Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. Just keep in mind this is firmly in the new adult territory (I lost track of the number of sex scenes), shares a lot of thematic similarities with ACOMAF, and continues some of the overarching flaws seen in the rest of the series. With a wonderful cast of characters, interesting relationships, and lots of action-packed scenes, this is a fun read. Nesta’s character development is fantastic and the author balances portraying her with compassion without excusing her past hurtful actions. Similar to ACOMAF, this is a rare fantasy novel that depicts the impacts of trauma in such an accurate way. Over time, we see Nesta’s healing journey as she comes to terms with her experiences, finds her own community, and develops a sense of purpose. We get insight into Nesta’s mind as she struggles to cope with her inner world, relies on unhealthy coping mechanisms, and pushes away the people who care about her.

Her healing journey is complicated and non-linear. Both are completely valid explorations of PTSD.ĪCOSF portrays Nesta’s journey with complexity and empathy. But Nesta’s experiences in ACOSF are very different to Feyre’s in ACOMAF. Both books are epic fantasy novels that follow young, newly-turned fae as they cope with the aftermath of traumatic experiences. It’s hard to read A Court of Silver Flames (ACOSF) without being reminded of book 2 in the series, A Court of Mist and Fury.

A court of silver flames book 2