I think one of the first things that annoyed me was the early mentions of Nesta’s extreme weight loss but don’t worry kids it was equally made perfectly clear that her tits and ass are still great! (Insert my rolling eyes.)
Spoilers Below!
I think the first thing I should mention is if you’re in this one for the smut (no judgement I was too!) you won’t be disappointed. Much like her other books I’m still amazed anyone can get anything done around all the sex. The book is basically fighting and fucking.
So I broke this down the mixed bag of Maas, for better or worse, the Sins of the Hot Horny Fairy Saga:
Trauma Fetishization
This is weird because on the one hand I think she writes Nesta and her inner struggle really well and I like the stuff with Nesta’s friends who have their own trauma but than again like everything else…
She overdoes it so it starts to feel wrong almost.
And much like with Rhysand she rarely misses a chance to turn a woman’s trauma into something about Cassian (and his brothers) be it how great and woke Rhys is for trying to change these things or the fact that Cassian turns into a blood craving animal whenever he so much as thinks of a female characters trauma.
But Cassian, whom I swear I used to like, is either craving vengeance for some wrong, trying not to beat the shit out of allies or literally unable to contain himself at the worst moments while lusting after Nesta. There’s a scene early on in the book where he goes so off in a day dream about one of those things Lucien actually has to throw something at his head.
Also while I appreciated the training stuff and the idea of movement and finding control within yourself I do have to wonder how the Night’s Court honestly dealt with Nesta’s self-hate.
What Happened to Amren?
So I get that Amren was never particularly pleasant but honestly I never cared about her one way or another yet she’s so awful in this book.
There’s two separate scenes in particular the first where they want Nesta to scry for this exceedingly dangerous weapon and Amren doesn’t care that she’s terrified, what it might do to her mental health or anything else she’s just like, ‘yeah if she won’t will use Elain to force her to…’ and while we’re at it stop thinking it’s wrong Cassian.
And in the second after they learn Nesta’s powers make exceedingly powerful near mythological weapons she wants to destroy them, to never tell anything to Nesta about it and also…
For Rhys to use them to make himself High King.
And I swear to God I find these books fun in their own way but if this is all leading to that shit and his pointless boring wife becoming High Queen I’m out now.
Anyway the whole Amren stuff could have been more bearable (she’s a bitch) if it hadn’t ended with Nesta literally on her knees begging for her forgiveness for some slight!
Rhys Sucks
Yeah I know I’ve thought that for several books now. I had hoped since this wasn’t about him he’d be less annoying but no what does the Fae Prince of Wokeness do in this book:
Keep his pregnant wife behind a physical shield so even Cassian can’t kiss her on the cheek (Isn’t he so cute and protective? Ugh.)
Doesn’t tell her that the pregnancy will likely kill her.
Actually threatens to kill Nesta when she does tell her which leads to Cassian taking her on an enforced hike in which he makes her do all the carrying and refuses to speak to her for days until she finally passes out but hey it’s fine she cries and then they have sex and practice swordplay by a pretty lake.
And no actually the sex and the swordplay are not the same thing… although I suppose it could be.
I’ll give him a point for not falling for the whole High King thing (we know it will happen by acclimation or something come on…) but I’m taking away 3 for basically publicizing the sex with Feyre thing to Cassian in the beginning.
Night Court Acceptance Means You’re an Arrogant Asshole
So Nesta is presented and written as someone throughout this book whose pretty good at strategy at being a courtier and saying the right things so imagine my surprise at one point when she and Cassian are firmly together and they go to meet with a double agent whose helping them at great cost to himself.
And they make damn sure he learns their keeping him int he dark about things, that they will indeed give him up if they want, and pretty much act like asshole children without any thought to where it would go and egging each other on about it as well. The whole thing just felt weird and I was like am I supposed to think they’re idiots here? Probably not what Maas was attending.
And it goes about as well as you think.
Maybe the constant sex does actually take a toll on fae brains?
The Fake Deaths
This pretty much ruined the original series for me and too be fairy Feyre was only dying not actually dead but come on. Once again we’ve gone to this well where Nesta bargains to save her by giving up most of her power oh and she also bargains to change her own pelvis (cause Feyre’s baby had wings and Cassian’s likely would to) so she can have spawn herself.
Okay I’m torn on that one point. I mean on the one hand you’re turning into like the most powerful of fae that Amren and even Rhys are a bit scared of you and you’re going to give it all up for your sister and your pelvis on the other hand…
She and Cassian where having a ton of sex so it is thinking ahead. Plus it did have the benefit of Rhys actually like groveling and giving her a whole ton of stuff so I guess it’s not the worst deal.
So anyway A Court of Oversexed Idiots sorry Silver Flames was exactly what I thought it would be fun, easy, problematic and annoying but it did end my streak of bleh books. For good and for bad.
Recommend: Your call. Most people have already made up their minds on Maas but I will say if you are new to her I actually do think you can start with this book without having to bother with the other 3. They go over the main events plenty.
And all the above aside I do like Cassian and Nesta better than Rhys and Feyre.
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