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Summary
Preface and Chapters 1-10
Preface (Rhysand, Two Years Before the Wall)
In the past, a time before the wall was constructed between the human and faerie worlds, Rhysand walks through a field of corpses following a bloody battle. Obeying his father’s orders, Rhysand fought alongside the humans against the armies led by Ravennia, who sought to maintain the political system by which humans are enslaved by faeries. Rhysand and his troops held the line against Ravennia for three days before Rhysand’s father sent reinforcements, which turned the tide of the battle. He turns over corpses, both human and faerie, searching for his friends, Cassian and Azriel, but he does not find them.
Chapter 1
In the Spring Court, one of the four seasonal courts of Prythian, Feyre paints a cheerful painting of flowers that conceals her deep fury. With hidden anger, she reflects upon previous events, including the betrayal of her family and allies by the High Priestess Ianthe, the forced transformation of her sisters Elain and Nesta into faeries, and the alliance of Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court, with the cruel King of Hybern, who wishes to enslave humans. Feyre, who was previously engaged to marry Tamlin, called off the engagement after he became possessive and overly protective of her following her torture at the hands of the villainous Amarantha. Mistreated by Tamlin, who fails to meet her emotional needs, she turned to Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, and the two realized they were soulmates, which established a telepathic bond between them. Refusing to accept that Feyre had left him willingly, Tamlin allied with the King of Hybern in order to retrieve Feyre from the Night Court, setting off a series of events that shifted the balance of power in favor of Hybern. Now, Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, falsely claiming that she was kidnapped by Rhysand in order to win back Tamlin’s trust. She intends to retrieve useful information and undermine Tamlin’s rule.
Feyre accidentally snaps her paintbrush in anger and then uses her magic to burn it to ashes, hiding all evidence. She senses the presence of Tamlin and Lucien, his close friend and right-hand man. Tamlin invites Feyre to a meeting with Ianthe, who wishes to explain her previous actions. Tamlin leaves to prepare, but Lucien, who has a metal eye that allows him to see things others cannot, hangs back to speak with Feyre. Despite his loyalty to Tamlin, Lucien is “mate-bonded” to Elain, Feyre’s sister, and he warns Feyre not to trust Ianthe. At the meeting with Ianthe, Feyre carefully conceals her rage as the High Priestess hypocritically defends her actions, arguing that Hybern is so powerful that the Spring Court had no option but to ally with them. Tamlin explains that he has made a bargain with the King of Hybern and that the Spring Court will have to make various sacrifices, but its people will be safe. Feyre, however, interprets the alliance as a deep betrayal of the entire land of Prythian.
Chapter 2
The Spring Court prepares for the arrival of a delegation from Hybern, which will include Jurian, a legendary human warrior who was resurrected by the King of Hybern using the very powerful magic Cauldron controlled by Hybern. The King of Hybern used Jurian to control the human queens as part of his broader plans of bringing humans under his control. Feyre is shocked that Tamlin would allow a “mad” and dangerous individual such as Jurian into his court, and she resolves to discover Hybern’s plans in order to smuggle that information to Rhysand and her friends in the Night Court. Using her telepathic bond with Rhysand, she informs him that she is safe and asks about his brothers, Cassian and Azriel, who were previously wounded in a fight with Jurian and other soldiers from Hybern. Using the same bond, Rhysand, whose nickname is Rhys, tells her that they are healing.
The next day, Jurian and two Hybern commanders arrive at the Spring Court. The two commanders, twins named Prince Dagdan and Princess Brannagh, are powerful high-fae with cruel, stoic expressions. Jurian makes a derogatory comment about Feyre, implying that she has caused a war between the Spring and Night courts, and Feyre retorts back, reminding Jurian that his beloved, Miryam, left him for Prince Drakon. Despite these tensions, the group gathers around a banquet table to discuss their plans. Feyre wonders if Dagdan and Brannagh are, like her, daemati, or faeries with mind-reading powers. Just in case, she puts up mental walls of defense.
