Let me begin by saying I have always been fascinated by Nesta's character. She is complex and three-dimensional, and I was excited for this book to finally get the opportunity to understand her better and we certainly come to understand her better by the end of ACoSF. Maas handles the shift in perspective well, reminding me that we are no longer in Feyre's perspective and the relationships that we have with these characters are no longer the ones we are familiar with. This is most obvious in the relationships between Nesta, Feyre and Rhysand. 

Perhaps my opinion can be tied to this shift in perspective and the obvious biases that comes alongside that, but dare I suggest I preferred Nesta's story to that of Feyre's? Without delving too deeply into the details yet, Nesta's story is vibrant and rich, while also touching the dark places that can be found within a person, I have always been drawn to complicated characters and I found Nesta's character to be delightfully complicated. 

My biggest gripe with this book is that the plot felt like it was so well paced until the last hundred pages or so, then I felt like I was running a marathons worth of miles in a sprints worth of time. 

Okay, now onto my more detailed thoughts...

To be honest, I was not a fan of the pregnancy plot line at all. This is just personal taste, but I didn't feel attached to Feyre and Rhys as much in this story. Maybe it can be chalked up to the perspective shift and the fact the Nesta doesn't respect Rhys for much of the book, but I had a really hard time agreeing with their choices or really rooting for what they were doing, they just felt flat on the page in comparison to how they have felt in previous installments. New characters however, Emerie and Gwyn lit up the page. 

I loved the Valkyrie story arch and Nesta coming into her own strength. I think that there was clearly and excitement to this part of the plot that feel flat in other parts, it almost felt like the other characters were just... tired. Like Tamlin had seen enough, and Rhysand needed a break. I had found myself wishing halfway through that the title was hinting at Nesta starting her own court with the Valkyrie and her Cauldron magic. I was slightly disappointed that wasn't the direction it went. 

I knew that they would be mates, I think we all knew that they would be mates, but of course it still was nice to read about and I think it's nice to see a different and more complicated mating bond. My heart ached for both of them as they courted each other, both desperate to feel their love reciprocated, both convinced that they are undeserving. The romance did not disappoint, and I would certainly return to this courtship over the complicated mess that is the beginning of the Feyre/Rhys relationship, don't get me wrong I love Feyre and Rhys but Nesta and Cassian just blow them out of the water as far as my personal taste is concerned.