Well, this one certainly was a ride for me. Nesta, though a strong character, has never been my favorite. She always rubbed me as the prideful, toxic, witch. And I’m using witch here, but know when I say it I actually am meaning B*tch.
And yes, that’s capitalized on purpose.
When I learned that A Court of Silver Flames was Nesta’s story, I wasn’t super excited if I’m being honest. I figured it was going to be this back and forth of Nesta being Nesta, hung up on her father’s death for some reason, with some romance thrown in. And this was all true, but as much as Nesta’s story didn’t surprise me, I’d say there was a much smaller but impactful portions that did.
This will be a spoiler free review of A Court of Silver Flames but events and characters from previous books may be mentioned in detail.
Synopsis
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forced a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing- in each other’s arms.
A Court of Silver Flames
What I Loved
A New Face for Trauma
In A Court of Thorns and Roses, and even a bit in A Court of Mist and Fury we get to see the trauma of physical demands and hardships, of years of taught prejudice with Feyre. Emaciated, and angry Feyre Archeron enters Prythian, only to be caged by the one she had loved and sacrificed. Then we get to watch her go through that loss to find herself and love again.
But here, in Silver Flames, we get to see that inner trauma. That PTSD from past events. The real darkness. The type that most of us in the real world have endured if not once, but many times, maybe even daily.
Loss effects everyone differently. And we get a very vivid picture with Nesta. She is at war within herself, for the losses she has suffered, not only of family but of identity. No one is safe from the anger and fear she has toward herself, that often flares and lashes out at anyone near her.
Her journey through this darkness is rough, and often frustrating as a reader. But it’s a worthwhile journey. We’ve all been there at some point, if not still on it ourselves, and I think this book offers quite a lot honestly for relatability in this area in particular.
Spice Level
Though romance and intimate scenes have appeared in almost every book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, someone turned the oven to broil in A Court of Silver Flames.
There are many, and they are detailed.
It’s eluded to in the Frost and Starlight novella that Nesta is into romance novels…
//cough// smut //cough//
If you are a fan of romance, of smut verging on erotica, I think you will appreciate the spice level of this novel. Little is behind “closed doors” and most is front and center. It’ll definitely leave you looking around to see who could be watching you read.
Consider yourself warned.
Things Made
Throughout this series, there has been a theme of things or people being Made with a capital M. By magic, by the Cauldron, by the ancients, etc.
Kind of tying into that initial paragraph of what I loved about this book, the trauma our main character Nesta faces, she also battles with the fact that she has been Made.
This is not a spoiler. At the end of book two, A Court of Mist and Fury, both Nesta and Elain are forced into the Cauldron only to be Made into High Fae. Each sibling deals with this transition in their own way, but it’s quite clear even then that Nesta and Elain take this the hardest compared to Feyre.
Having lost her identity as a human, we get to watch Nesta figure out what it means for her to have been Made. We also get to meet new characters and get reacquainted with some familiar faces. Many of which have had their own history of being “made” into something different than they were originally.
Won’t go into depth, but I like the idea that if something can be made capital M or not, can then not something be re-made?
Just a thought.
Bonding Through Books
It’s not a surprise to anyone who’s read the previous books that Nesta is a reader. As mentioned above she enjoys the occasional romance novel. So it was a fun, and lighter note to this book when some friendly bonding occurs over the shared love of reading.
I love books about books. So sue me.
It’s just another thing that made this book relatable to me. I personally love ranting about a book or series with my friends. We can go on for hours. So, to see similar scenes played out in this book warmed my heart.
What I Didn’t Love
Nesta
Let me start by saying she does redeem herself in my eyes. But it takes a long time to happen, and the rollercoaster we’re sent on to get to that point, is infuriating. At least it was to me.
I read Silver Flames on the Kindle App and I have soooo many notations/highlights of times Nesta just right pissed me off. That may make me sound insensitive and if so, so be it.
In A Court of Wings and Ruin I came around to Nesta. I knew she was a complex character, and had her issues, but she came through for the team in that book. Then at the end of it, their dad dies, and she takes it particularly hard. So hard that in Frost and Starlight we see her revert to her prime b*tchy self.
I found myself saying, “What a b*tch” and “Get over yourself” more times than I care to count.
That being said, Maas did a superb job with her. A bad character is one who does nothing for you, makes you feel nothing etc. Nesta definitely made me feel something. I did not like her through most of this book, her attitude and how she treated others, but Maas still made me feel even if it was anger and frustration. So in that regard, well done.
She still pissed me off more than I liked for as long as a book as it was.
Treasure Hunts
This may be a slight spoiler without much detail. So if you don’t want even a whiff of one you need to skip this little segment and go to “Lack of Consequence – Part Two” directly below.
I know it makes for a good adventure, but this book has a similar treasure hunt theme as past books. It also may be that I read these books in rapid succession.
Okay, fine, I binged them.
But it seems like we’ve had some form of a treasure hunt in every full-length book to some degree except book one. It feels overdone to me, and I would’ve liked to have seen something else be the vehicle or driving force for the plot.
I get that it’s a world of magic and that items of power are a strong recurring thing, but I really would’ve liked again to seem something different. It heavily resembled some past books.
Lack of Consequence – Part Two
I b*tched about it in A Court of Wings and Ruin Review and even a little in A Court of Thorns and Roses Review which does contain spoilers, well guess what?
I’m b*tching about it again.
The plot armor some of these characters have is insane! Verging on ridiculous. And it’s getting to the point where I’m sort of rooting for someone to perish.
Is that bad of me? I’m really not sure at this point.
There have been too many close call situations, too many instances where people don’t get hurt when they should have. Events where it could’ve propelled the story into a new level of feeling and emotion if Maas had taken it to the next level.
That being said, the scene I’m referring to (and once you read Silver Flames or if you already have, you know) made me tear up. It was written so very very well, so very touching. It’s really what made me give this book it’s 5th star, which is ironic since this is part of the “What I Didn’t Love” section. But I did love how it was written, how it was delivered.
In Closing
Though Nesta is by far my favorite character, I really did love this book, this story of redemption. I enjoyed seeing that fighter I always knew was in Nesta, be brought to light. This book also has a big theme of sisterhood in it that hasn’t been as prevalent in past books, which were more on general family and chosen family.
Falling in love with Nesta takes a while, and you know, sometimes that’s just the way it has to be. We have to fight to love just as much as someone has to fight to be loved, even if that’s in regards to themselves.
I gave A Court of Silver Flames
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Until Next Time,
