Minisode: Debriefing A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas
Summary: SPOILER ALERT! This minisode is a deep-dive with Holly and Devin after they finished reading A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas and they do *not* hold back. If you haven’t read the series or this book yet, we highly recommend that you go back and get caught up before listening! Holly and Devin’s key points were:
Silver Flames was clearly a transitional book in the series: there was more telling than showing for most of the novel, the enemies and villains felt far away and temporary, and the biggest arc of the plot was Nesta’s personal development.
Holly and Devin’s favorite character in this book was The House of Wind, who becomes a friend to Nesta and in Devin’s words “has a secure attachment style.” The house acted as a support system to Nesta when she was still working hard to alienate everyone in her life.
Therapeutic practices and classic therapy techniques are hallmarks of this book - Nesta and her fellow Valkyries work to recover from a lifetime of trauma through a wide variety of cognitive behavioral therapy, physical workouts and other approaches. Reading about her journey left both Holly and Devin feeling inspired to meditate and even practice self defense.
Holly’s Dagger Moments:
Nesta in the bog with the Kelpie when she gets the mask, emerging from the water with the head of her enemy
Nesta and Cassian going back to the prison to get the harp and fight Lanthys (Holly thinks it’s so cool and creepy in that prison)
Devin’s Heart Moments:
Nesta and Cassian making out for the first time at the dinner table and the way that the building tension broke - evolving into a tit for tat of sexual funtime.
Nesta and Cassian completing their mating bond and the description of the golden threads of their souls coming together was profound and deep.
Theories on what’s next in the series:
Azriel and his tension with Elain and Gwyn will be a fun love triangle to explore. Devin is rooting for Mor and Emerie to get together.
Devin thinks that the rest of the series will focus on the oldest, most ancient evil magic against both Fae and humans such that they have to unite to save the entire world.
Holly loves the characters the most, even more than the plot. She sees redemption arcs in store for several characters and thinks the focus will pivot at some point to Elain - but more than that, the next book will dive more deeply into the other realms since Silver Flames focused primarily in the Night Court.
Holly and Devin think that this book was designed to center Nesta as the heroine of the next few books.
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