Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite ACOTAR Moments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana of That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a freebie topic, and with the release of A Court of Frost and Starlight just TWO WEEKS away (ahhhh!), I wanted to reflect back on some of my favorite moments from the ACOTAR series so far. As you might know, I am a HUGE fan of these books, so it was REALLY hard to narrow my favorite moments down to only ten, but I did my best!

**SPOILER ALERT**

This list contains spoilers for all three ACOTAR books (as well as some minor spoilers for the Throne of Glass series), so tread with caution!

1. Starfall: A Court of Mist and Fury

If I had to pick my absolute favorite moment of the entire series, I'd have to go with the Starfall chapter. It's just such a beautiful moment between Feyre and Rhysand, where it's so obvious that they're no longer just partners in the impeding war against Hybern or even just friends but actually in love with each other. I read a post somewhere (and forgive me for forgetting who originally posted it; Tumblr, maybe?) where the poster was talking about how it would've been so easy for SJM to have had Feyre and Rhys confess their love for each other in that moment, but by not doing so, it actually makes their declarations later on all the more powerful. They still do so much growing in their relationship just between the Starfall chapter and the infamous Chapter 55.

Speaking of which ... 

2. Chapters 54 and 55, A Court of Mist and Fury

After Starfall, these are my two absolute favorite chapters of the series. In case you don't remember, these are the chapters in which Rhys tells Feyre about his past and how he came to realize the mating bond between them, and then Feyre accepts the bond. I know the mating bond trope in both ACOTAR and the Throne of Glass series is a point of contention for a lot of people, fans and nonfans alike, but honestly, it's one of my favorite tropes in romance novels. There's just something so romantic about the idea that there's one person out there who is meant for you in every way, so I'm a total sucker for anything that resembles a soulmate trope. Sorry not sorry! And the way Rhys totally bears his soul to Feyre in chapter 54 ... it's probably one of my favorite passages in any book ever. And yeah, I'll address the elephant in the room and admit that the steamy times in chapter 55 are nice too, LOL! But really, I just love these chapters because they're the culmination of the romance that's been building between Rhys and Feyre since the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and after all that angst, it's nice to have a brief respite of pure fluff before things get dark and serious again.

3. "There you are. I've been looking for you." A Court of Thorns and Roses

The moment that started it all (although yours truly was totally unaware of it at the time). Some caught on right away that from the moment he entered the story, Rhys would be the true love interest in Feyre's story, but on my first reading of ACOTAR, I was firmly in the "No, Feyre, step away from the sinister guy dressed all in black!" camp. Of course, we learn in ACOMAF that this isn't just a throwaway line Rhys says to get the other fae to back off, but he truly has been searching for Feyre for some time. Ugh, my heart! 

4. Feyre's meeting Rhys's inner circle, A Court of Mist and Fury

This is such a fun scene to read because it's the first time Feyre meets Rhys's inner circle, and we get so much backstory for these characters that are going to play vital roles in the rest of the series. One of my favorite parts is when Feyre calls Cassian "Lord Cassian," because she doesn't know any better, and he absolutely loses it and can't stop laughing about it. Normally I don't get very attached to side characters in books, but SJM is amazing at introducing characters you can't help but love and making them all vital to the story.

5. Feyre, Rhys, and Cassian training, A Court of Mist and Fury

This is such an important moment in Feyre and Rhys's relationship, as well as her friendship with Cassian. I love their banter and how he opens up the conversation for her to share her feelings about breaking things off with Tamlin but doesn't push her for details. And when she does break down, both Cassian and Rhys are there to support her. I just love how the inner circle is this tight-knit support system that readily welcomes Feyre into the fold.

6. Feyre realizing the Bone Carver is taking the form of her future son, A Court of Wings and Ruin

This was a total fangirl moment for me that I loved for the sheer fluff. Rhys's reaction to Feyre telling him that she'd seen their future son was so adorable.

7. The meeting with the High Lords, A Court of Wings and Ruin

SO. MUCH. DRAMA. And tension! It's the first time Tamlin and Feyre have seen each other since she killed Brannagh and Dagdan, smashed the hell out of Ianthe's hand, and fled the spring court. But it's also another moment where we see all members of the inner circle standing up for each other against the likes of Tamlin, Beron, and Eris (and I'm sorry, but I'm still not convinced that Eris of all people deserves a redemption arc).