Brannagh states that she, her brother, and Jurian intend to examine the wall the following day in order to look for holes. Their plan, ultimately, is to destroy the wall and conquer the human lands to the south. Feyre offers to accompany them to the wall alongside Lucien. Though Tamlin seems hesitant, he does not wisht to break his promise to grant Feyre more autonomy, and so he agrees to the plan. Jurian rudely asks who crafted Lucien’s metal eye after Amarantha tore out his real eye, and Lucien notes that an old friend at the Dawn Court created the eye using a combination of magic and machinery. Jurian, hoping to rile up Lucien, asks about Elain and suggests that she has been sexually assaulted by the troops of Illyria, the northern part of Prythian, where she is being held. Tamlin orders Jurian to behave, threatening to consign him to the stables. As the Hybern commanders discuss the War, during which Jurian fought alongside Rhysand and the Illyrians against Hybern, Feyre wonders about the whereabouts of the wings of Rhysand’s dead mother and sister, which were kept by Tamlin’s fathers as trophies following the war. As Jurian further provokes her and Tamlin, she senses the twins’ attempts to infiltrate her mind psychically, and she reinforces her defenses, placing mental walls around the minds of Tamlin and Lucien.
Chapter 3
Feyre, Lucien, and some sentries from the Spring Court accompany Jurian and the twins to the first of three holes in the wall, just large enough for one person to move through. The next hole, Lucien notes, is two days away on foot, and the third is a further two days. Both Feyre and Dagdan have the ability to winnow, or magically transport themselves and others across long distances, but this task is very difficult, especially when carrying others. As the Hybern commanders survey the wall, Feyre speaks with Lucien, noting that his father, Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court, fought alongside Rhysand in the human-Fae alliance against Hybern. She asks Lucien about his willingness to ally with Hybern and he responds that, he, like Tamlin, was motivated to rescue Feyre but admits that things have not gone according to their plan. Their conversation is interrupted by Jurian, who mockingly notes that Lucien should be careful about getting too close to Feyre, whom he dismissively describes as “the High Lord’s belongings.”
After returning to the stables following their first trip to the wall, Ianthe makes a grand appearance, but the Hybern commanders are unmoved. She asks Feyre to meet with her later concerning the upcoming Summer Solstice festival, and Feyre agrees despite Lucien’s protests. When Ianthe leaves, Feyre asks Lucien about his resentment of Ianthe. Lucien explains that, after Feyre left for the Night Court, Lucien had to take Tamlin’s place in the Rite of the Calanmai festival, during which, traditionally, the High Lord has sex with a maiden or priestess in order to ensure a healthy harvest that year. Feyre understands that Ianthe, who is a persistent sexual predator, took advantage of the situation to coerce Lucien to have sex with her. Lucien asks Feyre not to tell Elain and, feeling genuinely sorry for him, Feyre agrees to keep this secret.
Later, Feyre has a dress fitted for her by the seamstress Alis, who seems to see through Feyre’s lies and subtly suggests that Feyre was not mistreated by Rhysand, but rather, was happy in the Night Court. Feyre is conflicted given her past friendship with Alis, who has heard gossip about Feyre from servants working in the other courts, but she nevertheless maintains her facade in fear of jeopardizing her plans.
Chapter 4
Ianthe prepares an early morning ceremony on the day of the Summer Solstice. Feyre and the others ride horses to the top of a high hill where hundreds have gathered, and Feyre remembers that a year ago, she and Tamlin kissed at this time and place under happier circumstances. She also recalls that the hill was decorated for her marriage to Tamlin, before she suddenly called off the engagement in a deeply unhappy state and was rescued by Rhysand. Bitterly, she wonders how many people in the Spring Court saw how unhappy she was and did nothing to help her. Ianthe performs various rituals, but just as dawn is about to break, the sun shines on Feyre and Lucien instead of Ianthe. Feyre has, in fact, carefully planned this event, altering Ianthe’s plans to create the appearance that she has been divinely blessed.
Throughout the festivities, Feyre notes that word of the blessing has spread through the population. In a private moment, Feyre looks at the tattoo of an eye on her right palm that signifies her bond with Rhysand, and they exchange some brief messages, wary of being caught or detected by others. Later, Feyre accepts Tamlin’s invitation to dance, and she pretends that she loves him while internally condemning his decision to ally with Hybern and his treatment of her as an object.
