So I just finished a Court of Frost and Starlight...
And Iām about to go on a bit of a rant here, so be warned. Spoilers ahead.
I loved it. Honestly, I did. It was wonderful to see the court of dreams living their lives. To see Feyre open up her shop, and Az, Cass and Rhys have their snowball fight, and to see Amrenā¦ well, just to see her really.
But none the less, I canāt help but be disappointed. Not by the book itself, but what the sneak peek at the end revealed about the next series. Specifically, that itās going to be a direct continuation of the series. To put it simply, Iām tired of Prythian and its people.
Sarahās other masterpiece, the Throne of Glass series, currently sits at Six books (seven, if you count the Assassinās blade, which I do), with the final one coming out later this year (hype!). However, despite being more than double the length of aCoTaR, Iām still far from tired of ToG, and thatās because ToG was designed to be a longer series. The series introduced the world more gradually, adding characters over time, each with more character development than aCoTaRās secondary characters, there are more locations, and not to mention that the storyline splits into three, separate locations in the third book, then further in the fifth, and once more in Tower of Dawn, which again splits between two locations. Overall, itās simply very large.
On the other hand, with all three books out, weāve thoroughly explored Prythian. We know all the major players, all the high lords, at least glimpsed each of the courts and their people, hell, weāve even seen and heard plenty about the Illyrian war camps, even more so in aCoFaS. The previous main characters, Feyre and Rhys have had basically all the character development they can handle, and anything more would just beā¦ excessive. Even the supporting characters, Mor, Az, Tamlin, Lucien and Elain, and what would seem to be our new protagonists, Cassian and Nesta, can only handle so much character development before they reach the same point. So much happened in those three books, and whilst it was an incredible roller coaster of emotions, it left me tired, and the thought of getting back on that same ride is not terribly appealing.
What Iām trying, and probably failing, to convey, is that whilst the continuing ToG books feel like The Twin Towers and Return of the King, or The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jediā¦ this new series feels like itās going to be Shrek 2, or Cars 2, or Spiderman 2. Nobody really asked for it, and whilst itās nice to have, itās never going to be as good as the original, because its taking nice, tied off storyline and opening it up wide again, for no good reason. Granted, aCoTaR was far from neatly tied off, and Iām sure if anyone can pull it off, its Sarah, but I canāt help thinking of it as the disappointing sequel already. Especially when compared to what it could have been.
Now, gentlefriends, I would like to draw your attention to a much older series, but a personal favourite of mine: the witches of Eileinan, and its successor Rhiannonās Ride. Itās been a while since I read the series so youāll have to forgive me if I donāt remember the details perfectly (Iāve been meaning to re-read that, perhaps Iāll do it now Iāve finished aCoFaS..). The first series, the witches of Eileinan, follows the adventures of a young witch named Isabeau. This Gaelic lass enjoys frolicking through her hidden valley and practicing magic, which has been outlawed and is punishable by death, which was not yet a cliche when this was written. Later the series also picks up the story of her mentor, Meghan, her long lost twin sister Isuelt, and a few others. Its honestly an epic tale of magic and warring kingdoms, rebellions and romance and with enough strong female characters that I wouldnāt be surprised if it directly inspired the topical series, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sarahās work (so long as you can get used to reading a Gaelic accent). But after six books and several wars, Isabeauās story is finished. Sheās settled down to become high witch, Isuelt is now queen(actually they call the position the Banrigh), the land is now at peace, and I donāt really remember what happened to Meghan. I think she got eaten by some psychic ghost bug or something? Anyways, not relevant. Sometime after the series conclusion the brilliant Kate Forsyth (the author) decided to revive the series, and continue the tale of Eileinan. What she did not do, was pick up where she left off. She didnāt create a new Big Bad for our heroes to fight before they could get their real happy ending. Instead, she picked up the series a decade or so after the end of the first series. And she didnāt put any of the previous main characters, any of the previous characters in general, into the first book. Instead, she picked a remote section of the world she had created, and she created a brand new main character, Rhiannon, and brand new side characters, and gave them their own quest, their own problems. And throughout the first book we get to hear stories of our beloved characters. Of the high witch Isabeau and her eight sorceress rings, of the Banrigh, Isuelt of the Snows, of the royal children, Isuelts children, of Fin the Tracker, and the Winged Righ and so many more, all the while following this fresh cast of characters who are travelling through previously unexplored sections of the world we fell in love with. And then, AND THEN, in the second book, WE GET TO MEET THE CHARACTERS AGAIN! This time from the perspective of our young heroes, who look up to these legendary figures, and we as the audience feel such indescribable pride at the status these characters now hold. Because we experienced their journey and we finally get to see them have their reward, see them living their lives happily, fulfilled, not to mention the once distraught land, which was still recovering from war at the end of the last series, now completely healed and thriving again.
Reading this, years ago, made me realise exactly what a sequel series should be, and what it should give to us, and hearing that there was going to be a continuation of the aCoTaR series, instantly made me think back to Rhiannonās Ride, and think āhow incredible would it be, to see new parts of this world, of Prythian and the continent, to see them through fresh eyes. To see someone new marvel at the beautiful and powerful High Lord and Lady of the night court, at their court of dreams. How wonderful would it be to see them living their lives, settled and peaceful at last.ā
And of course, now I know that that wonāt happen, and whilst Iām certainly excited for it, Iām disappointed that it wonāt be everything it could have been.
