Fair Warning
Today we are explaining the ending of A Court of Silver Flames, by Sarah J. Maas, and everything that happens in the Blood Rite and after.
Fair warning: this one is full of spoilers for this book, and it mentions earlier books in the series. If you have not finished it, pause here and come back later.
Where Nesta Starts
Let’s start with where Nesta begins. She is grieving, angry, and lost after the war. Her sister Feyre, Rhysand, and Amren force her to move into the House of Wind, to train with Cassian each morning, and to work in the library each afternoon.
Over the book, she slowly changes. She makes friends with two women, Gwyn and Emerie, she trains to become a warrior, and she and Cassian discover that they are mates.
The Threat
Under the personal story, a bigger threat is growing. Three powerful objects, the Mask, the Harp, and the Crown, together called the Dread Trove, are in danger of falling into the wrong hands.
A ruthless queen named Briallyn, who is working with a deathless being named Koschei, wants the Trove. To get it, she has been moving everyone like pieces on a board, and she has used Eris, the Autumn Court heir, as bait.
The Blood Rite
The center of the ending is the Blood Rite, a brutal Illyrian ritual that takes place in the mountains. Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie take part, and they must survive deadly trials to finish. Briallyn has quietly tampered with it, to wear Nesta down.
While they fight, Cassian and Azriel follow Briallyn and Eris, and they have no idea how closely Nesta’s fight and theirs are linked.
Holding The Line
At the final stage, Nesta draws a line in the earth, and holds it. Her friends are behind her, and a warrior named Bellius is trying to break through to stop them.
She is exhausted, and she is losing. But she keeps fighting, and Gwyn and Emerie make it through, which means they win the Rite.
The Trap
Briallyn arrives with the Crown, and uses it to take control of Cassian. She wants Nesta to hand over the Trove, and she forces Cassian to attack Nesta, with a knife at her throat, while he fights the Crown and cannot stop.
Nesta will not give in. At the last moment, she unleashes her power, and Unmakes Briallyn. With the queen gone, Cassian is free. He is safe, and she tells him that he is her mate.
Feyre’s Labor
But the danger is not over. Back in Velaris, Feyre has started to bleed, far too early. The baby is stuck, and Feyre is losing her life.
Nesta uses what she has gained from the Trove. She plucks the last string of the Harp, which stops Time itself, and she uses the Mask to hold death back.
The Final Choice
In that frozen moment, Nesta makes a choice. She speaks to the Cauldron, and promises to give back the power she took, if it shows her how to save Feyre, Rhysand, and the baby.
She tells Feyre that she loves her, for the first time. When Time resumes, Nesta gives back her power, and it works. Feyre and the baby live. A little of her magic remains.
The Aftermath
The baby is named Nyx. Gwyn and Emerie are healed, and they are safe. Gwyn says that she would rather be called a Valkyrie than anything else.
Nesta visits her father’s grave with her sisters, and for the first time she does not feel that she has to apologize. Nesta and Cassian will have their mating ceremony soon, and the House of Wind becomes their home.
Eris, who is a useful ally, survives, but his father tortured him for information. And Koschei is still out there, which sets up the future.
What It Means
The ending is about choosing to feel. At the start, Nesta wants to feel nothing, because feeling hurts. In the end, she says she wants to feel everything, even the things that hurt, so long as she is with the people she loves.
It is also about giving something up. Nesta’s power was a weapon, and a burden. By giving it back, she shows that her strength never came from it. It came from her.
My Verdict on the Ending
I think it is a strong emotional ending. The Blood Rite is tense, the friendships pay off, and the scene where Nesta says I love you to her sister is the heart of the book.
My only complaint is that the villains feel less developed than the emotion. If you want to talk about it, leave a comment: what was your favorite moment? Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.
