A Court of Frost and Starlight

“I clenched my fingers into a fist, breathing in through my nose, out through my mouth, until the lightness in my limbs faded, until the walls of the room stopped pressing on me.”

This first moment in the book, when Feyre feels the effects of trauma, reveals the important role that healing plays in the narrative. Her careful breathing demonstrates that she has already done important work in her healing journey; she has come a long way from the fae woman who was wasting away in A Court of Mist and Fury.

“I didn’t mind the work. I loved the work, actually. This territory, its people—they were as much my heart as my mate. Until yesterday, nearly every waking hour had been packed with helping them.”

Feyre acknowledges here the strong sense of belonging that she has developed in Velaris, Rhys’s home city. She has a real home for the first time in her life, and she dedicates herself to caring for its inhabitants. This quote speaks to the theme of The Power of Love and Friendship in Overcoming Adversity.

“But the war had impacted us all, and with the rebuilding, with the human territories crawling out to meet us, with other Fae kingdoms looking toward a wall-less world and wondering what shit they could get away with…We didn’t have the resources to station someone out here. Not yet. Perhaps next summer, if the climate elsewhere was calm enough.”

Rhys’s thoughts reveal the threats and pressures underlying the newfound peace after the destruction of the King of Hybern. This is a major part of the stress on Rhys’s shoulders, which is why he still interacts with Tamlin, despite his hatred of the man; he still needs Tamlin as an ally in the coming peace discussions.

“So training these women, giving them the resources and confidence to fight back, to look beyond their campfires […] it was for her. For the mother buried here, perhaps buried nowhere. So it might never happen again. So his people, whom he still loved despite their faults, might one day become something more. Something better.”

This moment shines a light on Cassian’s purpose: to make his people’s culture better, particularly for women. Having lived on the outskirts of their society as a bastard, he now uses his status as one of the most powerful Illyrians in history to bring about change.

“He hadn’t pushed me to step in unless necessary, had granted me the space to figure out the rhythm and style of these audiences and begin asking questions of my own. And then begin writing replies to the petitioners, too.”

This is one of the rare moments addressing Feyre’s transition into her role as High Lady of the Night Court. It reveals both her dedication to doing her job well and Rhys’s patience in giving her time to learn.

“But for what she’d been willing to walk away from, so that we could be saved…”

This is one of the few moments where a character addresses Amren’s sacrifice during the war. Feyre feels deeply that Amren deserves the love she now has with Varian, the prince of Adriata, the center of the Summer Court. This quote highlights The Power of Love and Friendship in Overcoming Adversity.

“From a slumbering, quiet place inside me, the painting name flitted by. Frost and Starlight.”

This moment recalls a habit of Feyre’s from the previous books in the series and foreshadows her return to her artistic calling. She often “sees” paintings in her head based on real-life images, and this moment illustrates that her mind is returning to that habit as she heals.

“You are over five hundred years old, she often reminded herself. She could face it, handle it better than this […] She had faced down enemies, fought in many wars, and yet this, these two males together—”

Mor’s thoughts during her visit to the Court of Nightmares demonstrate how her father’s alliance with Eris, her once-betrothed, brings about a resurgence of her trauma and her struggles in recovery. Her thoughts also reveal her tendency toward self-abuse in her own thoughts, telling herself that she should be able to handle such a painful situation, despite how reasonable her reactions are. This is a remnant of her father’s abuse—she knows he sees her as weak in that moment and revels in that weakness, and she only wants to appear strong to him.

“They train and train as warriors, and yet when they don’t come home, their families make us into villains for sending them to war?”

Azriel’s question demonstrates his frustration and anger with the Illyrians. Unlike Cassian, he cannot feel affection for his people after the abuses they heaped upon him and his mother. The question also taps into the concept of a culture that values war; it is not uncommon for the people of a nation to become angry with their leaders after losing loved ones to war, even if they value fighting highly.

“But unless the queens step out of line, it’s not for us to face. If we sweep in, even to stop them from triggering another war, we’ll be seen as conquerors, not heroes. We need the humans in other territories to trust us, if we can ever hope to achieve lasting peace.”

Rhys here reminds Azriel that they cannot step in preemptively with the humans, highlighting the delicate nature of the peace between fae and humans. One of Rhys’s missions in post-war life is to create lasting peace between all the fae courts and humans.

“I didn’t want to do this first painting in front of others. I could barely do it in front of myself.”

This is an important moment in Feyre’s journey, when she finally decides to sit down and paint after the horrors she has experienced. She recognizes her need to do the first painting in solitude, so she avoids the artists’ gathering she was headed to and instead listens to what her mind needs, which is an important part of her trauma recovery. This quote speaks to the theme of Healing After Trauma and Loss.

