The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 6 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on March 12, 2021.
Lauren Gantt ’21
A&E Editor
A Court of Silver Flames, the fourth novel in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, was released February 16, 2021, after a three-year gap between releases of the series. It hit the #1 spot on “The New York Times” Best Seller list shortly after, which comes as no surprise due to the abundance of online excitement surrounding its release. Having been a big fan of the series from the very first book, I was one of the thousands of fans eagerly anticipating A Court of Silver Flames.
Clocking in at a whopping 757 pages, A Court of Silver Flames is Maas’s adult fantasy installment that follows two side characters, Cassian and Nesta, from the original trilogy that are now featured as leading protagonists. After the events of book three and the trauma exacted upon all of the characters, there is a lot of tension guiding the story in A Court of Silver Flames.
From the beginning of the trilogy, Nesta was a very polarizing character for readers. With a sharp tongue, biting words, and standoffish personality, many readers simply hated Nesta. However, I always thought she posed as an interesting character study and was incredibly excited to read from her perspective in this book. With an easy-going attitude, a playful personality, and fierce loyalty to his friends, it’s no surprise that Cassian was beloved by readers from the moment he was on the page.
This story is very much one of healing and overcoming trauma, both from the war and from life prior to the war. There are other elements and plotlines, but the main focus of this book seemed very much to be on the two main characters and Nesta in particular, through their mental health journeys.
One thing I’ve always enjoyed in Maas’s books is how she writes characters and their emotional growth. Nesta was no exception. She had incredible misfortune and trauma thrust upon her from an early age and grew up with a tangled mess of emotions and perceptions of herself. Perhaps that is what makes her a compelling character. You want to untangle the web around her to find out who she really is. Nesta’s journey in A Court of Silver Flames was inspiring, difficult, and not always pretty, but it was beautiful to read.
One of my favorite things in this book was the value placed on healing and friendship. There were a few side characters from the original trilogy that played a greater role in this book and there were also new characters that were introduced. I absolutely loved these new characters and how their stories were told. It really was beautiful to see them have their own healing journeys alongside and because of Nesta.
There was another plot in this book besides that journey of healing that was triggered by an event in an earlier book. While it was an interesting plot line to pursue, I do have to admit that it faded mostly into the background compared to Nesta’s healing story. This plot point did add to the story, but I don’t think was as strongly fleshed out as Maas’s other books. The conclusion to that story also felt quite convenient and quick, despite the seemingly difficult nature of the issue.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Despite one of the main plot lines being relatively underdeveloped, the rest of the book was an absolute joy to read. The emotional journey this book takes readers on had me laughing, gasping, holding back tears, and frantically flipping through the pages all throughout the book. I am wholly satisfied with this installment and am eagerly anticipating the discovery of who the next book will feature as the protagonist.
As this is the first installment of the series that is fully classified as adult, I do want to mention that it is quite a bit more graphic than the other books in this series. There is plenty of swearing, sexual content, and graphic violence. More so, since the book itself does not include these, here is a list of the main trigger warnings to be aware of going into A Court of Silver Flames: graphic violence, sexual assault, rape (off-page), abuse (off-page), death, traumatic childbirth, suicidal thoughts/ideation, depression, and PTSD.
