Publish Date: May 3rd, 2016
Number of Pages: 626 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

***Warning!! This review contains spoilers from the previous book in the series, so continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review for book #1 – A Court of Thorns and Roses – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast for the series – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.75 Stars

I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal. I was a survivor, and I was strong. I would not be weak, or helpless again. I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.”
— Sarah J. Maas, “A Court of Mist and Fury

So, I don’t care what anyone else says…this book is the greatest book ever written by Sarah J. Maas — fight me if you disagree! It seriously has it all in what makes an amazing fantasy novel: a vast and intriguing world, a plethora of memorable characters, exciting adventure, rich character development for the both protagonist and others, lots of twists and turns, and a scorching romance. This book is thiccc with all of that, and yes, it’s a thiccc book in general, but it’s truly a masterwork I’m sure no one expected after reading the previous book.

I personally wasn’t as thrilled with A Court of Thorns and Roses as other readers had been: for me, it was a much slower paced story than what I’d become accustomed to with SJMaas as an author, and romance was more centric to the overall plot of the book than usual. I could tell the author had spent more time in creating the world it takes place in, and it did have a lot of aspects of which I’d loved from her Throne of Glass series — one of my all time favorites! — but it’d felt like something was missing.

This book changed all that.

This book made me fall deeply in love with the characters, the world, and is an excellent example of reasons why I love to read. There was so much character development, there was a whirlwind romance, there was witty banter and a found family group dynamic, there were dark secrets revealed along with some twists with the secrets revealing to be a huge lie!

The book had almost done a complete 180, and had completely changed where I’d thought the story was headed. A lot of what happens in this book was not foreseen from Thorns and Roses — except for one action at the very end — and seemed like the previous title had seemingly barely set the scene for the overall series. While part of me is frustrated and thinking to myself “great…now if I ever want to read this series again, I have to get over the hump that is the first book,” but I also understand that you need to read it to understand Feyre more: what she’d gone through to get to where she was, her relationship with Tamlin, and Rhysand to gain the overall background knowledge that would in fact still come into play, maybe just not the way you’d expected it to.

What It’s About:

To the stars who listen — and the dreams that are answered.”
— Sarah J. Maas, “A Court of Mist and Fury”

Mist and Fury takes place at about three months past the climactic events of Thorns and Roses: Feyre had (sort of) survived the horrors she’d faced under the mountain — except not really: she’d been murdered, but brought back to life by all the High Lords of the Fae courts and made Fae herself — Queen Amarantha was slain, peace was brought back to the realm, and so Feyre could have her happily ever after with Tamlin!…

Oh honey, it’s actually funny how wrong that sentence was…

Feyre is back with Tamlin in the Spring Court, engaged to be maried, but she has been suffering from severe PTSD that gives her nightmares and makes her physically ill. Tamlin pretends to not notice, but keeps her by his side on a short leash. He also refuses to train her and help her learn the ways of her new abilities she’d gotten with her resurrection; he just wants to protect her and keep her safe, but also reveals she will never become a High Lady of the Spring Court — such things are just not done, so Feyre really starts to question what future she has there, and why haven’t they’d gone through the Fae mating bond yet.

Ianthe, one of the 12 High Priestesses of Prythian, comes to their Chateau to help plan the wedding and act as Tamlin’s personal assistant and create an alliance with the Spring Court. On the day of the wedding, Feyre makes the startling realization she’s not ready — at least not in that moment — and panics at trying to figure out a way to get out of it.

Cue being saved by the bell…or in this case, the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand.

Rhysand interrupts the wedding and decides then and there to whisk Feyre away with him to the Night Court, as per the bargain they’d struck back under the mountain in order for him to help her.

From then on, the real adventure begins!

Feyre is opened up to more of the world of Prythian, meets many new and interesting faces who’ll become friends and enemies, learns about a sinister plot being carried out by the King of Hybern, a vicious High Fae ruler who plans to reclaim the lands of the humans, kill them all off, and reclaim it for him and the other High Fae, and plans to collect several magical items that have been lost in time that would help him carry out his plans.

As Feyre carries out Rhysand’s bargain, she learns she may be the key to stopping the king, so she’ll need to quickly master her new abilities and overcome the trauma that’s fractured her soul, and put her trust in unexpected allies. All of that is required in order to keep the world she’s come to love from being torn apart!

What I Liked:

The Worldbuilding! In Thorn and Roses, you only got to see the Spring Court and under the Mountain, which by themselves were full of opportunity for a great setting, but Mist and Fury ups the world-building ante by, like, 5000x. There are so so so so so many additions to the world the author had created: We see Velaris and the Night Court (which is not at all what we expected it to be), the Summer Court, The Court of Nightmares, The Prison, The House of the Weaver of the Woods, The Illyrian War Camp, and even the King’s castle in Hybern. SO many different locations! The author has shown us how deep the world she’d created could go, and that she can create something truly spectacular.
The Slow-Burn Romance! To be completely honest, there was actually a lot less romance in this book compared to the previous one. Oh don’t worry there was plenty of romance, Oh my god, was there lusty, sexual, flirtatious, slowly built romance, but it wasn’t a central part of the whole story this time around because there are so many more things going on now that a bigger plot becomes revealed. There was so much tension that kept building up between Feyre and Rhysand, and a certain iconic scene in the Court of Nightmares literally spills gasoline on the flames, until it’s unavoidable and the two of them need to talk it out and sort out certain secrets that get revealed.
So Many New Characters! There’s literally a list of new characters that you meet in this next installment: there’s Ianthe, who’s one of the 12 High Priestess who’s working alongside Tamlin, There’s Tarquin who’s the Lord of the Summer Court and his sister Cresseida, there’s the Bone Carver: some shapeshifting creature in a magical prison who Feyre and Rhysand seek out for answers, There’s the Weaver of the Woods: a monster who prey’s on anyone who dare ventures into her lonely cottage, and the major villain of the book: The King of Hybern. More importantly, you meet Rhysand’s inner circle back in Velaris. Feyre meets Morrigan, Rhysand’s cousin, who is second in command of the Night Court. There’s Cassian: Rhysand’s general to his army. There’s Azriel: Rhysand’s master of secrets and spy. Lastly, there’s Amren, a being not of their world with a mysterious past, and piercing silver eyes with a thirst for blood. Like I said, there are so many new characters introduced, some who become such a major factors in how beloved this series is to so many readers! I especially loved the dynamic between Rhysand and his friends, and how they’ve all come from tragic backgrounds, found each other and consider themselves their family.
Feyre’s Character Development! Feyre really grows up in this book; she’s a completely different version of herself coming into this book…literally. After the traumatizing events from Amarantha and under the Mountain, Feyre realizes she doesn’t want the world she’d thought she did. She could no longer just settle for just being Tamlin’s wife and nothing more, and learns that her needs have changed as she has changed. Tamlin refuses to accept her for anything other than the dainty, fragile human she’d been when she’d entered into his life, and holds her back — he refuses to train her to learn her new abilities as a Fae, keeps secrets from her, and even traps her within the Spring Court Chateau with a spell. She no longer needs a strong protector, she needs freedom to be who she aspires to be.
Rhysand’s Character Development! Like Feyre, Rhysand has some major changes happen to his overall character in this title. In Thorns and Roses, he was Amarantha’s right hand man, her whore, and a dark & dangerous High Lord of the Night Court. As him and Feyre meet up and figure out what’s going on, you’re not necessarily given a new side of him, you uncover hidden depths of who he really is and what truly matters in his life and drives him. I’m not giving too much away, but let me just say there’s a reason why Rhysand is considered top of the top of the Leading Males in Fantasy.
The Suriel! Continuing his reputation of a drama-loving queen continues to give Feyre the tea, once again makes a short but meaningful appearance and reveals a huge secret that actually flips Feyre’s world upside down!
The Ending! Now, how this book ends is a perfect example for authors to do it in a way that’s not a cheap cliffhanger, leaves us readers satisfied, but is somehow still so cruel and invokes so many emotions and of course: makes us want to get our hands on the next book ASAP! I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, but whoah boy!
That Scene in the Court of Nightmares! Everything about it was just so great, so sexy, so iconic!

What I Didn’t Like:

How It’s Still Considered “Children’s Lit”…So Sarah J. Maas is a YA Fantasy author, that’s nothing new there, but I do find it strange how this title specifically was on the NY Times Bestseller List under “Children’s Literature.” Anyone who’s read this book can probably agree that maybe it doesn’t belong on there, NOT because it’s not a great book, but because the subject matter may be a little mature for younger readers. I’m not trying to be a conservative prude, but there’s some pretty graphic sexual scenes within the book, maybe not the best reading material for that 10 year old who’d just finished Percy Jackson, BUT that’s just me… This may be considered YA, but it’s more on the New Adult (NA) reading level, and it’s a big jump from other YA titles that are more innocent in tone.

Conclusion:

Probably one of the biggest game-changers you’ll ever read in literature, this book was an unexpected mind blowing gem of a book that I had not expected from the previous book! Gone is the loose retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” and welcome in its place is a thrilling , epic fantasy that is rich in all aspects of what we readers consider to be great escapist literature.

I recommend this title to those that love high fantasy filled to the brim with world-building, found family group dynamics, slow burn romance, and plenty of twists and turns to leave you guessing even after you’ve put the book down!

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3): by Sarah J. Maas

October 25, 2019October 28, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: September 2nd, 2014
Number of Pages: 565 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, YA Romance

***Warning!!! This Book Review contains spoilers from the previous titles in the series, read at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #0.5 – The Assassin’s Blade – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #1 – Throne of Glass – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #2 – Crown of Midnight – Click HERE!

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the whole series – Click HERE!

Total Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

So, if you though you had a handle on this series and what it entailed based off the first two books….oh honey, you couldn’t be way more off!

Sarah J. Maas comes back with the next chapter of her first fantasy series, Throne of Glass, and gives readers an entirely new feel for what it’s all about! Seriously, it feels like her writing has aged many moons since we last read whatever the latest tale was in Caleana’s story and her writing has dramatically matured into a full fledged Best-Selling author that we know she is! She continues the series in epic fashion as she tells us a story filled with newfound magic, heartbreaking loss, sacrifice, self doubt, character development, friendship, rebellion, danger, and redemption!

I am seriously starving as I write this review, so one way to describe this book is sort of like eating spicy Thai food…It’s delicious and full of savory and sweet flavor, but then the after-burn hits, and you begin to feel the sweat form on your brow and your cheeks redden. You keep eating, and the fire continues to build and build until you’ve got what feels like a legit forest fire dancing on your tongue!

I’m not going to lie, I really want some Thai food now…

Years ago, after reading the ending of Crown of Midnight and being shooketh harder than a polaroid by that big reveal, I knew I was absolutely going to love this series! Looking back on it and remembering my young, naive heart that was still so full of hope and not so much of vain, self-deprecating sarcasm and I’d just laugh at how I absolutely did not see that big reveal play out like it did! I admit, nowadays it’s nothing too new, but it was the way it was told and revealed to us that made it truly epic and changed the entire way I viewed the series.

With how it all left off, I honestly had no idea how this series was going to continue! Crown of Midnight really sped things along and gave us a ton of easter eggs of what was to come (ie: the myth of the Valg, Baba Yellowlegs and the Ironteeth Witches, the wyrdkeys and wyrdmarks, the heart-wrenching death of Nehemia, and yes, Caleana stealthily revealing to Chaol who she REALLY is, plus plenty more), I really wondered what was going to happen next! I thought Aelin was going to just rise up with new army from Wendlyn and return Daenerys Targaryen-style across the sea and take back her kingdom and stop the King that way, and that’s not really the best route for a long term plan. Why not add, like, 10K levels of complexity to that plan and add more interesting characters, develop familiar ones even further, and increase the stakes with an even bigger enemy that has yet to actually reveal itself until now! THAT, my readers, is what it takes to tell an amazing story!