“Something still a bit hollow inside me filled slightly. ‘I should have been the bigger male.’”

Rhys’s words illustrate one of his lingering emotional struggles. He has difficulty forgiving those who have wronged him or those he loves, and at times, he loses his temper and behaves in ways that make him feel almost as if he is stooping to their level. He struggles to reconcile his desire to be a better man with his words to Tamlin.

“‘Nesta is still a part of this family.’ ‘Is she?’ Elain sawed deep into the next loaf. ‘She certainly doesn’t act like it.’”

Feyre and Elain’s exchange reveals one of Elain’s remaining difficulties as she adjusts to fae life. Aside from her lingering sorrow over her broken engagement, she has made much progress since A Court of Wings and Ruin, but Nesta’s continued distance hurts her.

“A queen without a throne. That was what I’d call the painting that swept into my mind.”

Feyre’s artistic mind reappears. The moment reveals her growing desire to return to painting more often, as well as her view of Nesta. Even though Feyre is now High Lady, she still sees Nesta as the queenly, noble woman she always was—simply without a throne or even a real home at the moment.

“‘Why? Why this insistence on distancing yourself?’ She settled back in her seat, crossing her arms. ‘Why do I have to be a part of your merry little band?’”

Feyre and Nesta’s exchange illustrates their very different approaches to life in the aftermath of all the upheaval they have experienced. Feyre has chosen to embrace her new life, and their sister Elain is trying in smaller ways to do the same, but Nesta clings to her anger and pain, disdaining the “merry little band” of friends that Feyre and Elain have joined.

“I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that though the war had ended, all wounds had been healed. Especially between Mor and me. And I wasn’t stupid enough to delude myself into thinking that I hadn’t put off this walk for a while now—and so had she […] Another casualty of this war: working with Keir and Eris had dimmed something in my cousin.”

This is the moment when Rhys finally addresses the distance created between himself and his cousin as a result of his choices during the war. They reconcile, but he grieves the dimming that he sees in her since having to work with the two men who abused and abandoned her.

“How do you keep creating, despite what you lost?”

This is an important moment in the narrative for its role in Feyre’s inner journey. This is the moment when she sees the possibility of continuing to create art after great suffering, and she feels called to ask the weaver this question to help her understand the possibility of returning to her own art.

“An uncontrollable instinct—for a mate to eliminate any threat. But he remained sitting. Even as his fingers dug into the arms of his chair. […] Somehow, in living with Jurian and Vassa at that manor, he’d run into Elain’s former betrothed. And managed to leave the human lord breathing.”

This moment, when Feyre observes Lucien’s control over his instinctual but nonetheless violent urges, is important for its representation of the changing values in certain areas of fae society. There are still many fae men who would think it their right to have their destined partner, no matter the woman’s feelings about the matter, but Lucien, like Rhys and his friends, has learned to value women and does not allow his instincts to lead him to behave brutally.

“I know you still blame yourself for your sisters being made. […] And because of that, you want to fix everything for them now that they’re here.”

This is an important moment because with Mor’s assistance, Feyre finally directly addresses her guilt over her sisters being “made” into High Fae and losing their human lives. Mor confronts the issue directly and reminds Feyre that she cannot fix everything for her sisters, despite her wish to do so.

“She hadn’t felt anything in months. Had days when she didn’t really know where she was or what she’d done. They passed swiftly and yet dripped by.”

Nesta’s thoughts when she returns home after the Winter Solstice reveal the reality of her life that Feyre and the others do not truly see. They know that something is wrong, but many of them simply feel anger toward Nesta for her behavior. In reality, Nesta is falling into a spiral of despair. This quote speaks to the theme of Healing After Trauma and Loss.

“I lifted my eyes to his again and found stars and darkness waiting. Found home waiting.”

After giving Rhys his gift, Feyre recognizes again that she has found a true home. In their love for one another, Feyre and Rhys have a home, and they do their best to spread that love and joy to help others. This quote speaks to the theme of The Power of Love and Friendship in Overcoming Adversity.

“I didn’t know that there was a place, a world, where artists might be valued. Taken care of. I’d never dreamed of such a thing.”

The discovery of a charity for artists is important for Feyre because it cements her newfound sense of belonging. She not only belongs with Rhys, but she also belongs with a community of likeminded people.

“And a reminder. As much of a reminder as the impossible iridescence of Hope, glittering throughout. To work through loss, no matter how overwhelming. To create.”

Feyre’s thoughts here are in reference to the tapestry made from the Void fabric the weaver created. She bought it and hung it in her new studio with Ressina to remind her of everything they have all lost and the hope that they must hold on to. This is a moment of fulfillment for Feyre after her long, painful journey and her work toward healing.