A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I don't know A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin was originally planned as a trilogy though I suppose I could find out if I cared enough to look it up. But there are now more stories in the tale so I will read them. But I mention this to say that I felt like the ending was really an ending as compared to the cliffhangers the first two ended on. If there was no A Court of Frost and Starlight waiting for me.

Answers I've been waiting for are answered in this book....what is Amren, where is Lucien, what is going on with Feyre's father, what the ever loving hell is the deal with the damn cauldron!! And that is just a few of the answers given.

The battles that take place are brutal and tense. Using magic doesn't make them any less bloody. There is a lot of blood and fear.

The theme that I felt the most as I was reading these books, that winds through and means the most, is that family is not only defined by the blood we are born into but is often most strongly and lovingly made up of the people who we choose and who choose us.

The "mate" thing can seem a little overbearing and stalkerish or obsessive and for some couplings it is. But there are other examples where it is not but rather is beautiful and loving and safe. And it's more than just Rhys and Feyre.

The history and the current dynamic between faire courts and the humans is a lot like the world we currently live in and it is a little eerie given that this book was released in 2017. The humans are seen as worth less and by some worthless. There are some who think they need to be put back to the status they had before the war, wall, and treaty. That is as slaves. There are others who want to seem them free and protected and allowed to live their lives in peace. There's greed and prejudice, on both sides.

Another spoke in the wheel of the story is the three sisters, Feyre, Elain, and Nesta and what their upbringing has done to their relationship. It is interesting and isn't all sweet and light and easy fixes.

Overall I loved this book and this series. As was the case with ToG, Sarah J. Maas did not disappoint.

(Finished February 5, 2020)