8. Feyre fighting against the Attor during the attack on Velaris, A Court of Mist and Fury

I love this scene because it's when Feyre really claims Velaris as her city and its people as her people to fight for and protect. And it gives her the chance to fight against and defeat the Attor, who's one of her biggest enemies from Under the Mountain. 

9. Feyre and Rhys reunite, A Court of Wings and Ruin

This was the scene ACOTAR fans had all been waiting for since that tortuous cliffhanger at the end of ACOMAF, and it didn't disappoint. Plus, it was kind of hilarious reading about Lucien's reaction to seeing Feyre as High Lady and then having Rhys call him on it.

And finally ...

10. Feyre and the High Lords resurrecting Rhysand, A Court of Wings and Ruin

Whoooo boy. I was a MESS reading this scene (and I'm telling you, it was no coincidence that Rhys literally died on page 666, LOL). I love how this scene mirrored Feyre's own death and resurrection scene in A Court of Thorns and Roses, though my one pet peeve with it is Rhys's rather flippant comment as soon as he's brought back to life: "If we're all here, either things went very, very wrong or very right." Like ... ugh, I don't know. His poor mate just had her heart ripped out and was sobbing over his dead body (and I was sobbing over the damn book!); would it kill him to be a little vulnerable and not play the sarcastic High Lord for a minute? But aside from that, I really do love this scene!

Now I'm nervous because I'm sure I'll look back at this post later and think, Oh my god, HOW could I have forgotten about this other moment that I loved?! Oh well. Another time. So are there any other ACOTAR fans out there? Do we share any favorite moments? What are some of yours? What are some things you're looking forward to or hoping to see happen in A Court of Frost and Starlight? Come fangirl with me!

Review: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Pub. Date: March 6, 2018

Source/Format: NetGalley/e-galley | I received a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are taken from the finished hardback.

I've made a mistake. It started with a prince, as most stories do.

To Kill a Kingdom is sort of like Disney's The Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a fairy tale retelling with a serious edge, and I had so much fun reading it! The story alternates between two main characters: Lira, a deadly siren princess known as the Princes' Bane ('cause she's literally stolen the hearts of seventeen princes), and Elian, a human prince turned pirate captain who is searching the seas for, you guessed it, Lira. Elian wants nothing more than to leave the responsibilities of princedom behind and spend his days with his pirate crew on the Saad, protecting the world from the sirens and searching for a way to defeat them, their queen, but most especially the elusive Princes' Bane. Lira has been raised to be ruthless and cruel, a worthy successor to her mother, the evil Sea Queen. But when Lira's worthiness to rule is called into question, her mother curses her to become a human. The only way to break the curse and win back her throne is to bring her mother Prince Elian's heart. After Lira, now human, is pulled from the ocean by none other than Elian himself, she enters into a shaky partnership with him in order to find the one thing that can end her mother's tyrannical reign.

Characters are the most important part of a book for me; if I don't like the main character or characters, there's a good chance that book will end up in my DNF pile. So I knew this book was going to be a wild ride with interesting characters when Lira literally ripped a man's heart out of his chest within the first ten pages. While this is a Little Mermaid retelling, Lira definitely isn't an Ariel knock-off. I love books where we get to see a character everyone sees as a villain transform into someone else––this is definitely Lira's journey throughout To Kill a Kingdom. Elian, on the other hand, for all his talk of being an infamous pirate, isn't quite as devious and swashbuckling as one might assume a pirate prince to be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the relationship between him and Lira; I'm a total sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, especially when there's banter involved. One of my other favorite characters in the story was Kahlia, Lira's cousin, because she brought out Lira's softer, more vulnerable side. Lira is supposed to be this cold, unfeeling monster, but through it all she still has affection and concern for Kahlia. I think it's Lira's love for Kahlia that keeps her from becoming a total monster like the Sea Queen.

I also have to talk about Alexanda Christo's writing style, which is lovely and lyrical and just a pleasure to read. She has a real knack for making settings come alive through her vivid descriptions, and I loved how she made each kingdom Elian and Lira visited so unique.

This is the first standalone YA fantasy novel I've read in a while, and the ending does a nice job of tying up all the loose ends. I am sad, though, that this is the end of Elian and Lira's story. I would have loved to see more of them, but overall, I'd say that as a standalone, To Kill a Kingdom comes to a satisfying conclusion. I hope we see more from Alexandra in the future!