My Least Favorite ACOTAR Book

******This post contains spoilers

I went into A Court of Thorns of Roses not expecting to love it. I thought it was overhyped (especially about 2/3 of the way into the first book). But this series now has a special place in my heart. I have not been able to stop thinking about this series since I read it. I can’t wait to read it again knowing what I know now. I am anxiously awaiting the sixth installment and I have attempted to cure the hole it left in my heart by reading Maas’ other works. (I’m currently reading the Throne of Glass series and loving it!).  

While I did enjoy all of this series, the one that I enjoyed least was the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018). For those who don’t know already, this is not a full-length fourth installment. Instead, it is a 200-page short story. If you think of it more as a holiday special than a book, it’s enjoyable.

 It focuses on the Inner Circle preparing for the Winter Solstice (they’re basically Christmas shopping) in the aftermath of the war. Meanwhile, Nesta has begun to spiral, she’s isolated herself from everyone and moved across town. In contrast, Elaine has begun to find her place in Velaris and there’s enough tension between her and Azriel to make their story interesting. Feyre’s story focuses on her painting. She’s finally painting again and loving it. She’s making art friends and very interested in an art studio. This was the least enjoyable part of the story for me, mostly because I didn’t enjoy the constant naming of paintings she planned on doing in ACOWAR.

This book does have enjoyable moments. The annual snowball fight, Rhys getting kicked out of the steam room, and the revelation about Feyre’s clothes are among some of my favorites. It acts as a bridge from Rhys and Feyre’s story to Cassian and Nesta’s story in A Court of Silverflame. However, the overall story was slow for me and hard to push through.