A court of red flags and regrets (ACOTAR review)

 Okay, first I can't take credit for the title. It comes from the A Court of Fandoms and Explorations (ACOFAE) podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/4z60pTgQNKZ6SNakhAMcmM?si=86f3038991884083)  

I will die on this mountain (if you get this, I love you). I love love this series but ACOTAR is the worst book of the series. I love SJM and I will read anything she writes but Tamlin is the worst book character ever. 

I have read this book two or three times now but this is the first time I read it with a critical lens. Let's just say that I added a new tab for foreshadowing and red flags because there was so much. (I started tagging my books recently, which is the best thing ever). 

I know that there are Tamlin sympathizers out there and god knows I used to be one of them. But just like Feyre (and several others in the booktok community) I was blinded to his toxic traits and red flags. I don't care if he was traumatized, it does not excuse his behavior (but this will be more thoroughly discussed in my ACOMAF review...)

From the beginning of my critical reread, I was picking up on the red flags coming from Tamlin and the obvious foreshadowing. First off, I have to credit Sarah J. Maas because she foreshadows things in the best way. 

For those who have not read the book, here is a brief synopsis of the book. It is a beauty and the beast retelling that is unique and honestly, amazing. Feyre has lost her mother and her family is living in poverty after they lost their fortune due to bad investments. Feyre ends up having to hunt and trade/sell to keep her family alive (a la hunger games). In the process of her hunting, she comes across a large wolf that kills the deer she was planning to shoot. She kills the wolf and in the process, starts a chain of events that change her life forever. Due to a long-forgotten part of a treaty with the Fae in Prythian, she has to be either killed or live in Prythian. She is spared and taken to Prythian by a beast who is actually one of the faeries who once ruled over her people. But something or someone is wreaking havoc on the faerie lands and Feyre must find a way to stop it before it is too late. 

*Spoiler warning* 

From here on out, the review will be heavily full of spoilers. DO NOT CONTINUE if you have not read the book. 

Feyre grew up in poverty from the time she was a little girl when her mother died and her family lost their fortune. She was forced to hunt when their money ran out. One day in the woods, with her family's food running out, she travels further into the woods than normal in a desperate attempt to find food for her family. There by some luck she finds a deer but then notices the wolf that has set its sights on the deer. It kills the deer before she can and she kills the wolf. 

Everything seems fine and normal until a beast shows up at her door, demanding that the one who killed the wolf pay for his death, as he was a fairie after all. She can either die or live out her days in Pyrthian. 

When she arrives she meets Lucien and learns that the beast is one of the high fae. Feyre explores what is to be her new home and learns about the blight that is affecting these lands. Pretty basic, your basic beauty and beast story. Tamlin sends her away for her safety and she heads back to her families manor with clothes and jewels. 

But her heart is still in the Spring Court and decides to go back. At the Spring manor, she runs into Alis, who can now freely tell her about the curse. Tamlin rejected Amarantha who made herself High Queen of Pyrthian and enslaved the people there. Tamlin said that he would rather love and marry a human than be with her. She cursed him and his people to wear masks at a party forty-nine years ago and she would take them under the mountain unless he found a human woman to love him, provided that she had hatred for faeries in her heart and killed one of them. 

She finds a way under the mountain and begs Amarantha to free the people. She agrees if Feyre completes three tasks or solves a riddle which will free them instantly. 

She completes the tasks but Amarantha tricked her and never said that she would free them instantly. Feyre does solve the riddle but Amarantha kills her and Tamlin kills Amarantha. The high lords save Feyre and made her high fae. 

Red Flags 

There were so many. 

First off, Tamlin's anger issues and controlling nature. It is explained away on the pretense of Tamlin being a protector but it is very toxic. 

"And you're insignificant enough to not ruffle this estate" Well, that's encouraging. Love that Tamlin. 

Tamlin prefers being alone and will shred anyone who disobeys his rule. Wow, toxic much. Tamlin has some major anger issues and needs to chill out. 

The whole scene after the rite. Tamlin allows great magic to enter him and becomes a different person. He corners her in the hall after the rite in the middle of the night and bites her neck like some beast (her words). I guess consent isn't an issue for him but it makes me sick. 

"Don't ever disobey me again." Just puke 🤮

His jealously over her meetings with Issac. like what? Bro, you don't own her, chill out. 

"You could have broken it. All you had to do was say that you loved him- say that you loved him and mean it with your whole useless human heart and his power would have been freed. You stupid, stupid girl." Alis to Feyre 

Look, Alis redeems herself later on in the second book. But here, everyone is acting like Feyre owes Tamlin something, that she has to love him. She doesn't owe him anything let alone love him. He doesn't have any redeeming qualities that endear him to us readers. He is angry and believes humans are beasts and insignificant to the faeires. Why do we like him again? I honestly can't figure out why. 

Foreshadowing 

DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE OTHER BOOKS. 

I commend Sarah J. Maas on her excellent foreshadowing which is only clear after reading the other books. 

From the very beginning (page 15 to be exact), it is clear that Rhysand is meant to be her mate from the beginning. I know that there are those who believe Rhys is also toxic (mainly Tamlin sympathizers) but he isn't. He is her equal in every way. 

On page 15, Feyre describes how she painted their dresser drawers: the violets and roses (Elain), the crackling flames (Nesta), and the night sky (Feyre). Feyre's drawer is clearly a nod to the night court and her future with Rhys. Nesta's drawer is a nod to silver flames and her story as a High Fae. While the meaning of Elain's drawer is yet to be determined but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Spring court and Lucien as her mate. On page 69, we also get a nod to the night court in the form of the clothes Feyre picks, a dark purple tunic so dark it could have been black. This is a nod to night court fashion. 

On page 88, Lucien says that if Feyre doesn't stop looking so curious, he is going to tell Tamlin to put her on house arrest. If you've read ACOMAF, then you know that he locks her in the house when he leaves essentially triggering Feyre and giving her a panic attack. 

On page 72, Tamlin mentions that their kind (faeries) could shatter the wall with half a thought. This is foreshadowing the King of Hybren's attempts (and success) at bringing the wall down. 

On pages 126-128, Feyre ensnares the Suriel and as the ACOFAE podcasters say, we love a gossipy bitch. The Suriel tells her that Tamlin is the high lord of the Spring Court. The Suriel also says that Feyre must stay with the high lord who she assumes to mean Tamlin. But in ACOMAF, we learn that the Suriel knew that Rhys is her mate and she actually meant she should stay with Rhys. 

The pool of starlight they visit in chapter 18. Clearly a nod to Velaris, the city of starlight. 

The music that travels to Feyre in her cell under the mountain to stop her breaking is sent by Rhys, a vision of Velaris. 

Lastly, when Rhys stumbles at the end of the book when he meets Feyre after the curse is broken. we are first left confused by this as it told from Feyre's perspective but we later find out that this is the moment Rhys realized she was his mate. 

And just like that, we're done. 

Stayed tuned for my ACOMAF review ❤️