The Bookworm's Feast

 Release Date: May 2017
 Publisher: Bloomsbury
 Genre: Fantasy, YA, New Adult, Romance
 Page Count: 699
 Goodreads Page
 Rating: ★★★★★ 

The second, ACOMAF, will always be my favourite but this isn’t far off – by the end I was bawling my eyes out.

We no longer have a will they-won’t they romantic theme running through the story (besides the side characters, but it doesn’t give you the same feels that Feyre’s always did), and I think I miss that a little. However, I’m not going to quibble too much as Feysand is my favourite ship ever!

“Only you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker. Only you.”

Feyre really came into her own in the last book – I loved seeing the healing process – and she stays fierce throughout this book. But I also love that she has her flaws – she’s short-sighted and impulsive, not all her actions lead to sunshine and rainbows.

Nesta and Elain come into their own a bit by the end, but I don’t feel much towards them. Saying this I would love to see more of how their lives unfold now – I think I just need to see some more of them to grow attached, but I do flip-flop on Nesta so much. I think ultimately I like her though, Elain a bit less so. Sorry.

We also continue to observe the Inner Circle closely; delving into the elusive Shadowsinger a bit more – I think I prefer Azriel to Cassian, he’s definitely more my speed, but both ‘batboys’ are fantastic characters. Everyone does a bit of growing in this book I feel – Mor faces some things she’d rather not, Azriel comes out of his shell a bit, and Amren even becomes less of a mystery to us.

“When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds.”

War is here, and it is brutal. I loved that Hybern are portrayed as believing themselves to be the good guys – the people to free the land of oppression. So many times the enemy is wicked, knows they’re evil, likes to be the bad guy. I love a good villain, don’t get me wrong, but it’s refreshing to see a more realistic interpretation – I’m sure more often than not your enemy in a war believes they are the good guys saving the land from you, the bad guys.

With the war, we also finally meet all the Prythian High Lords at last. I adored those scenes and love the personalities that shine through in those chapters. I definitely need some more Helion and Thesan! We also reunite with some of the older creatures we’ve encountered through the books and get some more details about them and the world.

Banter is laced throughout the entire book, and it really is like you’re observing some old friends – it’s so natural even if you’re not familiar with the character yet in that scene. The characters are also pretty diverse, and although the world is more a medieval fantasy land, modern perceptions run throughout – even if the other Courts appear to lag behind The Night Court in this, most don’t outright dismiss things such as Feyre being Rhysand’s equal.

“I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have… the wait was worth it.”

Even though this is a re-read for me as I write this, I think it’s going to take me a while to get over this book, and series, again.