A Court of Frost & Starlight: Spicy chapters, summary & review

Written By Esta Pinto

A Court of Frost and Starlight synopsis/summary:

A tender addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, bridging the events of A Court of Frost and Starlight and upcoming books.

Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.

Bridging the events of A Court of Frost and Starlight with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.

A Court of Frost and Starlight characters.

Book #3.5 (or the fourth book if we’re counting in whole numbers) of ACOTAR. A Court of Frost and Starlight keeps the character list less extravagant this time around, focusing on the core group of friends and family, and with the low-key addition of some new faces. Here is the full A Court of Frost and Starlight character list:

  • Feyre Archeron

  • Nesta Archeron

  • Elain Archeron

  • Rhysand aka Rhys

  • Morrigan aka Mor

  • Amren

  • Cassian

  • Azriel aka Az

  • Varian

  • Ressina

  • Emerie

  • Aranea (Weaver from Velaris)

  • Tamlin

  • Lucien Vanserra

  • Keir

  • Eris

  • Nuala

  • Cerridwen

  • Lord Devlon

Get the ACOFAS novella, book 3.5 (fourth book), here.

A Court of Frost and Starlight review.

🚨🚨🚨 Please note that there will be big spoilers in this ACOFAS review. 🚨🚨🚨

My rating: ★☆☆☆☆
1 star.

Spice level: 🌶🌶
2/5, mild to medium spice: One truly spicy scene, and a milder steamy scene or two.

🚨🚨🚨Spoiler/rant warning: I can’t review and share thoughts on book #3.5 of this series without spoiling it, as well as previous books in the series, so please avoid this review if you're not caught up. If you're a hardcore Maas stan, I suggest scrolling past—I'd hate to upset anyone.🚨🚨🚨

I understand why SJM wrote ACOFAS: to provide context post-ACOWAR and set the stage for ACOSF. It's cute, fluffy, slice-of-life—a Christmas Special Edition (aka. Solstice) for characters who deserve healing and happiness. I’ve grown attached to these characters and I want the best for them.

And in wanting the best for our beloved characters, let's talk about Feysand. Feyre, at 21, was young and had plans to savour life with her mate and found family before diving into parenthood. So, imagine my dismay when SJM flipped the script, and suddenly Feyre's got baby fever.

So why didn’t this work for me?

  • The sudden shift feels disingenuous and out of character and undermines and contradicts everything that was built up in previous books. I'd hoped for a more nuanced portrayal letting Feyre and Rhysand grow as individuals and together as a couple—but we've got overused, unimaginative clichés.

  • Adding to the cringe factor, SJM's acknowledgment of her own pregnancy during the time of writing, hello self-insert.

  • Also, I'm deeply flabbergasted, unsettled and nauseous at how creepy and weird it is that Rhys orgasmed at the vision of his future son. Which editor let that get approved?

Please note, that this is a personal opinion and I appreciate others may love the pregnancy trope and I’m happy for you if you do. We are all diverse individuals and allowed to have different thoughts, opinions and feelings on art and literature. I'm not even dissing on the trope, it's about the execution of it.

Before the pregnancy plot, the novella was mundane and fluffy, okay enough to keep me from tossing it out the window—and I enjoyed the festive Christmas scenes with our favourite group of friends getting drunk and some fun group banter. Insight into Nesta was also a highlight. Giving it a generous one-star for those moments, but otherwise, it'd be a zero. 

Really disappointed as I have loved the series before being exposed to this book. I'm still going to read ACOSF and hope that Nesta and Cassian save the series for me.

View my A Court of Frost and Starlight review on GoodReads here.

FAQs.

Before we get into answering the FAQs let me warn you: 🚨🚨🚨 Major spoiler alert. 🚨🚨🚨

Here are the answers to all your common ACOFAS FAQs.

How many chapters are in A Court of Frost and Starlight?

There are 28 chapters in A Court of Frost and Starlight.

Why is A Court of Frost and Starlight so short?

ACOFAS is a novella, intended to bridge the gap following the events of ACOWAR, and setting the stage for A Court of Silver Flames, which is Nesta’s story. A novella is a book that is shorter than most full-length novels, but longer than short stories. This one aims to give us an insight into a slice-of-life of the characters to understand where their head is at. Without a huge plot driving the transition of events from the third book to the fifth book, it doesn’t need to be a full-length book.

Can I skip A Court of Frost and Starlight?

Yes, you can skip A Court of Frost and Starlight. Nothing happens—it is all vibes, no plot. 

What is ACOFAS about and is it worth reading?

It’s a Christmas Special Edition of Feysand and the gang shopping for presents, playing pranks on each other, sharing joy, arguing, and making decisions about what to do next. You’ll also see some angst and tension between Nessian and get a glimpse into what’s happened to Tamlin. 

If you love all vibes no plot, it might be worth reading. But if you’re not into that, by all means, save your time and energy and skip it and go straight to A Court of Silver Flames. I wish I did.

Is A Court of Frost and Starlight spicy?

Yes ACOFAS is spicy, but it only really has one spicy sex scene. There are also some steamy, flirty moments between Rhysand and Feyre, as well as a mention of a memory of a past sex scene.

Spice level: 🌶🌶
2/5, mild to medium spice

When are the A Court of Frost and Starlight spicy chapters?

For all the steamy scenes, here are the A Court of Frost and Starlight spicy chapters, varying from flirting and sexual tension build-up (non-explicit) to the more explicit side:

  • Chapter 2: Memory flashback of Rhysand and Feyre fornicating while flying (mild).

  • Chapter 5: Feyre and Rhysand's intimate flirty scene that gets steamy. No bang bang though.

  • Chapter 22: In the secluded cabin, against the wall (very spicy).

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Esta Pinto
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