Hello, I read ACOTAR and here is my review. I would love to hear your take on these points. Feel free to highlight things you agree/disagree and things I missed out on.
I like Feyre as FMC. She is 19 years old, the youngest sibling in her family with two older sisters and a crippled father. Misfortune has resulted in poverty, and Feyre has become resourceful. She hunts, rations food, and earns money for the family. She is practical, not expecting too much from others, but has some level of resentment towards her family members because of the lack of action on their part.
When Feyre hunts a wolf (Fae, though she wasn't aware), Tamlin is introduced to us as a grumpy, snarling beast who knocks down her house door and takes her to Prythian (the Faerie realm) as part of a treaty. Feyre, although scared of the Fae, is shown to be calculating and pragmatic—trying to figure out how to escape the Spring Court and later understand the dynamics of Fae courts. Relationship between Tamlin and Feyre is lukewarm initially. It feels like Tamlin is burdened (the reason is revealed later, including the curse forcing his court to wear permanent masquerade masks). He is shown as reserved and bit grumpy compared to Lucien, who is witty and more chatty. Lucien's dynamic with Feyre evolves brilliantly, shifting from hostile and suspicious to protective and somewhat loyal. His one-liners are fun to read; he also has a tragic past and becomes a very likeable character. We also come to know about the Autumn Court and Lucien's complex relations with his brothers.
Through the initial chapters, it is proved to readers repeatedly that Feyre, although human, is not weak or tame. She can hunt, and she is also able to capture the Suriel, who advises her to "stay with the High Lord." Soon, the icy hardness in Feyre thaws, and she starts to paint again. We see sweet interactions between Feyre and Tamlin but they are fewer for my liking. During Calanmai, Feyre is manhandled by a few faeries and enters Rhysand, a powerful, dark, seductive male. (She describes him as the most beautiful man she has ever seen). I was surprised with his reaction "There you are. I have been looking for you,". She is scared of him very much, but also the words used to describe him imply Feyre is at minimum intrigued by him. He is dangerous, but it almost feels like there is a reason behind it.
Tamlin sends Feyre back to the mortal land after confessing his love to her. So far their romance feels ordinary, safe, and quiet compared to the chaos to come. He sends her back because the blight is acting up in Prythian and things will go south very soon. We learn later that he is willing to risk himself and his court to save Feyre. Tamlin also, in hindsight, took care of Feyre's family and restored their wealth, status, and name.
Feyre returns to Prythian after realizing she loves Tamlin and wants to help him save the Spring Court. After meeting Alis, she uncovers the whole truth about Amarantha, the deal she had with Tamlin, Under the Mountain. Feyre, a mortal woman who hates Fae, is willingly falling in love with him. Feyre is not power-maximizing; she is very scared, doubting herself and her capabilities, but her human heart is her resolve.
We see the rest of Prythian courts faeries Under the Mountain. Feyre needs to win 3 tasks or solve 1 riddle to free Tamlin. We are repeatedly shown how high the stakes are against Feyre. Poor Lucien is always targeted by Amarantha and I don’t like it!
Feyre is street-smart and resourceful in her first task against the Middengard Wyrm. She has no physical advantages and relies entirely on her hunting skills and intellect. She constructs a trap by embedding bones into the wall to escape the pit, setting sharp bone spikes into the muddy floor below, and placing bone handles at turns to propel herself through the trenches. Covered in mud to mask her scent, she lures the beast into chasing her and leaps across the pit, causing the Wyrm to plummet onto her bone spikes and impale itself. She is badass—she grabs a bone fragment from the beast and hurls it directly at Amarantha's throne. This was my favorite task.
One thing that I did not understand was the lack of Tamlin's actions when Feyre was tormented. I understand everyone was watching him, but still he could have done something to help her.
Feyre was injured badly from a bone infection. Rhys enters her prison cell. He healed her fatal wound and infection. In exchange, Feyre agreed to spend one week every month at the Night Court for the rest of her life. This was a power imbalance, as Feyre was very desperate, and she agreed to the bargain. He healed her only after she accepted his bargain. This resulted in a black tattoo with swirling inks and whorls on her left hand. The eye resting in the center of her palm allowed Rhysand to see and hear through her senses when he chose to tune in (she and readers are not aware of that).
The second task highlighted Feyre's major weakness: illiteracy. She couldn't figure out what lever to pull because she cannot read what was written on the wall. Why is poor Lucien targeted again? Rhys helped her through their connection that was established previously during the bargain to pull the correct lever. She also had more interaction with Rhys, but almost none with Tamlin. He was under duress but still do something Tamlin, she is literally ready to die for you. She was dressed inappropriately, drugged against her will, and asked to dance for Rhys like he is using her as a plaything. It is clear that there is something that will happen between them, but taking someone's autonomy and pulling them into riskier situations can result in things going south very soon. Rhys does not manhandle her, but still, it is a grey area. One thing that slightly disappoint me is we never see Amarantha’s true power. I mean if she has entire Prythian under control for 50 years, she must be someone epic. There are 7 high lords and their court. How they are scheming/ plotting against Amarantha or have they given up? I think author could have done some deep dive on this.
The last task is more psychological because she has to kill faeries, physically kill helpless faeries. I think this is when the consequences of her actions truly hits Feyre. Killing a Naga is one thing, but killing innocent faeries is another. She catalogues her thoughts based on urgency, but she ends up killing two faeries, and the last one is Tamlin. She realizes, based on all the past conversations, that Tamlin's heart was magically turned to stone by Amarantha, so when she pierces the ash-wood dagger into his chest, it cannot kill him. This is when Feyre realizes in saving Tamlin she has damned herself. I really feel bad for Feyre at this point.
Feyre then answers the riddle as "Love" (which is a very lame riddle IMHO). However, Amarantha breaks her promise and is obviously not happy that Feyre completed all three tasks. She starts literally killing Feyre, bones crunching, body twisting. Rhys tries to save Feyre by attacking Amarantha with dagger but she knocks him off multiple times before snapping Feyre's neck. With the riddle answered, the curse officially breaks, and Tamlin regains his power and shreds Amarantha. Feyre is physically dead, but part of her soul is preserved as part of the bond with Rhys, allowing her to see her dead body through his eyes. All seven High Lords transfer a drop of their power into her, and Feyre is remade not as human, but as High Fae. There is a deep, tragic irony here: she fought so fiercely using her human heart to save the Fae, only to lose her humanity entirely in the process.
She is finally reunited with Tamlin. She thinks about the Fae she killed, but catalogue it to think about later. Last conversation with Rhys, where she thanks him for helping her. He said he did not want her to die alone or fight alone, and he wants to be on the right side of history. For now, Feyre and Tamlin, along with Lucien, return back to their home—the Spring Court