Heir of Fire adds so much more depth to the overall series, and like the novella’s in The Assassin’s Blade, it continues to allow the series to gain an even bigger base in order for it to continue to branch out and grow into something even more amazing than what we mere peasants could imagine! Sarah J. Maas changes the game up on us and gives us a much deeper and more thought out plot than we maybe could’ve originally guessed, and deals with even more important issues that are actually not plot based, but character based. Important aspects towards the characters is how they’ve suffered and how that’s shaped them to be who they are in current time. Things like betrayal, grief, acceptance, self-love, and loyalty play a huge part in how this book develops and allows us as readers and fans of the series to feel an even closer connection towards them within the pages and make them feel so much more real, personable, relatable, and most importantly: memorable.

What It’s About:

Caleana Sardothien, aka Aelin Ashryver Galathynius and who we now know is actually the long lost heir to the throne of Terrasen, has made it over to the magical realm of Wendlyn in order to finally confront her dark past and maybe gain help from her estranged aunt, Maeve, who is queen of the Fae in Doranelle. While in Varese, she is confronted by a fae prince named Rowan Whitethorn, before she can gain any real answers. The scene is officially set when she learns that if she wants to learn the secrets of the wyrdkeys and what power they may hold in the final battle to come, she’ll need to train alongside Rowan and master her fire abilities in an incredibly short amount of time. It’s a hard task, but what does Aelin have to lose at this point? She and Rowan travel to Mistward in order to carry out her part of the deal, but tensions rise and personalities clash as Rowan and her try not to absolutely tear each other’s heads off before they even get there.

A map of the magical realm of Wendlyn, which is East of Erilea where the story had primarily taken place until now!

Meanwhile, another new character is introduced in the name of Manon Blackbeak and her coven of 13 Ironteeth witches. She’s the heir below her grandmother patron, and they travel to the Ferien Gap under the deal they have struck with the King of Adarlan. It is revealed that he is building forces in the mountains and powerful winged creatures named Wyverns are being raised, with the Ironteeth Clans coming together to become their riders for his army. Wyverns are very similar to Dragons, so see the image below for clarification:

Yes, total side note, but the “Dragons” from Game of Thrones and even Harry Potter are actually Wyverns! I wish I could keep track of how many minds I just blew with that knowledge!

Manon is cold, vicious but determined and fights all other witches in order to be named Wingleader, but is she really a villain? Or is she more an anti-hero who surprises herself with actually having a soul and slowly learns that maybe she doesn’t have to settle for what her grandmother’s rule makes her believe is true? Good questions, and an even better new character!

A cry went up from the witches, save for the Thirteen—who stayed cool and quiet. They did not need to cheer, for they—were immortal and infinite and gloriously, wonderfully deadly.
– Sarah J. Maas, “Heir of Fire”

Back in Rifthold, Chaol and Dorian come face to face with Aedion Ashryver, who is actually Caleana/Aelin’s cousin and childhood BFF. He’s all bad boy smirks, sharp zingers that roll off his tongue, and barely contained wild behavior as he seemingly seems to have completely turned his back on his heritage and is now working with the king with his army of the North, the Bane. Both Chaol and Dorian don’t trust him and his suspicious aloofness to certain questions, and try to follow him and see what he’s possibly up to. To make matters worse, Chaol can’t help but notice a particular black ring around Aedion’s finger and assume the worst…

While all that is going on, the bigger enemy has been gaining power until their forces are at their worst and they are finally able to make a major power play move! It turns out, The king of Adarlan isn’t the big threat!

…oh no….

The bigger enemies are a demon race known as the Valg and they were the ones that actually formed the wyrdkeys long ago. They were trapped and entombed before, but somehow they’ve gotten out and intend to continue their malicious plot and infest the world with their eternal darkness….

What I Liked:

The Series Has Evolved Into Epic High Fantasy! So before in the previous two books it had felt more like a Grimdark subgenre of fantasy with only a small inkling of magic but with the hint of more to come later on, but now as Aelin is revealed to be half-fae and the long lost heir to the Terrasen Throne, and changes the game on us. When she goes over to Wendlyn, the author introduces us to a whole new magical world that is full of incredible beings and creatures. While something like this has been hinted at since the beginning of the series, seeing it finally appear in front of your eyes is still pretty eye-opening and adds so much more depth and excitement to the series overall!
It Introduces Great New Characters! Oh. My. Gods!! There’s a plethora of new and interesting characters that are brought into the story! Some of them are more interesting than others of course, but the ToG series is changing rapidly and becoming even bigger with the many new faces Heir of Fire presents us with: First one worth noting is Rowan Whitethorn, of course. Under the orders of the Queen of the Fae, Maeve (another new character), he takes Aelin to Maeve, who will only tell her all about the wyrdkeys if Aelin can master her abilities. The next character is Manon Blackbeak, an Ironteeth Witch whose goal is to track down any remaining Crochan Witches (enemies of the Ironteeth clans for centuries), and eradicate them forever. She, along with her Blackbeak clan of 13, head to the Ferien Gap to personally select their own Wyverns, and it is there that she ends up with her steed, Abraxos. Next we have Aedion Ashryver, who is basically a male version of Aelin and has many secrets beneath his arrogant smirk. Last but not least, we have Ren Allsbrook and his grandfather Murtagh, who are former courtiers of Terrasen before it was invaded by Adarlan, thus making them join the rebellion cause. Many new faces, but important players in the game!
So. Much. More. Growth! What was truly a huge moment in this book was how we finally get to see what happened the night Aelin’s young life was changed forever when Adarlan invaded her homeland of Terrasen. It’s a highly emotional moment that brings tears to your eyes as you learn more and more about those whose lives were lost trying to save her from assassination, and how her inner demons with that knowledge try to drag her down and make her want to give up all this time later. She blames herself for all the pain she feels she’s caused and hates herself for it all and believes she wasn’t’ worth it!S he becomes so raw, broken down, and vulnerable in your eyes as she confronts the dark memories and faces a deadly enemy on the rise, her growth in this story is iconic! She enters Wendlyn a lost little girl, but may be able to leave as the queen she was born to be!
The Theme of the Power of Friendship! It’s another thing that Maas does so well in all her books, and that is how she plays up the importance of friendship and those platonic relationships amongst her characters. There are romantic relationships too, sure, but it’s surprising how little we see of just good ole’ relationships of friends and allies in all the titles of YA Fantasy that come out! This is especially evident in Rowan and Aelin’s relationship as the story develops. They start off as reluctant allies, and animosity builds between them with their clashing personalities. Rowan has an incredibly strong presence that is also chillingly quiet, and he’s also a total Alpha-Male who doesn’t put up with Aelin’s bullshit. She tries to give him harsh words with her sharp tongue? He throws it right back at her 10x over! He’s intense, intimidating, and infuriatingly patient as he continues to train her, but they form a seriously special bond when they begin to understand each other better and learn what the other has been through before their eventual meeting. It’s not romantic really, but more of a friendship kind of bond to the point that they would kill for each other and do anything to help one another by the end. It was incredibly refreshing to read, and not many relationships out there are quite like it in Fantasy genre literature. I’d like to see more like that!