Chapter 5
That night, Feyre twists and turns in bed as if experiencing horrible nightmares. When she cries out, Lucien rushes in, wearing only pants. Feyre walks into Lucien’s room where he comforts her as she describes her nightmares and rests her face on his bare chest. Suddenly, Tamlin enters and catches Feyre and Lucien in what appears to be an intimate embrace. She tells Tamlin that she has been having nightmares before returning to her own room, and she hears Tamlin leave five minutes later after presumably threatening Lucien. Alone in her room, she reflects upon her own manipulations. She deliberately faked a nightmare and orchestrated this encounter with Lucien when she knew that Tamlin would try to join her in bed, hoping to drive a wedge between the High Lord and his most trusted friend.
Chapter 6
A set of keys to the gates of the estate go missing. At breakfast, the room is silent as Lucien keeps his distance from Feyre. Ianthe interrupts to report what she believes to be a planned attack on the estate by the Naga, monstrous serpentine faeries. Feyre interprets Ianthe’s report as a deliberate scheme to regain power after the debacle of the ritual at the Summer Solstice. Feyre, who is tired and has a headache, offers to look into the problem in a few days, after she and the others return from their second trip to the wall. Ianthe suggests that Tamlin should accompany them to the wall in case the Night Court attempts to abduct Feyre, but Tamlin notes that it would be foolish for Rhysand to attempt such a thing so far from his own lands and Feyre insists that she can fend for herself. Ianthe suggests that Tamlin could use the wings of Rhysand’s mother and sister as leverage, but he notes, with a note of remorse, that he burned them.
The group makes the two-day trip to the wall in a single day by using a combination of winnowing and walking, with Dagdan carrying his sister and Jurian and Feyre and Lucien both winnowing with a sentry. In their tent, Feyre asks Lucien if the deal with the King of Hybern can be broken, but Lucien notes that magical bonds can only be broken at a great cost, perhaps taking the life of Tamlin or someone else close to him. Feyre asks about the days following her apparent abduction by Rhysand and Lucien notes that Tamlin was in a state of great rage, destroying Feyre’s bedroom and study and executing the guards on duty after torturing them for information. Determined to go to war with the Night Court, Tamlin allied with Hybern in the hopes of using the alliance to his own advantage. Both Feyre and Lucien express their continued hatred of Hybern. The next morning, as the group approaches the wall they encounter three Children of the Blessed, human mortals who worship faeries as gods and occasionally send believers across the wall, hoping to be taken in by the fae.
Chapter 7
The three young mortals, two young women and one young man, present themselves, hoping to offer themselves to the fae. Horrified, Feyre probes their minds and sees that they lived difficult lives in the human realm and hoped to escape to the faerie lands. Noting the predatory looks of the twins, Feyre telepathically commands them to return through the hole in the wall, showing them images of faeries torturing and even consuming humans. Despite the encouragement of the twins, the mortals turn back to the wall. Later, Jurian thanks Feyre for saving the humans. In their conversation, Jurian suggests that he sees through Feyre’s lies, as he fought along Rhysand in the war and knows that the High Lord of the Night Court is a good and decent man. Feyre continues to ignore these insinuations and asks Jurian about his own motives for serving Hybern. Jurian suggests that he has no loyalty to Hybern but intends to find his former lover, Miryam, to pursue his revenge, and he adds that Feyre is also seeking revenge.
The next morning, Feyre awakens to the scent of blood. Lucien, who is already awake, puts his hand over her mouth to keep her from making noise or crying out. They follow the scent and find a horifying scene. In a small clearing, they see the bodies of the three Children of the Blessed, who have been brutally and sadistically tortured in a homicidal orgy. Lucien and Feyre realize that the twins stalked the young humans back through the wall and brought them back to have their way with them and send a message to Feyre. Angrily, Feyre plans revenge.
