Previously, we were introduced to two new lame villains who Feyre immediately infers have daemati powers. Meaning, they can also break into other people’s minds. Jurian is an obnoxious turd. Tamlin is an obnoxious turd. Feyre reminds us that This is All Part of Her Plan.
A Court of Wings and Ruin Chapter 3:
I’d been awake most of the night, casting my awareness through the manor, hunting for any sign that Dagdan and Brannagh were working their daemati influence on anyone else. Mercifully, the curse-breaking ability I’d inherited from Helion Spell-Cleaver, High Lord of the Day Court, had detected no tangles, no spells, save for the wards around the house itself, preventing anyone from winnowing in or out.
Yes, how convenient that Feyre’s super convenient powers yielded super convenient results.
They go to investigate the invisible gap in the invisible wall (you know, the wall separating the humans from the fae), and Feyre decides now is a great time to tell us what she’s wearing. For some reason.
I followed Lucien and the royals, keeping a casual distance behind. I knew my elegant, fine clothes weren’t fooling the prince and princess into forgetting that a fellow daemati now walked at their backs. But I’d still carefully selected the embroidered sapphire jacket and brown pants— adorned only with the jeweled knife and belt that Lucien had once gifted me. A lifetime ago.
I don’t know why Feyre always seems convinced that other characters will have the potential to be fooled by her clothes, but what I do know is that this was forced in here to remind us that Lucien gave her a knife and belt like a month ago. I’m sorry. A lifetime.
They all discuss various holes in the wall and strategies for getting through. Despite the fact that this is an enchanted wall, this is just as interesting as you would expect from a scene of a bunch of people standing around discussing holes in walls.
Lucien and Feyre go to talk alone while…Jurian and his lackeys just like stand around looking at one hole in the wall. I don’t understand how much surveying or planning they could possibly be doing, but sure.
Lucien reveals that on the day Feyre was “abducted”, he returned to the house first and hid Feyre’s abandoned ring (she says this is evidence she was not abducted).
“They melted it off my finger,” I lied.
Lucien’s reaction at first feels like, “Sure, Jan.” But then he seems to warm up to Feyre a bit, not totally clear at this point, as she thanks him for coming to her rescue.
I turned my face to him, resting my knee against his in silent demand. “Why?” I asked. “Why does Hybern want to do this beyond some horrible desire for conquest? What drives him— his people? Hatred? Arrogance?”
Before he can answer, the villains finally realise that they are doing fuck all and return.
Jurian has some pro tips for Lucien:
“Careful, Lucien,” the warrior sneered. “You see what happens to males who touch the High Lord’s belongings.”
This seems to really push Feyre and Lucien back together as friends. I have to say…I’m not buying that this super brief scene was enough to make Lucien want to be pals with Feyre again. I thought he was smarter than that.
They return home where Ianthe is waiting. Feyre takes a few pages to bitch about her and also make some casual allusions to incest.
Dagdan and Brannagh had listened to her fawning with enough boredom that I was starting to wonder if the two of them perhaps preferred no one’s company but each other’s. In whatever unholy capacity. Not a blink of interest toward the beauty who often made males and females stop to gape.
Boy, you sure can tell this is a post Game of Thrones story.
Feyre agrees to do some party planning with Ianthe later, and she and Lucien go off on their own to chat for a bit. I guess they really are chill now. Feyre asks Lucien if Ianthe and Tamlin hooked up while she was gone.
“No,” he said hoarsely. “No. When Calanmai came along, he refused. He flat-out refused to participate. I replaced him in the Rite, but …”
Calanmai was the faerie fuckfest! Where they have to have crazy cave sex so the magic can help the plants grow. You know how it is.
So Lucien banged Ianthe in Tamlin’s place. He begs Feyre not to tell Elain. I have no idea why the fuck Elain would care given Lucien has been alive for hundreds of years and obviously slept with other people? And why would Feyre be like, “ELAIN!! HE SLEPT WITH IANTHE WHO YOU DON’T KNOW AT ALL!”
Okay, in all seriousness, Feyre is really compassionate to Lucien right now. She can tell he did not want to do this and that it haunts him.
“I wish I had been there to stop it. I should have been there to stop it.” I meant every word.
Lucien squeezed our linked arms as we rounded a hedge, the house rising up before us. “You are a better friend to me, Feyre,” he said quietly, “than I ever was to you.”
Damn it. I think I actually want them to be genuine friends again. I loved that.
While preparing for the Solstice party later, Alis reveals she has figured out what’s going on. She has family still working in the Summer Court, and they saw Feyre super happy. Also, on the day Morrigan showed up, Alis asked her to take Feyre away and help her. Feyre still plays dumb, but they seem to kind of reach an understanding. I guess maybe everyone has realised Tamlin is a shit.
Lucien might be the only redeeming thing in this book. I care about him where I want everyone else to die.
Question for people who have read all or nearly all the books in the series: are the mates always male female or are their same gender pairings? Only thought to ask since there was an issue with children mentioned in book 2 (‘children are so precious and so rare’) and this series seems ridiculously focused on heterosexuality and child birth. I feel like I already know the answer but I want to cling onto the hope that this book isn’t as heteronormative as I think it is.
There actually are same sex pairings, but my God does the book act like it’s progressive for that. It’s VERY focused on when we get to it, or at least I thought so.
Oh God how awful. Maybe they’re acting like it’s progressive because in this fantasy world, homphobia, like misogyny seems to be (the wing clipping for example), pretty prevalent? More likely, sjm is a twat though. Thanks for responding though 🙂
I’m not sure if it’s just a personal opinion of mine or whether it’s categorically true, so you’ll have to be the judge. I just know that there’s a sexual preference reveal late in the book that I thought was really mishandled and I generally thought all of it was kind of like “token gay people!!!” I’m of the opinion that the less it’s mentioned the better because then it’s not obvious you’re trying to make a statement; in this book it always seems to be mentioned as a point of interest rather than something people just are.
Shit, who the fuck is Alis?
Beautiful, you’ve answered it first thing in the next post