[Review] A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book #3)

Release Date: 2 May, 2017

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Action & Adventure

ISBN:  9781619634480

Edition: Hardback

Rating: ★★★★★

Review Written: 10 July, 2017 
Summary: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places. See more at Bloomsbury's Website.

A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACW&R) marks the end of the original trilogy set in the world of Prythian. Picking up where the second book left off, ACW&R starts off with Feyre's return to the Spring Court in order to spy on the influx of Hybern's activities and to wreck revenge on Tamlin and Ianthe for selling out her sisters as leverage. This book is where Feyre truly comes into her own strength, demanding to be kept in the loop, making irrational decisions for the greater good, and trying her best to save her home and her family from complete and utter ruin as war looms. 

I found ACW&R to be more fast paced than the previous two books, granted the timeline is a bit shorter than the months that were covered in A Court of Mist and Fury. The change of pace was nice, though it did require me going back to reread a couple of chapters to make sure I knew exactly where everyone was moving and who could be trusted and who couldn't. The political aspect of the book was intriguing, focusing on the alliances that had to be built or bought among the courts to see who could be counted on. Though they were previously marked as enemies by the Summer Court, Feyre and Rhysand manage to redeem themselves, making allies out of the other high lords save for Spring and Autumn. 

ACW&R also features some character growth for Lucien, the wayward son of the Autumn Court, who follows Feyre when she runs from the Spring Court in hopes of being reunited with his mate, Feyre's sister Elaine. Upon discovering that Elaine is still in love with a human lord's son whom she was engaged to, Lucien volunteers to travel the continent to try and bring back the lost human Queen Vassa and her army that might be able to aid the courts in their battle to protect the world as it's currently known. Though there are many tense moments, Lucien does return semi-victorious in his efforts, though its Feyre's father who found the Queen first and merely joined Lucien when he arrived to point them where to go. 

Along with Queen Vassa's army, Miryam and Drakon are finally introduced after being mentioned multiple times in the previous two books. Granted readers are left wanting more since the pair were introduced within the last couple of chapters of the book and only minor characters within the narrative at a whole. I found this to be a bit of a let down as they were referenced heavily throughout the book as a major plot point of being unable to find the pair and their people to request for help. The pair join up with Vassa's army on the journey across the sea, arriving in time to help wipe out the Hybern army.

Overall, A Court of Wings and Ruin did not disappoint in a thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that stole my heart. What started as a fairy tale retelling truly took on a life of it's own and spread into a mostly expanded world with many complexities and characters that left me wanting more. Though the next series in Prythian isn't guaranteed to focus on Feyre and her family, I eagerly await the release of the next installment within the world of fae and humans.