Only one thing needs to be said - sexy bat boys.
Dates read: 01/07/24 to 16/08/24
Word to describe: Tingle-worthy
Star rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Romantic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Romance
Spoilers ahead
Trigger warnings: domestic violence, mental and physical abuse, narcissistic abuse, kidnapping, mention of sexual violence and rape, anxiety attacks and PTSD.
Okay, this book not only broke my reading slump but also ignited my absolute joy in loving Rhys High Lord of the Night Court. Bare with me folks - it's a journey.
At the end of book one, readers saw Feyre battling it out with Amarantha and with Rhys' help she was able to defeat the puzzles and learn the answer to the final riddle was love. She is then wrapped into the arms of Tamlin and together they declare their everlasting love for one another and swiftly become engaged. Now wracked with survivors guilt and living in the Spring Court, Feyre has three problems. 1. her constant nightmares and increase in anxiety is making her home feel like a prison, 2. Tamlin is turning her home into a prison by refusing to let her leave and 3. her bond to Rhys means that sooner or later he is going to collect his end of the bargain.
As Feyre begins to feel haunted by her past, her engagement to Tamlin becomes strained and doubts creep in over the security he is able to provide her. Tamlin has changed, becoming controlling and aggressive, he traps Feyre in their home and enlists a priestess Ianthe to be her body guard. Struggling with her anxiety and PTSD Feyre repeatedly begs to her fiance to be freed from her prison home and time and time again he refuses, growing angry and tired at her asking he lashes out both at her and the furniture around them. His behaviour grows more and more abusive both mentally and physically. Tamlin watches her deteriorate and in the name of love refuses to let her seek shelter in the outdoors or in the people she chooses.
The one thing I absolutely adore about this book is how well the feeling of entrapment in a relationship is explored. In book one we are introduced to one version of Tamlin, the awkward at flirting, very generous and caring (with a slight temper) guy that would do anything to protect Feyre. In book two, we are shown the true Tamlin, the ultra manipulator that used Feyre for his own gains whilst he get to take all the glory and make Feyre his own personal pet. The aggressor, the abuser, and the mental torturer. The genius change is narrative for this character was such a powerful choice made by SJM and was a brilliant portrayal of the unreliable nature in which a narcissistic abuser will find their way into your life. Readers who fell for Tamlin's charm in book one are left in the same feeling of uncertainty as Feyre in book two and almost mimic her journey of realising Tamlin's true nature. (I even went back into book one at this point and wow the red flags were glaring. Absolutely brilliant).
When Rhys finally comes to collect Feyre for her stay at the night court she is a wreck. Clothing hanging of her frail body and her eyes are sunken into her skull. She is a mess - and rightfully so Rhys is outraged. Feyre and Rhys fall into an uneasy friendship, he forces her to eat, sleep and bathe, and makes it known that he does not want anything from her. Then he returns her to her fiancé, who during her stay at the night court has trashed their home in a fit of rage. And the cycle repeats. As Feyre and Tamlin's wedding day approaches Feyre cannot help but yearn to return to the night court, to return to solitude and the comfort of her new friends. Feyre begins to trust Rhys more than Tamlin and the deceit of their romance is slowly wiped from her eyes as she begins to see Tamlin as her abuser.
"Hello Feyre darling" AHHHH
But once again, Feyre returns to her fiancé until finally the glass shatters and Feyre is thrown across a room in a fit of rage and abandonded in her home. Wards cast around the house to prevent her from leaving Feyre dissolves into her mind and becomes surrounded by a blinding light of her own fear and abilities. Then she is rescued and brought to the safety of the night court once more. Only this time she vows never to return to her abuser and to trick the world Feyre and Rhys decide to play pretend. She is a kidnapped bride to be and Rhys is still the dark monster everyone believes him to be.
The friendship between Rhys and Feyre is not one that comes easy, yet SJM is able to create a loving relationship between the two that fans are able to see from the onset. From making her eat to promising that she will never be trapped in his home Rhys proves to readers and Feyre that he is a trustworthy, completely wholesome guy with an absolute heart of gold. (And, naturally, this means Tamlin can go suck balls).
As the plot develops Feyre and Rhys grow closer. Not so subtle flirting is coupled with a deep friendship of shared trauma and a desire to help those in need. Rhys shows Feyre his wounds from the war and Feyre shows Rhys her own wounds from an internal war. Together they become unstoppable, creating political alliances, and steadying themselves for the impending war and threat from King Hybern (recap - Hybern is Amarantha's boss and he hates everything about the humans and wants to take over the fae and human lands).
Now, I know everyone raves about that chapter, the one where Rhys and Feyre admit their mating bond and have a ton of sex in a cottage in the woods. But, that isnt even the best part of the plot. The slow burn from enemies to friends to lovers and the delightful addition of new friends and the romantic views of the night court. There is so much about this book to enjoy that is more worthwhile that a sex scene, okay!
From beginning to end this book had me in a choke hold. I laughed, I cried, I gripped the pages in anticipation and I grinned manically at the sexual tension. This review may be more of a retelling of the book but I cannot think clearly without highlighting all the reasons this book stomped on my heart and then lovingly put it back together again. Words cannot fully express how much I loved this book.
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