REVIEW: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

READ THIS IF:
– You, too, get winded every time you climb the stairs
– You wouldn’t mind being incepted into taking up meditation

MY THOUGHTS:
First off…. I’m not going to lie, I WANTED to give this book 4 stars. It is SEXY. I mean ULTRA SEXY. Far and above the other ACOTAR novels – and I just find it hard to give a book “5 stars” if I wouldn’t lend it to my 80 yr old grandmother without an ounce of hesitation. That being said, the sexiness of this novel does not detract from it’s beauty, heart, and tear-jerking realness one bit. I couldn’t count something against it that doesn’t take away from it in the first place. So I guess what I’m saying is – YOU DO YOU, CAROLYN (aka my 80 yr old grandmother). Holiday dinners are about to get awkward.

I didn’t intentionally read ACOSF during Mental Health Awareness month, but it is fitting in retrospect. I haven’t cried, truly cried, reading a book since Dobby died in Deathly Hallows – but I broke that streak with this book. Nesta and Cassian’s hike (Ch. 49-50) made me sob so hard I was afraid that I was going to wake up my husband sleeping next to me. It resonated deeply w/ my own experience with depression and anxiety with such genuity and understanding that at first I didn’t get how SJM wrote it. In her acknowledgments, she admits she penned it during a hike in New Zealand amidst a struggle with her own mental health. I would give this book 5 stars for those chapters alone. I could read and reread them forever – I’ve never felt more seen by a complete stranger before. I don’t say that lightly.

If you loved ACOMF, this is its moodier (albeit a little sex-crazed), badass twin. The Deathly Hallows to Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire, if you will.

Tackling the challenging topics of self-worth, personal forgiveness, accepting the love of others, and overcoming mental and literal demons was a lofty goal that SJM conquered impeccably well. I’m honestly blown away by it the more I reflect on it. It was everything I wanted, and what I didn’t know I needed.

Just lend to grandma with caution.