I couldn’t put this book down at all, namely because I had no idea how our troupe would win this war, let alone come out without any casualties. I loved all the unexpected twists and turns, and a lot of parts ended up surprising me, although the ending surprised me in a bad way.

Going back to the spring court with Tamlin was a welcome surprise, showing that Feyre is well capable of being cunning and revenge, although it didn’t sit well with me that she never considered the impact her actions would have on the collapse of the court and the well-being of the rugslag fae folk, many of which ended up perishing when Hybern invaded. Tamlin was an unhinged ass when it came to loving Feyre yes, but he never seemed overly cruel to his people. Seeing Feyre ruin Ianthes plans was incredibly satisfying however.

Feyre and Rhys’s bond grew stronger and stronger, evident by the gross overuse of the word mate. Their snarky relationship was fun to behold. And the growing relationships between Feyre and the gang really rose the stakes whenever they flew off into trouble. Adding Nesta and Elaine into the mix was a bit jarring, since their personalities are incredibly rigid and clashed with the gang a fair amount.

Now for the exciting bit, the war. The couldron being used to tear down the wall before Nestas training could pay off was very unexpected, and increased the pacing quite a bit. Feyre and Rhys recruiting all three horrors to help during the fight was also a nice addition. And the squabbling between high lords was a nice bit of added tension. I truly thought they would be overrun when the fights started and Hybern just kept coming. The despair was painted quite well.

I did expect Drakon and Miriam to show up at some point, but for the girls father to be amassing an army all the while was surprising. The three boats named after them was a nice touch, although his character succes was short lived (literally) Elain taking off the kings head was a nice surprise, it thought she would remain a vegetable the entire book.

The one bit that made me take off a star however was the fact that despite Rhys and Amren seeming to die, they came back. It was devastating to read about Rhys, but it seemed fitting after the massive power display of Hybern. That they fought on despite their king being dead, they were overwhelming the armies. That Feyre managed release the couldrons power, release Amren to consume Hybern was already a stretch. But for them to all live after, was almost disappointing, despite loving the characters. It made all the stakes moot.

Despite this it was a highly enjoyable book, with an amazing story full of twists and turns leading up to the war, and a slightly disappointing and predictable ending.