What I Didn’t Like:

It’s Slower Paced…The author switches things up with the content, and gives us a more traditional high-fantasy genre novel with several POV’s occurring side-by-side from far distances, and while the story takes on a whole new level of world-building and becomes much bigger and richer, it does slow down in terms of pace for much of the middle. This mainly occurs with Aelin and Rowan’s chapters filled with their traveling and training sessions as they travel to Mistward, but can also be seen with Dorian back in Rifthold with yet another side romance story arc that doesn’t really do anything to develop his character. I think the reasoning is because so many of the revolving storylines have an air of mystery to them, and while the author gives us exciting little tidbits throughout to recapture critical readers dwindling attention spans, it’d revert back to the slow pace. Sarah just really takes her time exposing the big reveals, when maybe she could have had them happen a lot sooner, but it’s also worth mentioning that it’s slower because Aelin’s storyline becomes more character driven instead of plot driven, in my opinion. It’s more about her confronting her demons, exposing herself and taking a mental, emotional and physical beatdown, and rising above it as she comes to terms with everything, stops blaming herself, and learns to stop having it weigh her down and instead use it as her driving force.
Dorian and Chaol Starting to Disintegrate…It’s unfortunate to see the two of them continue to drift apart in this next installment because their friendship felt like a backbone of it all and is another great example of friendship that we need to see more of! Their storylines go off into separate directions, Chaol’s being more prominent, and pretty much seems to be leaving Dorian behind. So, he gets a new romantic love interest with a servant girl, Sorscha, as she helps him be able to move on from the emotional pain both Chaol and Caleana/Aelin had caused him in their abandonment, especially when they needed him most! Chaol, bless his heart, continues to become weary and judgmental of Aelin and Dorian’s powers and his unwillingness to accept it is so disappointing. It feels so ignorant and old-fashioned of him, and I don’t want to call out his behavior to being similar to homophobia, but it does feel similar to when someone completely turns their back on a person in their life when they come out of the closet as queer. Chaol’s character wants things to go back to the way they once were, with both Dorian and Aelin, and struggles to accept how things have now become.

You cannot pick and choose which parts of her to love!“
– Sarah J. Maas, “Heir of Fire”

Conclusion:

Wow you guys, I’ve got to apologize because like the actual book itself, this review is loooonng! I can’t help it though! I love this series, and get extremely passionate about talking about it, even when I can find material to critique and maybe even find problematic later on. I can accept those aspects and still love the series all the same!

I recommend this book, or the whole series in general, to anyone who loves those sweeping & epic fantasy-genre tales that have so much history behind them and so much action, adventure, romance, and coming of age characters (so yes…I’m about to connect this series to the high caliber tales like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and even Lord of the Rings! Get at me if you disagree!

SJM somehow exceeds expectation with this vast addition and shows that she is a master of her character’s development and the interpersonal relationships that form and develop between them too! With the ending of this book—while it does tie up quite a lot of loose ends that have been lingering since the very beginning—it does leave us absolutely shaken to our core and on quite a cliffhanger with the wellbeing of a lot of characters being called into question! It does, however, give the author the thing they want most, and that is by having their readers say the following:

“I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

October 19, 2019February 15, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Image is my own off my bookstagram @goodyreads, with dustjackets from nerdy.ink

In Sarah J. Maas’s second bestselling series, a mortal young woman named Feyre Archeron is thrust into the world of the High Fae: a world full of mystique, beauty, political intrigue, and danger. the shadow of War is brewing upon the horizon, and with her newly found allies and inner circle, she must defeat a powerful enemy in order to save the world she already knows comes to love…

This has been such a popular series amongst SJM fans, it seems to be more popular than even her first series, Throne of Glass! I personally prefer TOG, but that doesn’t detract from ACOTAR; I still consider A Court of Mist and Fury to be the author’s best book to date!

Below, I’ve included an image of the main cast created by the extraordinary artist, Charlie Bowater! Her work is simply breathtaking and she is some of my all time favorite digital artists!

To see my book review for book #1 – A Court of Thorns and Roses – Click HERE!

To see my book review for book #2 – A Court of Mist and Fury – Click HERE!

To see my book review for book #3 – A Court of Wings and Ruin – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #3.5 – A Court of Frost and Starlight – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #4 – A Court of Silver Flames – Click HERE!

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Here is my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Feyre Archeron: Barbara Palvin, or Josephine Skriver

One thing that grinds my gears with a lot of the other fancasts/fanart I’ve seen is that they make Feyre out to be blonde….um nope, that’s cancelled because she’s brunette! Both of these models have delicate & feminine features, gorgeous smiles, and have a particular look that I believe is the essence of our heroine of this whole series!

