“This could be … a very bad idea,” I admitted, my grip tightening on his hand. 
“Oh, it most certainly is,[...] But this is war. We don’t have the luxury of good ideas—only picking between the bad ones.”
 — Feyre to Cassian —

A Quick Flashback

Feyre the human who killed a Fae by law  suppose to be living with the Fae who turns out the High Lord of Spring Court, fell in love with him who got cursed by Amarantha the commander from Hybern who invade Prythian 49 years ago. Decided that she has to save the one she love, she go to Under the Mountain to claim him. Got 3 quests in order to save Tamlin, making bargain with Amarantha not only just to release Tamlin and his court from the curse, but also give back other High Lords from all court in Pyrithian power in return if she can complete the 3 quests or solve the riddle that Amarantha gave.

She completed the quest but Faeries are just cunning, not letting Tamlin go right away, wrecking Feyre until she lost her life. Tamlin who got his power back just stay there begging Amarantha to stop, while Rhysand roaring and take revenge for Feyre by killing Amarantha. Feyre is being Made to be a high fae by the power that every high lord in each court power that they gave in order to save her, and with that she no longer human but a Faerie. 

Back to Spring Court, she suffers for PTSD along with Tamlin who become super possessive for her safety. Her treaty one week a month with Rhysand helps her to improves her powers while Tamlin just want her to bury her powers because he's afraid her safety if the other High lords know that she has their power. Feeling frustrated and being a prison in spring court, she escape with the help of Morrigan, Rhysand's sister. 

She discover that Prythian, although got back their power and free from Amarantha, is in the edge of war with Hybern who has been collecting and succeeding to control the cauldron's power. Trying to null the Cauldron's power by collecting the book which half of it in the hand of Summer Court and the other in Human world held by the Seven Queens back then they made a peace treaty between human and Fae. 

Going to Hybern instead of waiting them to came to Prythian, she and the other Night Court member fell into a trap set by Hybern with the help of Tamlin who works with , that made Feyre decide that she will going back to Spring Court acting that she has been controlled by Rhysand (by his ability to control mind) and break down the spell and back to be in love again with Tamlin in order to save her friends and sisters who being made into Fae by the power of the cauldron.

Okay, definitely not a quick flashback but i hope it works for you.

Synopsis

In other hand she's trying to break the Spring Court from the inside by making all sentries (Tamlin's spring court guard) to feel betrayed by Tamlin who always taking Ianthe side instead of their side as the soldier who had been loyal to him.  Feyre become so close with Lucien in order to avoid nights with Tamlin and made him believe or suspect there's something between them. 

In the day she runaway from spring court after killing the Prince Dagdan and Princess Brannagh who poisoned her with apple that made her lost her power temporarily, she encounter Lucien being forced, binding in the tree while Ianthe want something sexually from him. Feyre decide to help Lucien and together they both traveling by foot from spring court to night court, but encounter a thrilling hunt lead by Lucien's brothers then got help from Cassian in Winter court. 

Turns out that the war is coming, the wall has broken that made Human world vulnerable. Feyre and Rhysand invite all the high lords to join the power together in order to save Prythian from Hybern second invasion. 

Comparing Each Book In Series

Then the second book is definitely no longer stick to the retelling since Feyre is falling in love with other man, who is wicked full of mask in order to save the hidden city that nobody ever know, the Velaris. I got to say i know about Velaris words way before i read this book. In the second book when i encounter about this city, i got the "Ah..." feeling to finally discover what it means. 

In third book, its no longer just an adventure of a girl who discover the new power that she posses but also the war that is inevitable with the odd of the winning is thin. With the thin line between the courts for believing each other to not to betray Prythian and support Hybern who actually more powerful not only by them but also got alliances from outside too. This one include a lot of war scenes and political included which are two of my favorite essence of fantasy books.

Adult Scene

From the start of this series i already feel reluctant to start because i know this series is famous with lots of making out scene. Feyre herself is not an innocent girl as mostly female main character commonly pictured. She enjoy making out with the man in the village, Isaac as her way to get out of the reality, the hardship of her life. 

In first book, i would say they are lots of sexy scene but not the actual sex scene, but still include the sex scene in the middle of the book the night before Tamlin asked Feyre to going back to human world after Rhysand knows that Tamlin is keeping Feyre in his house. The one that i don't get it is, why having sex while you know that you will let her go away from you? i feel he's kind of sneaky in the way "i can't have her anyway, let's have her for the night before she go" kind of feeling? although we can say that's his way to made her say "i love you" to him which he did said first and then before she left, yet she didn't say it back.

In second book the scene just made it to the top of my barometer. Not just because of sexual attraction between Rhysand and Feyre but because the way they talk to each other. I can say this book includes a lot and more explicit, super visualized scene if i compare it between other book in the series. 

The last book are less intimidating for me, i find it more of romance and not that powerful if i have to compare it between the other books. Of course there are scenes but not in buch of pages like the second book. Which probably another point for this third book. 

But overall i can say the adult scene is not as bad as i imagine, probably because i've read Mr Grey before so that made it to the next level of it? but i'm pretty glad for the amount of the scene not as much and as i expected. But still, again, i would NOT recommend it to younger reader to read it.

