#Review of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

 

Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Format: eBook & Hardcover, 272 pages
Published: May 1st 2018 by Bloomsbury YA
ISBN: 168119631X (ISBN13: 9781681196312)
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Library
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Hope warms the coldest night.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

Linda's Thoughts
"To family old and new. Let the Solstice festivities begin."

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas is everything I expected from this bridge novella in the series. If you haven’t read the previous books, do yourself a huge favor and don’t jump into the series with this installment, as it primarily expounds on characters and events that fans are already acquainted with. Rhys’ and Feyre’s HEA concluded in the last book. This one picks up from there, juicily updates readers on them and other favorite characters and sets up the next book!

This story is told via multiple points of view including, but not limited to, those of Rhys and Feyre. Rhys’ and Feyre’s romance shares the spotlight with appraisals of how they and their inner circle are coping and dealing with the aftermath of the war. Even so, there’s plenty of swoon-worthy moments. All is not rosy in the kingdom. Alliances must be reforged and boundaries reset and strengthened.

As this story opens, Winter Solstice is drawing near and preparations are underway for a big celebration! Seeing the characters joking and heckling each other after the horrors they’ve been through is a treat.  I also greatly enjoyed looking over their shoulders as they pondered over what meaningful gifts to present.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from A Court of Frost and Starlight:

That I hadn’t heard from Feyre yet told me enough: still asleep. And as tempting as it was to wake her just to hear the sound of her voice, I had little desire to have my balls nailed to the wall for disrupting her sleep.
---

Rhys was quiet for a moment. :”Do you want me to come with you?”
“To paint?”
“I’d be an excellent nude model.”
---

Rhys lifted a brow at me. “I expected better from an artist.”
I stuck out my tongue at him.
A heartbeat later, he said in my mind, “Save that tongue for later. I have ideas for it.”
---

So it would be me. Alone.
Rhys kissed my brow. “If someone propositions you, tell them we’ll both be free in an hour.”
---

“If it’s any consolation, cousin, I behaved rather poorly the other day.”
“Is he dead?”
“No.”
“Then I’d say you controlled yourself admirably.”

Maas is one of my favorite authors. Not surprisingly, this is a heartwarming, well-crafted tale which whets my appetite for the books to follow. I actually read A Court of Frost and Starlight twice before returning it to the library: Inhaling it first and then re-reading it, savoring every page as I just couldn’t say goodbye to Prythian yet. AND there’s much to bask in including a steamy sauna scene, the art, Mor’s terrible taste in gifts, snowball fights and much more! This book had me laughing and crying tears of happiness, as it renders foreshadows and hope for the future.

The ending strongly hints that the next book will feature Feyre’s sister, Nesta, who is at rock bottom. Bringing her back from the brink won’t be easy, but Cassian is committed. He’s going to have his hands full. I can’t wait!

Suggested Reading Order: 
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book #1)
A Court of Mist and Fury (Book #2)
A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book #3)
A Court of Frost and Starlight (Book #3.5)
Untitled (Books #3.2, #4, #5, #6) – As the series continues with more tales in the land of Prythian!