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Elaine Archeron: Minka Kelly

Minka Kelly has such a soft voice, similar to Vanessa Hudgens’ but much less annoying. You may remember her from Friday Night Lights, the TV Show and the college thriller flick, The Roommate.

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Nesta Archeron: Bar Refaeli

Nesta was a hard character to cast, but I believe this supermodel has a look that’s very similar to the cold, intimidating, and oldest Archeron sister. She’s not an actress, but has been on the cover of the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated magazine, and dated Leo DiCaprio at one point!

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High Lord Tamlin: Nick Nemeth

That jawline though…..as a WWE wrestling fan who also is an avid reader–ESPECIALLY with SJM series–I thought of Nick here who goes under the stage name “Dolph Ziggler” –I wish I was kidding–and has the physical appearance of how I picture the High Lord of the Spring Court.

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Lucien Vanserra: Tom Busson

A lot of other fans say that Outlander male lead, Sam Heughan, is their choice for Lucien. I had him too for quite some time too, but now I believe he’d be just too old to play the part. Maybe he’d be better suited for Eris or his father Lord Beron, but I believe this Instagram model has a look much more suited to our beloved Lucien Vanserra!

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Alis: Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer is just so adorable! She’s cute as a button, but can also go into a serious mom mode in her characters, and I thought she’d be perfect to play the part of Alis, the attendant who looks after Feyre when she’s brought to the Spring Court. It also makes sense considering Alis is from the Summer Court, and if we’re going to talk about Representation, the people from there are typically of African descent!

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The Suriel: Bill Skarsgård

Okay, after his triumph that is absolutely nailing the iconic role of Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT, we all know Bill can nail the creepy roles…no one can deny that. I would love to see him play our ghoulish, gossip loving, pot stirring, tea sipping Suriel in these books. He would add so much to the character and steal every scene he was in!

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High Lord Rhysand: Ian Somerhalder, or Sahib Faber

One’s an actor while the other is a model, but both could so easily play the coveted role of the High Lord of the Night Court. If anyone has watched The Vampire Diaries, Ian portraying Damon Salvatore is a dead ringer for Rhysand: same personality, same swagger, same inner turmoil hidden by smirks and wisecracks, and of course the same devilish good looks. I couldn’t help but imagine the High Lord looking like Damon because of all this. Sahib is a more unknown choice, but why not have some more choices? Plus…just look at him! Would you just look at him? Just look at him!

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Amarantha: Eva Green, or Deborah Ann Woll

I admit both actresses have such different looks when compared to each other, so as for who might be a better choice? I guess it depends on who you ask…Eva has such a nefarious, villainess look to her, but Deborah matches a lot of the fanart I’ve seen of Amarantha and is known for being in HBO’s True Blood, so either choice works for me!

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Morrigan: Maryse Ouellet-Mizanin

Mor was another hard choice! Everyone seems to be going for Margot Robbie for some reason, but there’s two things wrong with that casting: she doesn’t even have brown eyes like Mor is described as having. That may sound picky, but whatevs…it’s my fancast, so get over it… I personally envisioned this former WWE Women’s wrestler who is undeniably gorgeous, and physically fits the description of Mor much more effectively!

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Azriel: Nick Bateman, or Joao Lima

Joao Lima, image courtesy of brazillianmalemodel.com

Both of these male actors are tall, lanky and can pull off the moody, brooding look: so for me, both of them could be excellent choices for our Lord of Shadows, Azriel! Nick does small acting jobs but is mostly an Instagram model, and was who I originally pictured as Az, but once it became apparent that Illyrians were POC, I also picked this male model Joao Lima, especially when he’s more clean shaven! Or I guess he doesn’t have to be…I’m cool with Azriel rockin’ some facial hair!

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Amren: Jamie Chung

Jamie is a fan favorite among others who’ve shared their fancast for this series, and I agree with it! She’s given her voice acting chops for Big Hero 6, and was also a wonderful Mulan in the show, Once Upon A Time, and if I don’t have you convinced yet, check out this image of her below with total Amren eyes:

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Cassian: Santiago Loker

This guy is probably unknown to a lot of you, but oh my goodness, is he easy on the eyes! He’s an Instagram model, and looks great with a manbun which was a must to play our favorite charming, cocky general for the Night Court’s army.

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High Lord Tarquin: Michael Ealy

I loved this man in Think Like A Man, and seriously…look at those eyes! They’re so hypnotic and I could so easily get lost in them for days! He never does anything even remotely close to Fantasy-genre, so it’d be cool to see him broaden his horizons and play the High Lord of the Summer Court!

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Ianthe: Laura Vandervoort

Ianthe needs to be played by an actress who’s obviously attractive, but also looks like she could have a stick up her ass the entire time, and Laura looks the part 😂…She was in the show Bitten and was even Supergirl back when Smallville was still a thing!

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The Bone Carver: Iain Armitage

I mean…if this 14 year old (as I’m typing this in 2023) actor can star in a tv show like Young Sheldon, why not have him go for this creepy role of playing a death god? Personally, I’d be all for going back in time to 2009 and getting a much younger Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who played an 11 year old Tom Riddle/Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, but it don’t work like that unfortunately…

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The Weaver of the Woods/ Stryga: Bonnie Aarons

Image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB page

You may or may not recognize this actress, but she’s actually one of the most famous figures in modern horror movies! Or at least she plays them. Take a closer look, and you may agree with me when you remember she plays the creepy AF nun demon named Valak in the Conjuring and The Nun movies. That alone makes me think she’d make an AMAZING Weaver too!

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King of Hybern: Jason Isaacs

I mean…Do I really need to justify casting the man who magnificently played the evil and elitist Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies? Nope, I didn’t think so either!