Chapter 8
Back in the Spring Court, Tamlin angrily reminds Feyre and Lucien that they are allied with Hybern and accuses Feyre of sending the Bogge, a monstrous lesser faerie, after the twins. Feyre admits in her narration that she and Lucien tracked down the Bogge and led it to Dagdan and Brannagh, who fought with the dangerous creature for several hours. Tamlin dismisses Lucien and argues with Feyre, who accuses him of selling out Prythian to Hybern. Furious, Tamlin smashes the furniture, and Feyre, who intentionally does not protect herself, is slammed into a bookshelf, leaving her covered in cuts and blood. Lucien storms back in and helps Feyre to her feet as Tamlin looks upon his own actions in horror. Refusing to heal herself using her magic, Feyre makes sure that the sentries standing by the door witness her injuries, hoping to turn Tamlin’s own men against him. Later, as she bathes, Feyre sends a telepathic message to Rhysand assuring him that she is fine. He warns her to be careful and sends him a telepathic image of her sticking her tongue out. He responds with a sexually suggestive mental image.
The next trip to the wall is delayed so that Feyre can heal. She accepts Tamlin’s profuse apologies but showcases her wounds to those at court. That night, seven Naga break into the estate grounds and are quickly dispatched after Ianthe receives what she claims is a warning vision from the Cauldron, which is worshiped as a creator-God in Prythian. The next day, Tamlin punishes the guard on duty, whose keys had been stolen earlier in the night. After sentencing the guard to 21 lashes, Feyre sends a telepathic message to the guard, and he publicly accuses Ianthe of stealing the keys. Ianthe dismisses the claim, but Feyre implores Tamlin to hear the guard’s story and to refrain from punishing him. Torn, but unwilling to show weakness in front of the Hybern commandments, Tamlin insists upon carrying out the punishment and the man is brutally whipped. Feyre, who subtly pushed Ianthe to orchestrate the Naga attempt, intends to drive a wedge between Tamlin and his sentries, who are horrified to see the High Lord take the side of Ianthe, whom they perceive as a scheming sorceress.
Chapter 9
Feyre, hoping to win the hearts of the people, tends to the guard’s wounds as the others go to eat lunch. The next day, Ianthe announces that she and Tamlin will accompany the party on their third journey to the wall. Alis prepares Feyre a pack with supplies and, in a carefully coded conversation, says that she will return to the Summer Court, anticipating turmoil in the Spring Court. The two wish each other well.
At the wall, Feyre requests to share a tent with Ianthe, pretending that she wants to make amends but nevertheless sending the priestess several subtle threats. The next day, Feyre examines the wall with the twins while the others are occupied. Pushing them for information, she learns that Hybern commands no fewer than 200,000 troops and intends to use the Cauldron to study the holes in the wall and, ultimately, to destroy it completely and enslave humanity. She also learns that Hybern considered the evil Amaranth, who ruled over Prythian in tyranny, a convenient tool. Now that she has this information and has destabilized Tamlin’s authority, she intends to return to the Night Court. She psychically inserts a false memory into the mind of a guard, which shows that Feyre was forced to flee after the twins attacked her. Feyre hopes that this false memory will worsen relations between Tamlin and his guards and turn the people against Hybern.
As she begins to winnow away, she hears Ianthe’s voice and encounters the priestess as she attempts to sexually assault Lucien, whom she has bound with a magic-dampening metal from Hybern. Furious, Feyre unleashes her full psychic powers on the priestess, forcing her to smash her own hand with a rock and imposing various psychic commands upon her in order to prevent her from sexually assaulting others in the future. As she prepares to leave once again, she is confronted by Brannagh and Dagdan.
Chapter 10
The twins tell Feyre that they have been slowly poisoning her with powdered faebane, which weakens magical powers. They gave powder to Ianthe, who used it against Feyre, causing her headaches and exhaustion, and they also poisoned the food that Feyre and others had eaten during their journey to the wall. Realizing that she will soon be unable to use her powers for hours or even days, Feyre launches into a full assault, winnowing into Dagdan and attacking him with her knives. They fight in a chaotic whirlwind, transporting and slashing at each other. Suddenly, Feyre changes tactics, attacking Brannagh with a gust of flames that leaves her screaming. Brannagh begins to attack Feyre, but Lucien joins the fight, decapitating her with his blade. Her enraged twin resumes his fight with Feyre, who stabs him through the eye, killing him.
