A Court of Thorns & Roses’lowest-rated book may be the weakest addition to the series, butA Court of Frost & Starlightdoes one thing so much better than the rest of them.A Court of Frost & Starlightis the shortestinstallment inSarah J. Maas' fantasy series, as it’s a novella rather than a full-length novel. It serves as a bridge of sorts between Feyre and Rhysand’s story in the first three books and the other characters' narratives inA Court of Silver Flamesand futureACOTARsequels.
Given its role in the series,perhaps it’s no surprise thatA Court of Frost & Starlightis the lowest-rated of the books, with a 3.74 averageGoodreadsscore. This is far from a poor rating, but it’s still significantly lower than the otherACOTARbooks. The other four installments boast ratings ranging from 4.18 to 4.65, underscoring how beloved they are among readers. By contrast,A Court of Frost & Starlight’s reception is much less impressive. There are valid arguments about why that’s the case, but one aspect of the novella is actually an improvement on the other books.
4.18
4.65
4.47
3.74
4.46
A Court Of Frost & Starlight Handles Its POVs Better Than The Rest Of The ACOTAR Series
The Novella Features Chapters From Multiple Perspectives
A Court of Frost & Starlighthas its weaknesses, butit handles its POVs in a way that would have benefited the rest of theCourt of Thorns & Rosesbooks. While the originalACOTARtrilogy is told almost exclusively from Feyre’s perspective,A Court of Frost & Starlightutilizes multiple points of view to drive its narrative forward. Feyre is still front and center, but Rhysand, Cassian, Nesta, and Morrigan also have POV chapters. Not including Rhysand’s perspective in the first threeACOTARbooks was a huge missed opportunity, andACOFAShighlights that.
A Court of Frost & Starlightat least makes an attempt to include many different perspectives, and that sets it apart.
It also reveals how much greater the series' scope could have been if Maas had writtenA Court of Thorns & Rosesin a multi-POV format, something the author proved she could handle intheThrone of Glassbooks. WhileA Court of Silver Flamesdoes switch up its narration style — it jumps from Feyre’s first-person perspective to a third-person POV focused on Nesta and Cassian — its POV changes aren’t as ambitious as something likeThrone of Glass.A Court of Frost & Starlightat least makes an attempt to include many different perspectives, and that sets it apart.
Why A Court Of Frost & Starlight Is The Lowest-Rated Book (Despite This Strength)
It’s A Lower-Stakes Story Than Other ACOTAR Books
A Court of Frost & Starlightshines when it comes to its multi-POV format, but that hasn’t helped the novella’s reception. Unfortunately, while this setup was promising, it was inevitable thatACOFASwould receive a lower rating than its predecessors and even Nesta’s novel. That’s becausethis shorter addition to theACOTARseries features a much lower-stakes plot, essentially serving as a lengthy epilogue to the original trilogy. And although it’s nice to learn how the characters are faring after the war with Hybern, there isn’t much of a story or hook.
10 Harsh Realities Of Reading The Original Court Of Thorns & Roses Trilogy
A Court of Thorns and Roses was originally going to be a trilogy, leading to some problems with some plot details in the context of the wider series.
This is one major complaint aboutA Court of Frost & Starlight,but readers also cite the portrayals of the characters in their reviews. Even if multiple perspectives work for the novella,the book doesn’t depict Feyre and Rhysand in the best lightwhen it comes to supporting the people around them. Their choices inACOFASalso go back on decisions made inA Court of Wings & Ruin,namely when it comes to the future of their relationship and family. This sharp turnaround wasn’t handled that well and felt jarring for some readers.
The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book Should Learn From The ACOTAR Novella
It’s unclear who thesixthCourt of Thorns & Rosesbookwill be about, though another installment is confirmed.The coming addition should learn fromA Court of Frost & Starlightby making an effort to include more POV chapters than Maas’ACOTARbooks traditionally have. If it’s Elain’s book, it could follow characters like Lucien and Tamlin more directly as well. However, it could even go beyond that, catching us up with Feyre or Nesta, despite their personal stories seemingly being over.
There’s no word on when the nextCourt of Thorns & Rosesbook will come out, but Maas toldTODAY.comthat it’s the next project she’s working on.
A Court of Silver Flamesalready proves that a shift like this can work, so the nextACOTARbook adding more POVs would simply be leaning into the fifth installment’s big change. Only time will tell if Maas chooses to go this route, but it would help flesh out some ofA Court of Thorns & Roses’supporting players and storylines in more depth. It would also extend the scope of the series, benefiting its world-building as well.
Source:Goodreads,TODAY.com
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Based on theA Court of Thorns and Rosesfantasy novel series, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a television adaptation that follows Feyre Archeron, a young woman dragged into the world of faeries after slaying one of their kind. The series will follow her journey through the lands of Prythian and her relationship with one of its lords, Tamlin.