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Queen Briallyn (Young/Old): Anna Popplewell and Imelda Staunton

Whether or not anyone agrees with me on this pairing, it’s my fancast so it’s my final say, but I think this would just be fun to watch! Anna, or Queen Susan from Narnia, played a mean-girl, bitchy queen…and then freakin’ Dolores Umbridge played her evil old Fae crone form after she ends up in the Cauldron!! C’mon…..you gotta see that, right?!

High Lord of the Autumn Court, Beron: Mads Mikkelsen

He’s so great at playing villains! I’ve known this ever since he starred opposite Daniel Craig in 007: Casino Royale, and the guy played Hannibal Lector too! He’d also be another great choice to play the part of Big Boss Villain, the King of Hybern…It’s funny how Maas literally has her villainous kings just named “King of _______” from her books.

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Lady of the Autumn Court: Sarah Rafferty

Sarah matches the description of Lord Beron’s wife very well in my opinion, even if it sounds like this role is a far cry from her character on the USA network show, Suits. I couldn’t tell ya since I haven’t seen the show!

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High Lord of the Day Court, Helion: Joel Wieneke

Image courtesy of the model/personal trainer’s Instagram profile: @green.joel

Another harder one to cast; most of the actors that would be eligible—or were fancasted by many others—were either too old or too young or just not what I imagined at all. Not knocking anyone’s choices, but it made it harder to find someone that fit MY vision…I ran across Joel on Instagram and he is a gorgeous model and personal trainer who definitely looks the part in my opinion! Just stick a wig on him and a toga, and he could totally look like Helion!

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High Lord of the Winter Court Kallias: Heath Hutchins

Kallias, High Lord of the Winter Court, is a character I liked but him and and his mate, Vivianne, were barely in the dang books! I wished we got to see more of the other high lords, but maybe that’ll happen in later books; according to Goodreads, there are supposed to be, like, three more titles for the series!

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High Lord Thesan: Hamid Fadaei

He’s an actor and model, even if I haven’t seen him in anything. He’s a pretty gorgeous Persian man, so I thought he was an excellent choice for playing the role of the High Lord of the Dawn Court!

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Eris Vanserra: Ryan Cooper

He’s an actor who’s actually played a corpse in Rough Night, starring Scarlett Johansson, but also starred in a Colleen Hoover novel-turned-movie Confess. Dye his hair red, and with that wicked gleam in his eye, he could definitely be an option to play Lucien’s devious older brother!

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Prince Varian: Jesse Williams

This man is in Grey’s Anatomy while it goes into its 15000th season, and I like casting him in Fantasy roles, so I’d like it if he played Lord Tarquin’s younger brother and subtle love-interest to Amren.

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Princess Cresseida: Logan Browning

She has the similar features of other actors I’ve casted for the Summer Court’s royal family. She’s got gorgeous darker skin and mesmerizing eyes, so she’d look great playing the young princess! She’s most known for starring in the Netflix show, Dear White People.

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Jurian: Taylor Kitsch

I’ve been a fan of his since he played Tim Riggins on the TV Show, Friday Night Lights, and he was decent in Vince Flynn’s movie adaptation of American Assassin, so he’d be my pick to play the interesting role of Jurian!

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Vassa: Erika Postnikova

Image courtesy of Aleksandr Vinogradov on Flickr

Erika is a beauty influencer and model whom I found on Pinterest when looking into redheads for this character. She is EXACTLY how Vassa is described and I’d even say she’d make an excellent in the From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer Armentrout too!

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Priestess Gwyneth Berdara: Sophie Turner

As soon as I read that Gwyn had red hair, for some reason I just really pictured Emma Stone, BUT now Sophie Turner as a redhead really does it for me! She’s an amazing actress from Game of Thrones, and would portray Gwyn amazingly in my opinion!

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Emerie: Lindsey Morgan

I don’t know much about this actress, but she’s in the CW show, The 100, and that seems to be really popular, so her face popped up and I thought she looked like how I imagined the Illyrian shop-owner turned Valkyrie warrior looking like!

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Koschei: Sephiroth? Or Lee Pace or Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Lee Pace as Thanduin, Image courtesy of Georgia Strait

Jonathan, Image courtesy of the New York Post

So Koschei is another Death God from the ancient world, he’s the older brother of the Bone Carver and the Weaver of the Woods. He’s the evil sorcerer who’s trapped in that lake who also cursed Vassa. He does make a brief appearance in the latest book I believe, it’s been like two years since I’ve read it already WOW so this makes me feel like a reread is due! But he gave me vibes that he’s the next big baddie boss villain to defeat for this world…He’s described as having black eyes and white hair….okay. I pictured my favorite Smash Bro’s character to plau, OR to be a little more realistic, I also picture Lee Pace straight out of The Hobbit movies for this role then based off that alone…but JRM could make an excellent villain too! This one is more up in the air and could change when we get more content of this god, but that would mean SJM needs to release more books too so……………………

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There you have it for now! The series is still ongoing, so more characters will be added and fancasted by myself as it goes on and they are introduced. That means to be sure to check back to this page when new books come out and I’ll add as soon as I get caught up and find a face to the name!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

New Adult Romance, YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1): by Sarah J. Maas

September 2, 2019October 28, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: May 5th, 2015
Number of Pages: 419 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

Another title to add to those that fall under the modern retellings of classic fairytales, this one being Beauty and the Beast, but coming from the author of the bestselling Throne of Glass series, there’s no way I wasn’t going to give this a try. Like any SJM book, the reviews are mostly lovingly obsessive and elated over having another YA Fantasy series of hers to get into, and with reading the blurb on what this book is about, it also makes total sense.

After completing this book, I felt the same things as when I read Throne of Glass for the first time: intrigued, entertained, and hopeful for all the possibilities where this story could possibly go. We have a young heroine, a fascinating world, gorgeous fae men, snarky comebacks, and a teasing sample of the evil that threatens their world, and all the while this book also feels like pure set up for what else may come our way, and oh boy, there will probably be a lot coming! The main differences in this story is:

1.) it’s more high fantasy and less grimdark like the beginning of TOG

2.) Romance is put on the forefront instead of a story of revenge/redemption.

