions so anger is the easiest option. I relate.

Do we see a pattern developing here?

”Did she count–was she worth being counted? It was the question that sent everything crumpling inside her.��

She had every right to be one (anyone that has carried this much anger and depression on their shoulders knows how much this weighs you down and debilitates you), though I initially hated how her anger would attack anyone that remotely showed any care. But your circumstances shape you. Trauma leaves an imprint. Hurt people hurt people. She was trapped in a vicious cycle of self-loathing and hatred and grief and it took a tremendous toll on her mental well-being. All due to her dysfunctional childhood, her body being invaded without permission and being thrust into a world she was conditioned to hate.

I could write essays on Nesta’s character. I adore what Sarah J Maas did with this. There was so much attention to detail when it came to Nesta’s overall well-being, all which attributed to her growth and healing and it blew me away. It became about the little things, celebrating the small growths, embracing setbacks and moving forward in your own way and your own time.

This is very much a character driven book, which is probably why I loved it so much. I’ll take that over plot any day, especially when it’s done well. However, there is a plot present. The world-building become even more epic in this book. It was so much more solid, since it was built upon from the other books in the series. I mean, that House? I want one!

I didn’t want this book to end �� it could’ve been longer. This almost felt like an extensive prologue. We just got to see the cusp of her capabilities as Nesta and I’m craving more of her. It was incredible to see her personality come forth and shine through, behind all the layers she hid behind for so, so long.

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TITLE! 😭😭😭😭 I can’t believe we get to go back to this world again soon. And be with these characters.

MY EMOTIONS!"