Whoa! It’s been a little while! Are we still reading A Court of Wings and Ruin? Dang, I feel like we’ve been reading this for as long as Rhysand’s been alive: apparently not nineteen years.
Previously, all the High Lords took two thirds of the book to schedule a meeting to talk about the upcoming war, and then were super surprised that when they finally shelved their egos long enough to all be in the same room, Hybern was ready to attack and destroyed the Wall. #awkward
A Court of Wings and Ruin: Chapter 49
Everyone freaks out and makes some last-minute arrangements while departing for their respective Courts. Thesan says he’ll get the faebane antidote shipped to all the other Courts asap. Hellion and Tarquin offer sanctuary to Tamlin’s people (who are unprotected against Hybern after Feyre sorta inspired a populist uprising and then peaced). Feyre… is mad at herself. Helpful!
If the wall had come down … Too late. We’d been too late. All of that research … I should have insisted that if Amren deemed Nesta nearly ready, then we should have gone directly to the wall.
…why are we spending time on this? Nesta wasn’t ready.
Even now, seated around the town house dining table in Velaris, I hadn’t decided whether the potential of breaking my sister permanently was worth the cost of saving lives.
Why is Feyre worrying about how she didn’t take an opportunity she didn’t have to sacrifice her sister? Feyre, is there something you aren’t telling us about how you feel about your sister?
Speaking of Nesta, Rhysand tells her that she should evacuate her old human family’s household, offering them all sanctuary in Velaris. Nesta reminds Rhysand that this story spent its entire first book establishing how bad relations are between mortals and immortals, so, probs not gonna happen. Elain suggests a plan B: her ex(-ish)-fiancé.
Elain said quietly, “We could move them to Graysen’s estate. […] His father has high walls—made of thick stone. With space for plenty of people and supplies.” All of us made a point not to look at that ring she still wore. Elain went on, “His father has been planning for something like this for … a long time. They have defenses, stores …” A shallow breath. “And a grove of ash trees, with a cache of weapons made from them.”
Cassian points out that since their enemies possess magic, the stone walls really won’t do anything and they should at least set up a guard. Elain says no, they’d never trust a faerie guard, but there are escape tunnels, and this is better than nothing, and apparently that’s all it takes for this to be the end of this conversation, let’s roll with this plan.
But don’t worry! Their plan gets much stupider.
“You can’t mean to leave their castle undefended,” Cassian tried a shade more gently. “Even with the ash, it won’t be enough. We’d need to set wards at the very minimum.”
Elain considered. “I can speak to him. […] Glamour me,” Elain said—to Rhys.
“Make me look human. Just long enough to convince him to open his gates to those seeking sanctuary. Perhaps even let you set those wards around the estate.”
And with our scents to confuse the hounds … “This could end very badly, Elain.”
She brushed her thumb over the iron-and-diamond engagement ring. “It’s already ended badly.”
Don’t forget that Elain’s fiancé still doesn’t know what happened to Elain. Is Elain’s plan just to show up after being missing for months (idk, let’s go with months), a period of time which included the date they set for their wedding, and just be like “Hi… it’s me… I bet you have some questions, but, first, can you let every human you know and then some hide in your dad’s castle for a bit? Dope! Ok, cool, bye forever again!” because I think this is really her plan.
Nesta then asks Feyre what she can do, and Sarah J Maas Feyre realizes that since there’s no wall for Nesta to protect anymore, Nesta has nothing to do in this story now.
Nesta smoothed a hand down her dark dress. “What do I do now?”
A purpose, I realized. Assigning her the task of finding a way to repair the holes in the wall … it had given my sister what perhaps our human lives had never granted her: a bearing.
“You come with us—to Graysen’s estate, and then travel with the army. If you’re connected with the Cauldron, then we’ll need you close. Need you to tell us if it’s being wielded again.”
Not quite a mission, but Nesta nodded all the same.
Well, gosh, Feyre, I’m sorry your sister wasn’t ready for you to sacrifice her! Sheesh.
After all that, Feyre goes to Amren to catch her up on that time she made a deal with the mysterious, eternal, and unspeakable creature that lives in their basement (whose name, regrettably, we can no longer pretend is Donny).
“There is a creature beneath the library. Do you know it?”
Amren shut the Book. “Its name is Bryaxis.”
“What is it.”
“You do not want to know, girl.” […]
“I want to ask it for another bargain. I need you to examine the wards holding it down there—and to explain things.” I didn’t bother to look pleasant. Or desperate. Or grateful. I didn’t bother to wipe the cold, hard mask from my face as I added, “You’re coming with me. Right now.”
Oh thank God. Feyre making questionable deals with unknowable god-monsters of time forgotten is basically the only compelling part of this story for me anymore.
If you enjoyed today’s post, please consider buying the BBGT writers a cup of coffee? That’d be swell of you!
You can’t ask questions without a question mark! And there are better ways to convey a flat tone! Gah!
Welcome back, ACOWAR.
Okay, but aren’t there waaaaaaaay more important things for a high lord to be doing than going with all of his top people to another country to protect 100 people? Like isn’t there some government official that isn’t in his inner circle that this task could be delegated to? How do 5 1/2 people run an entire country by themselves?
Poorly, if we’ve learned anything by this point
someone:
Feyre: soooo are we going to sacrifice my sister or nope?
I feel like more things used to happen in these books, where did that go
Maybe I’m being unfair to this book, I guess things are happening, they’re just not things that make sense or evoke emotions other than moderate frustration
I would love it if the next point of conflict was that while Thesan wasn’t looking FaeUPS unionized and now will refuse to ship the antidotes to everyone until they are properly compensated and certain rules are changed.
Also I hate how often Amren says “girl”. It’s stupid. And shouldn’t she be saying female anyway? Now then it would be cool.