What It’s About:

Feyre Archeron, the youngest of three sisters along with only their father, has grown up used to being the only one who can actually take care of her family, who live in poverty and can barely scrape by. They live in the southern, mortal lands of Prythian, where humans have an uneasy treaty with the High Lords of the Fae, who all have their own kingdoms throughout the land north of the invisible force field known as “The Wall.”

The Map of Prythian, courtesy of the series wiki page

When out in the woods hunting for food, Feyre witnesses a wolf trying to take the deer she pursued, and ends up killing it out of self defense. She has no idea the choice she made right then and there would change her life forever, because it turned out that the wolf was actually a powerful fae who’d altered their appearance, and mortals killing anyone fae comes with deadly consequences.

The High Lord of the Spring Court, Lord Tamlin, comes to her home to take her and have her live at his chateau as his prisoner (although, if how she lives there is called a prison, she’s not really suffering too much). Tamlin wears a golden mask that hides most of his features, but seems weary of answering a lot of the questions that pop up along the way, which only makes Feyre even more curious to want to find out more the longer she’s there, but as she learns why, her initial distrust and hostility slowly turns to passion and lust as she also discovers the dangers that lurk within the magical realm.

It turns out theres an ancient curse on the land, and Feyre may have something to do in order to being able to help faerie kind break it before its too late, and the man she comes to love will be lost forever…

What I Liked:

Lots and Lots of Great Characters! SJM absolutely excels at creating fun, interesting characters and giving them a unique dynamic to help drive the story. In this title, I’d say my favorite characters are Lucien, the crafty but loyal best friend of Tamlin, The Suriel who is a low fae that is extremely hard to find but has to tell the truth of any question you have should you capture him, and Rhysand…oh Rhysand…how much I want to say, but in due time with later book reviews…in this title, he’s a conflicting character; an intriguing villain/anti-hero, the High Lord of the Night Court and the most powerful of all the High Lords of the Fae, but is the right hand man of a madwoman…well, those fae males can’t be entirely perfect.
Hints at More to Come! Like the first TOG title, this book felt like it was just entirely set up for what’s to come later on in the series, and one thing I love doing is brainstorming, thinking of all sorts of ideas of what those possibilities may actually be, and even helps me develop my own ideas for writing.
The Worldbuilding! SJM seemed to have took more time and delicately plan out the world she wanted to have this story take place in, and seems to want to share every aspect of it, except that she doesn’t go into as much detail as I’d have liked about the other courts within Prythian. There’s seven total courts total, and they are differentiated by the seasons (Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter) along with the time of day (Dawn, Day, Night). The reason I put this in the “like” column is because my hope was that these courts are all shown to us later on in the series, and I was incredibly interested to see how the author made these different kingdoms come to life.

What I Didn’t Like:

It’s Slower Paced…SJM’s writing has improved over time and has become so much more eloquent and compelling, and there’s a ton of action going on in her other series around the time this title was released, but you may feel like you’re taking a few steps back with this one, as the overall pacing is much slower than what we’ve gotten used to. The worldbuilding is given much more specific attention, but the real danger/action doesn’t start until the last third of the book, which is kind of a shame because the author writes action so incredibly well. This story feels a little less plot driven, but more character driven and just plain exploring a new and unusual world, which isn’t always the best route to go in terms of a fantasy genre novel. Luckily, there are little snippets that hint at danger that can keep you guessing and wondering enough to keep on reading!
It’s Not really a Retelling…So after reading this book, I can conclude that while there are many aspects that may be seen as similar, it’s not entirely an actual Beauty and the Beast retelling, or if it is, it’s not the best in terms of that aspect. Tamlin seems to be put in the position as the Beast: the ruler of the cursed land, the one who must somehow break that curse, and has his subjects who also share the punishment with him. While I personally know more into the story as I type this review, I know this is not true at all…but like I said, more on that later in other reviews…All I can say to sum it all up is, yes, the first part of this story feels like another retelling, but then when Feyre goes under the mountain, it changes the whole game!

Conclusion:

Sarah J. Maas does it again with the start of another fantasy series that feels so very different from Throne of Glass, and allows us to once again start over with her words, but this time after having her writing improve dramatically over the years. The world she’s created for this is much more complex, but the pacing is slower than what we’ve come to be used to with her writing…Feyre is no Aelin, that is for sure… Romance takes a bigger, more central role to the story, and the vibe is much more sensual than most YA titles seem to go towards, which leads me to say that for those that care should know that it’s a little more mature than what the genre usually gives us. If you don’t cringe at sex scenes, yay for you! Enjoy 😉

I don’t necessarily recommend this title for those looking for a Beauty and the Beast retelling; it’s there, but it’s also not prominent in the overall execution, but more for those searching for a love story involving the Fae. It is a love story in a way, along with the threat of an evil overlord who threatens the world, but those who like stories that focus on romance will definitely enjoy this title!

Thanks For Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

YA Fantasy, YA romance

My Review: The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass #0.5): by Sarah J. Maas

August 17, 2019October 28, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: March 4th 2014
Number of Pages: 435 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Romance

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

This book was simply supposed to be a distraction to keep readers/fans of the series busy while we waited (barely) patiently for the release of the next book in the Throne of Glass Series, Heir of Fire. What we weren’t expecting was to have our hearts completely ripped out from our chests, torn in half, and then shoved back down our throats to keep us moving forward like nothing actually happened, but we know…we know, and we remember and will never forget, and it still causes us to wake up screaming in the middle of the night. That is how I felt after reading this book!

Instead of a single story like most books, this title is actually a collection of five novellas, or short stories, that act as prequels towards the first original book. These were initially only available as e-books, but with the growing popularity of the series, Bloomsbury threw us a bone and gave us this gorgeous printed edition of all the titles in one collection.

