"For every Nesta out there - climb the mountain."
Release Date: February 16, 2021
Genre: High fantasy, romance, fiction
Rating:
Summary:
AN UNFATHOMABLE POWER
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 it only burns hotter as they are forced to work closely together.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the continent during the last war have forged 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.
Review:
Last night with a storm raging outside my window, I finished A Court of Silver Flames. As the pitter patter of rain echoed through my ears, I cried as my journey reading this beautiful series came to an end.
What is left to say? What words exist that I can conjure up to describe these feelings and these emotions? I think I will be spending an eternity searching to find the perfect words to say that truly encompass how this series has made me feel.
I started writing this review being like "how can I choose which book and character is my favorite? It is impossible to choose" blah, blah, blah. Let me make this clear: this series is heavenly, divine, other-worldly. Every book, every character, every word should be devoured and worshipped. The found family, romance, adventures, world building: exceptional. Now, with that being said, I discovered that I do have a favorite and that is 110% okay! I was convinced that A Court of Mist and Fury was going to be my favorite. The breathtaking love between fated mates Feyre and Rhysand. However, once I finished reading it, I realized that A Court of Silver Flames, is my favorite book out of the series. I despised Nesta Archeron when she was first introduced. She was a foul woman but there always seemed to be something lurking underneath the surface. More to this character than meets the eye. All of that was unearthed in this book. The character development in this book was unmatched. The uphill battle that Nesta faced but ultimately came out victorious once she conquered her inner demons. The undying love that she felt for Cassian but initially refused to accept. He kept coming back. He never gave up and kept reaching out his hand. Always here for a forced proximity trope and this book delivered. Also, ALL THE SPICE SCENES WERE DELICIOUS. The found family trope still extremely prevalent and profound in this book. The entire storyline with the priestesses and the Valkyrie. This book felt the most human to me, the most real. Nesta Archeron, you have my whole heart. You have given me so much strength.
I had spent so long listening to other readers talk about how amazing this series was. I never believed it to be true until I finally decided to pick up the first book. Now I curse myself for taking so long to be part of this magic. To be part of this community of wonderful human beings who we all love this series, these characters, with our whole being. Throughout it all, I realized something very important: the feeling of home. I am home.
Quotes:
"For every Nesta out there - climb the mountain."
"She had been born wrong. Had been born with claws and fangs and had never been able to keep from using them, never been able to quell the part of her that raged at betrayal, that could hate and love more violently than anyone ever understood."
"She was a wolf who had never learned how to be a wolf, thanks to that cage humans called propriety and society. And like any maltreated animal, she bit anyone who came near."
"So Nesta had become 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."
"Never again. Never again would she be weak. Never again would she be at someone's mercy. Never again would she fail. Never again, never again, never again."
"I am the rock against which the surf crashes. Nothing can break me."
"She would not be mastered by anything again. She was the master of herself."
"I have been broken once before," Gwyn said, her voice clear. "I survived it. And I will not be broken again - not even by this mountain."
"I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what."
"The first time I saw that look on your face, you were still human. Still human, and I nearly went to my knees before you."
"You're an arrogant bastard." "And you're a haughty witchy. We're evenly matched."
"He had called her Lady Death, and he was her sword."
"Keep reaching out your hand."
"But I still don't know how to fix myself." "There's nothing broken to be fixed."
"I am going to tell you that you will get through it. That you will face this, and you will get through it. That these tears are good, Nesta. These tears mean you care. I am going to tell you that it is not too late, not for any of it. And I can't tell you when, or how, but it will get better. What you feel, this guilt and pain and self-loathing-you will get through it. But only if you are willing to fight. Only if you are willing to face it, and embrace it, and walk through it, to emerge on the other side of it. And maybe you will still feel that tinge of pain, but there is another side. A better side."
"Nesta had loved Cassian since she'd first laid eyes on him. Had loved him even when she did not want to, even when she had been swallowed by despair and fear and hatred. Had loved him and destroyed herself because she didn't believe she deserved him, because he was all that was good, and brave, and kind, and she loved him, she loved him, she loved him."
"She whispered, "And I am yours." Those golden threads between their very souls shone with the words, as they formed a harp strummed by a heavenly hand. For it was music between their souls. Always had been. And his voice was her favorite melody."
"Ataraxia, she had named that magic sword. Inner peace."
"The world was beautiful, and she was so grateful to be in it. To be alive, to be here, to see this. She stuck out a hand over the railing, grazing a star as it shot past, and her fingers came away glowing with blue and green dust. She laughed, a sound of pure joy, and she cried more, because that joy was a miracle."
"Amren put a hand above Nesta's heart. "That's the key, isn't it? To know the darkness will always remain, but how you choose to face it, handle it...that's the most important part. To not let it consume. To focus upon the good, the things that fill you with wonder." She gestured to the stars zooming past. "The struggle with that darkness is worth it, just to see such things."
