A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Frost and Starlight is the fourth book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. It has elements of romance and primarily follows Feyre Archeron, a once-human woman and now High Fae and High Lady of the Night Court, and her partner Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, in the aftermath of a major war with the King of Hybern. The novel explores their efforts to rebuild and co-create a more lasting peace between peoples while they work toward individual healing through self-expression and community celebration.

This guide refers to the 2018 Bloomsbury Kindle edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of mental health disorders, as well as flashbacks to images of war, violence, and physical abuse.

Plot Summary

A Court of Frost and Starlight follows Feyre Archeron, Rhysand (or Rhys), and their family and friends as they navigate a post-war environment. The plot centers around the Winter Solstice holiday and fae (faerie) celebrations. After defeating the King of Hybern—who wanted to dominate the world and re-enslave humans to serve fae—Rhys and Feyre work to rebuild their home, support those most affected by the war, rebuild relations with humans, and use budding alliances between fae courts to build a more lasting peace and prevent further attacks on humans.

As the novel opens, Feyre considers the importance of the upcoming Winter Solstice holiday and reflects on how she and her partner and co-ruler of the Night Court, Rhys, have used work to distract them from their unresolved emotions following the war. They do, however, support one another by talking through those events or taking space from one another while grappling with difficult memories.

Rhys, already overloaded with his peacemaking and rebuilding efforts, learns from his adopted brother, Cassian, that the Illyrians—a band of winged fae warriors under Rhys’s command—are still resisting training women, and there is growing unrest among the Illyrians following their losses during the war. When Rhys later learns from Azriel, a childhood friend, that the unrest is widespread, Rhys asks Azriel not to tell Cassian until after the holiday so that he can rest.

While wandering the city, Feyre stops in front of an abandoned art studio and runs into a woman, Ressina, whom Feyre recognizes as one of the fae who defended the artists’ quarter during Hybern’s attack on Velaris, Rhys’s home city. Ressina tells Feyre about the family of the woman who once owned the studio, which is being sold; she also invites Feyre to join her and a group of artists who gather regularly to paint. Feyre declines but feels gratitude for Ressina’s genuine invitation. Afterward, Rhys reminds Feyre that she can take time each day to paint, even with all the work they must do to rebuild and provide humanitarian aid.

Rhys and Feyre accompany Mor, Rhys’s cousin and second-in-command, to the Court of Nightmares. This court is what the world associates with Rhys, as he keeps the Court of Dreams a secret, instead cultivating an air of malice and darkness to keep his people safe. The Court of Nightmares is run by Keir, Mor’s father, although Mor provides oversight and manages relations between the Court of Nightmares and the Court of Dreams. At the meeting, they find Eris, the son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court, Mor’s former betrothed and the man who abandoned her when her family tortured her in retaliation for “sullying” herself to avoid marriage to Eris. Eris and Keir became allies during the war with Hybern: Seeing them together causes a resurgence of Mor’s painful memories.

Feyre tries to go to Ressina’s meeting of artists, but she decides to paint alone first, given the horrors she may need to release through her art. She uses the abandoned studio to paint the vision of herself from the Ouroboros mirror—the mirror that shows one’s true self—which the Bone Carver requested as a condition for joining their side in the war with Hybern.

Rhys meets with Tamlin of the Spring Court, Feyre’s ex-lover, who betrayed and then saved them during the war, to tell him to monitor his borders. The Spring Court shares a border with humans, so other courts would have to go through Tamlin to attack humans. Rhys finds the manor abandoned except for Tamlin, who is broken down. His soldiers and servants abandoned him when Feyre, who began spying on Tamlin for Rhys, set up careful traps that destroyed his reputation. Tamlin refuses to accept Night Court soldiers to patrol the border. Both men lose their temper, and Rhys prods at Tamlin.

Feyre and Rhys’s friends gather before the Winter Solstice. Feyre and her second-eldest sister, Elain, want their eldest sister, Nesta, to join them. When Nesta rejects the offer, maintaining that they should live separate lives, Feyre uses the draw of money for rent to get Nesta to attend the gathering.

Rhys invites Mor on a walk to confront their tension over his decision to allow her father, Keir, to visit Velaris in return for Keir’s troops during the war against Hybern. Mor tells Rhys that she knows he had to make that choice, and they begin to repair their relationship. Rhys asks Mor to consider acting as an ambassador between all the courts to quicken the peacemaking process.

Feyre and Elain shop for Winter Solstice gifts, and Elain helps Feyre understand the importance of the holiday and the gift-giving tradition, which Feyre was uncomfortable with after years of poverty. They meet a weaver who created a new kind of fabric called “Void”; it represents her sorrow and grief over losing her husband in the war. Her continued practice of her art inspires Feyre, who returns to the abandoned studio to paint.

Feyre and Rhys’s family and friends gather for Winter Solstice Eve, and Feyre wonders if Nesta will attend the following day. On the morning of Winter Solstice Eve, Rhys offers Feyre birthday gifts, despite her hope that he would forget. Later that morning, Azriel and Cassian steal Rhys away for their annual Winter Solstice tradition: a snowball fight on the mountain, where Rhys has a cabin.

While the men are away, the doorbell rings, and Feyre and Elain rush to the door, hoping to find Nesta. It is instead Lucien Vanserra, Tamlin’s former friend, Elain’s estranged partner, and an emissary for Rhys in the aftermath of the war. The awkward conversation following his arrival demonstrates Elain’s continued desire to avoid any relationship with him. When she leaves him alone with Feyre, he and Feyre argue, and he reveals that he feels isolated, except when he spends time with two human leaders, Vassa and Jurian, who understand the life of an exile. Lucien confronts Feyre over her partial responsibility for Tamlin’s renunciation of Lucien, his longtime friend. He leaves and returns to his home with the human leaders.

When the group of friends and family gathers for the Winter Solstice celebration that evening, Nesta finally arrives. She is cold and distant. When she leaves, Cassian follows her home despite her insistence that she does not want his company or protection. He is hurt by her disdain for him, but he follows her from a distance to make sure she is safe. Nesta inwardly acknowledges that she is often numb since the war.

Feyre’s Winter Solstice gift to Rhys is her readiness to have children, despite a previous agreement to wait. His gift is the purchase of one of the estates destroyed in Hybern’s attack, which she can rebuild to house all their friends and family.

Rhys visits Tamlin again. He offers the use of Summer Court soldiers rather than his own, as agreed to by the High Lord of the Summer Court. Tamlin is too broken down to engage, wondering if Feyre or Rhys will ever forgive him. Rhys takes pity on Tamlin and makes sure that he eats, telling him that he can waste away and die after they ensure peace along the border.

Feyre finally decides to buy the abandoned studio that Ressina showed her. The family insists on giving it away, asking her to give the money to a charity for artists. Feyre asks Ressina to become her business partner, and they create a studio offering classes for children to heal through art. Feyre, feeling purposeful, tells Rhys that she is finally happy.