Some people like to pass off prequels, myself included, because let’s be honest…prequels are so limited from the get go: you already know what’s going to eventually happen, and they’re sometimes just used as cash cows from the publishers that have little to do with the actual story, and could even possibly damage the quality of the whole franchise. This book is not like that though; it actually contains material that becomes incredibly important to the overall story of Calaena Sardothien and her redemption arc. Key players to the game get snuck in and are seen for the very first time, and like anything written by Sarah J. Maas, it leaves a lasting impression.

Also, what deserves its own note is Sam Cortland.

Yes, I repeat, we physically meet Sam Cortland in these stories!

What It’s About:

Like I said earlier, it’s a collection of five novellas so I’ll briefly explain all of them below by their titles:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord:

Under the orders of their master known as the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel, a younger Calaena and her companion, Sam Cortland, are sent to Pirates Bay in order to secure a deal he’s made with the Pirate Lord, Captain Rolfe. When they arrive, they find out that Rolfe is actually becoming involved with a slave ring, and Calaena is absolutely furious about it. Never one to support slavery in any form, she has to make a decision that will go against her master’s orders for the first (and possibly last) time ever.

The Assassin and the Healer:

Yrene Towers is a young tavern girl who’s family used to be known as healers, but the king banished any form of magic in the land with deadly consequences. Her family is gone, and she must save up to be able to leave Erilea and find a new home, but one night after closing the tavern, she comes face to face with another young girl, a beaten and battered Calaena Sardothien.

The Assassin and the Desert:

Sent/banished to train with the silent assassins of the desert, Calaena secretly must obtain an enclosed letter from the master assassin in order to return to her own, Arobynn Hamel. The task, she learns, is much more difficult than she anticipated, and while meeting a new friend in Ansel of Briarcliff, she loses herself along the way.

The Assassin and the Underworld:

Accepted back into Arobynn’s good graces, Calaena finds herself now wary of him and his methods. She’s ordered to carry out mission’s that go against everything she stands for, and can’t do it any longer and seeks to find a way out of Arobynn, and the grip of the Assassin’s Guild. The higher points of this story is that you’re introduced to Lysandra for the first time ever, and Sam and Calaena are reunited in the best way!

The Assassin and the Empire:

Sam and Calaena, now together, both try to find a way out in order to run away from Rifthold and their master’s influence in order to start over somewhere else; all they need to do is one last mission, but things are never quite that easy, and both learn how deep a knife in the back can really go…this one is a tear-jerker that makes you think that nothing will be okay, there’s no hope, and you’ll be on your couch with a box of tissues, never able to fully recover.

My name is Calaena Sardothien,” she whispered. “And I will not be afraid.”
– Sarah J. Maas, “The Assassin’s Blade”

What I Liked:

Sam Cortland and Other Characters! A huge highlight of these books is meeting Sam Cortland face to face. There’s a sad reality behind every appearance of his, especially with his relationship with Calaena, because of how his fate’s been revealed in the first two books of the series. It only makes the inevitable more painful as we experience the grief that Calaena has to go through before her eventual imprisonment in the Endovier Salt Mines. There are plenty of other characters that you meet that also play a huge role in how the story progresses: Lady Lysandra, Yrene Towers, Captain Rolfe, Ilias of the Silent Assassins, and Ansel of Briarcliff. All these characters seem minor through the book, but know that all of them become super important as the story moves forward! There’s a reason you meet them all. It’s also worth noting that there is a little cameo of a big character in a certain ballroom scene that is never mentioned by name, but if you think about it, it’s super obvious, and will make you squeal in delight!
The Emotional Impact! With prequels, there’s that awareness that you have as a reader by knowing the fates of characters before they ever do. It’s a cruel kind of power to have, and these stories only add to Calaena’s tragic backstory as you experience it firsthand. What it also does is gives you a deeper understanding towards her character overall and why she is the way she is, the softer/more vulnerable side of her that is seen is few times, and her slow descent into becoming a shell of her former self when she loses everything, and is taken prisoner to Endovier. Sure, its emotionally traumatizing like I’ve mentioned, but for someone who’s read the other books before this, I had to know that it was inevitable.

What I Didn’t Like:

What Happens Next?…The one thing I absolutely despise about sequels is how you can feel like you’d experienced so much, been through the emotional wringer, and have this deeper understanding of the characters and the fictional world they belong in, but when you take a step back and think about it, not all that much has happened further into the story. Sure, there’s a deeper, stronger base to go off now with so much more depth to understanding them and their motives, but it still doesn’t answer the question of what happens next? What happens after the events of Crown of Midnight (the 2nd book)? We still don’t know; it feels somewhat like going one step forward, but two steps back.
The Importance of These Stories in Question…Some of these short stories are more fun to read than others, simple as that. Part of me wondered what was the point of some of them: are they important, or are they just filler? I remember I questioned this when I initially read the book way back when it first came out, but after reading the whole series later on, I can say that, YES, ALL these stories carry importance into the overall story and how it ends up. Each play a small component, but it requires years of patience with later titles in order to see it all come through, and by then I bet quite a few readers forgot all about them.

Conclusion:

While it was technically published after Crown of Midnight, this book gives you no answers as to what happens next in the story, which is so frustrating after THAT HUGE REVEAL AT THE END THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING MOVING FORWARD WITH THE WHOLE SERIES…but what this title does give us is more depth to the story, of Calaena and everything she’s experienced as a 16-year-old up-and-coming assassin in Rifthold. It causes the base of the whole world to become much more prominent and gives you a larger emotional attachment towards the books from then on, because c’mon, if you don’t get emotional reading that final story, I have no words for you or your black heart!

For those wondering when you should read this, I’d say you could do it chronologically, so this one could be read before the first book, but I felt like it was also fine if you read if afterwards or even after Crown of Midnight. It’s honestly your choice based on your own reading preference.

You meet so many characters that WILL play a huge role later on in these stories, even if it doesn’t feel like it after reading, plus a fun little cameo from an already established character; this title only adds to the whole experience that is reading the Throne of Glass series!