This is the fourth in the ACOTAR series and hits the novella category rather than a novel. The plot, such that it is, it pretty much boils down to Feyre and Friends Go Christmas shopping.
Winter Solstice is approaching in the Night Court. There’s plenty of drinking, eating and exchanging of gifts. It’s a really lovely little slice of life novella, offering a glimpse of what Feyre’s immortal year might look like when she’s not busy saving the world.
From a driving-the-story-forward perspective, I guess it’s light, and that’s not a bad thing. The previous book in the ACOTAR series was dominated by war. It was dark and heavy and deep. This one’s a lot lighter, with a bit of painting, some shopping, sexy times, snowball fights and just general festive frivolity.
It was a joyous little bit of escapism. I liked it a lot.
I particularly enjoyed seeing Feyre find her niche within the Night Court, establishing a painting studio and finding ways to use her talents to help her citizens. It seems that, as a leader, she’s very much ‘of the people’, investing heavily in their wellbeing and recovery from the war, which is quite lovely.
You don’t often see that in fantasy novels, I suppose. A real appreciation for the ordinary citizens of the land, with its rulers actually spending time among them, engaging with them and prioritising their needs. I appreciated that aspect of the story, and it added to the warmth of the whole experience.
The only real heaviness comes, of course, from Feyre’s tormented sister Nesta, who remains angry, isolated and icy. She represents the sadder side of the war and the enormous changes that Feyre and her sisters have endured. Nesta is struggling to accept her new reality, withdrawing from those around her and behaving in increasingly self-destructive ways.
Even with Nesta dragging her butt around, this is a delightfully light little interlude. It doesn’t pretend to be a grand adventure, and after everything that came before it, I don’t think it needed to be. Sometimes it’s nice just to spend a little time with characters you’ve grown fond of, watching them enjoy the lives they’ve fought so hard to protect.
I really enjoyed this little jaunt of a novella and am looking forward to continuing the ACOTAR series with book five.
I’ll give this one four sugar-dusted pastries out of five.