Understanding that Feyre intends to return to the Night Court, Lucien insists on accompanying her in order to see his mate, Elain, who is being held in the North. Feyre knows she must move quickly before Tamlin arrives, and she agrees to travel with Lucien. The two winnow further and further northward until their magic is fully depleted due to the faebane. To get closer to the Night Court, they must take a door, or cave-route, that will take them further north. Feyre, who is regarded as an enemy by the Summer Court, wants to travel instead through the Autumn Court. Lucien, who lived in the Autumn Court before being betrayed by his family, who rule that land, warns her that the Autumn Court will prove no less dangerous to them.
Analysis
Part 1 of A Court of Wings and Ruin details Feyre’s return to the Spring Court, a place where she was once very happy before a series of traumatizing events, detailed in the first novel in the series, led Tamlin to become possessive and overprotective of Feyre while neglecting her emotional needs. Feyre is no longer a young girl dazzled by the fairytale trappings of the court, with all its magic and elegance, nor those of her would-be suitor. She has been hardened by suffering and bitter disappointments, and she struggles to maintain her cheerful facade. Feyre’s return to her old role as Tamlin’s consort in the Spring Court underscores just how much she has changed as a result of her experiences. She is angry, suspicious of others, and cynical, but also far more mature and level-headed. Though she would like nothing more than to openly confront Tamlin and others in his court for what she believes to be a significant betrayal, not only of her and her family but also of humanity at large, she carefully keeps her thoughts to herself and maintains a smiling, grateful demeanor in order to conceal her true plans.
Feyre has changed both mentally and physically. She was once a vulnerable, mortal human in a world of incredibly powerful magical faeries. Now, she is a faerie herself, a High Fae who serves as the High Lady of the Night Court and wields additional powers derived from several other courts. She is trained and experienced in combat, can heal her own wounds magically, and commands both fire and ice. When members of Tamlin’s court attempt to intimidate her or push her around, she reflects on how easily she could use one of the defensive maneuvers from her training with Cassian to force them into submission. Nevertheless, Feyre realizes that she must use more subtle means to achieve her goals in the Spring Court.
Battling in the political arena, she learns, does not involve open displays of brute force. Instead, she learns to control her own emotions, plan ahead, and manipulate others. Slowly, she gains the sympathies of the people of the Spring Court through carefully orchestrated acts of deception and kindness. She correctly predicts, for example, that Ianthe will attempt to regain power after her debacle on the Solstice and pushes the High Priestess to stage an attack by the Naga. When Tamlin, afraid to appear weak in front of the Hybern commanders, punishes the guard despite Ianthe’s clear guilt, Feyre makes a show of defending the guard and later helping to dress his wounds, winning the hearts of Tamlin’s own sentries. By wielding the more subtle weapons of public opinion and personal guilt, Feyre lands a critical blow against Tamlin’s power and drives a wedge between the High Lord and his people.
While her tactics are highly effective, some of Feyre’s actions in these chapters raise thorny moral and ethical questions. Though it is ultimately Tamlin’s decision to punish the guard, Feyre herself initiated the series of events that led to his brutal whipping. While she tends to his injuries, her primary goal is to craft her own public image through ostentatious acts of kindness and mercy rather than to help an innocent man. Further, her plan to destabilize the Spring Court jeopardizes the lives of its citizens, most of whom have never wronged Feyre in any way. Alis, for example, hints to Feyre that she has discerned her plans and intends to move with her children to the Summer Court. Though Feyre is inwardly glad, she gave her former friend no advance warning despite being fully aware of the turmoil and hardship that will likely strike the region. Given the King of Hybern’s dire plans for the human race, Feyre has good reason to undermine his allies and alliances. Nevertheless, she gives little thought to the lives of those living in the Spring Court, including her former friends, internally debating whether the Night Court should conquer its rival while only thinking of its tactical value. At this point in the story, the stakes are high and there are few—if any—options that do not lead to bloodshed.