Magical & Ancient Creature

In the first book we encounter lots of ancient creature like Naga (which funny because in Indonesian language we got this creature just almost the same as how Sarah J Maas describe this creature in the book) also the Suriel which a creature that i can describe it looks alike as Dementor in Harry Potter, but this one is the one who can answer all your question if you catch them because again, fairies can't lie.

"Feyre Archeron [...] a request. [...] Leave this world...a better place than how you found it."
— Suriel —

I find Suriel become the one that helps Feyre a lot in her quest. And the last scene of him (or It, should we call?) is just so sad and heartbreaking. 

I understood why the Suriel had come to help me, again and again. Not just for kindness … but because it was a dreamer. And it was the heart of a dreamer that had ceased beating inside that monstrous chest.

We also encounter with Bone Carver, the ancient creature who asked for a bone everytime you want to meet it, which revealed by the end of the book as the God of Death who take appearance differently in each person who met it. Feyre herself see It as a boy who in the future is her child with Rhysand which she realized after meeting him twice. 

The one that made a goosebumps while i read about her. The Weaver they called her, later in the third book we discover her name is Stryga who is the twin sister of the Bone Carver. She definitely kind of creepy with her cottage that made (according to Feyre) from her meal's hair and others. I always imagine her as a beauty in upper body with spider legs in lower part because of the weaver as her nickname (which my own imaginations scares me the most).  Feyre encounter her because of the test Rhysand asked for finding his things that inside of the cottage. 

“Who is in my house?” [...]
“What are you?” [...]
“What is like all[...] but unlike all?”
— The Weaver —

The last but not the least we encounter Bryaxis , the creature that living in the library in House of Wind. The creature is the one that bring the nightmare, which from Rhysand said Cassian running away from with It, white as death and never talk about it to everyone ever since. I would say Bryaxis' wish in return for the help it gave to Feyre is quite simple, first is accompany to talk about life with it, and the second is just a window up in the library so it can see the sky. Tho in the end of the battle it went missing. 

“We will offer you freedom from this place in exchange for it.” [...]
This is my home.
I considered. “Then what is it you want in exchange?”
Silence.
Sunlight. And moonlight. The stars.
— Feyre to Bryaxis —

 

What I Don't Understand

In some part, there are parts that i don't understand that maybe you can explain to me. In order to null the Cauldron power, Feyre with Amren doing the quest alone without the help of Nesta who's became the bait to King of Hybern together with Cassian (which one of my fave scene in the book). But in the end Amren betrayed Feyre by not going to help her to null the power.

 

Amren had lied. She did not plan to leash the king or his army with the Cauldron and the Book. And whatever trap she had set … I had fallen right into it.

 

Feyre was suck into the cauldron, watching what happened, ooh the mighty scene Nesta fighting the King of Hybern, with Cassian in the edge of his life pleading her to run away, being helplessly surrender to the death when Elain thrust the dagger to the king's throat. After the scene she just got slapped by Amren to wake up.

 

“Stupid girl,” she barked. “Fight it! ” [...] “What in hell—”
“The king is dead,” I said, my voice cold and foreign. “And you’re going to be soon, too.”
I’d kill her for this, for betraying us for whatever reason—
“I know,” Amren said quietly. “And I need you to help me do it.”

 

So, is that true that Amren betraying her at first place then change the plan to sacrifice herself at the end? or is that betrayal just the power of Cauldron that made Feyre thinks that Amren really betrayed her?

Part That Feels Lacking 

I would say the lack in the book which i find would be more fun if the author made more of it is how easily The Bone Carver death. Okay, i mean, like... maybe the power of the Cauldron is super powerful that made it super easy for the famous God of Death to be vanish in the air just like that.

Just as that white light slammed into the Bone Carver.
But the Carver … I could have sworn he looked toward me as the Cauldron’s power crashed into him. Could have sworn he smiled—and it was not a hideous thing at all.
There—and gone.

Also the way Strygra death also i feel lacks in lots of points. I mean i know she easily deceived by Feyre, but surely she's stronger than most other creature because of the lives she had consumed, specially during the war.

The King of Hybern walked right up to her. Smiled down at Stryga’s exquisite face. Then he took that face in his broad hands, faster than she could move, and snapped her neck.
It might not have killed her. The Weaver was a death-god—her very existence defied our own. So it might not have killed her, that cracking of her spine. Had the king not tossed her body down to the two naga-hounds snarling at the foot of the hill.
They ripped into the Weaver’s limp body without hesitation.

I mean, for the goodness sake, she's the weaver! How come she easily facing the death by two naga-hounds?? Okay, maybe with the help of the neck snapping by the king oh Hybern, but surely she's not that weak right?

In Conclusion 

As always, number three is one of my fave number that made most of third book of the series feels like the best among the others, and yet i can't say more that yes this is the best book among the other. This book got the elemental powers, political intrigue, lots of war scene and of course a love line. I specially in urge to read more about Cassian and Nesta more after that heartbreaking scene in the war.

I gave it Uh Yeah for the rank (read my rating system here if you don't get what it means), i would say the only lacking in the book is just the additional of Rhysand's POV in the end of the chapter, which i don't find to be his character a lot in his own POV in comparison when Feyre talked about him in her POV. I think he loose his charm in his own POV to me. Well i guess i just hope the whole series based only Feyre's POV after all. 

 

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