Previously: Not a Martax got tired after three (3) of Feyre's questions and roofied her to sleep.
--

Feyre is super impressed by Not a Martax's estate, which is even more grand than her old manor, back when her family was rich and letting their servants eat with shabby forks.

"It was veiled in roses and ivy, with patios and balconies and staircases sprouting from its alabaster sides." The grounds were encased by woods, but stretched so far that I could barely see the distant line of the forest. So much color, so much sunlight and movement and texture … I could hardly drink it in fast enough. To paint it would be useless, would never do it justice.

Painting shot!

Additionally, I don't really like "I couldn't describe it" or, in this case, "I wouldn't be able to paint it" as a description. How does that help me, the reader, at all? We have no idea if Feyre can paint well or not. Knowing that she can't paint a landscape confirms the theory that she sucks at painting. Maybe she's out here making stick figure drawings no one would even put on their fridge out of pity. 

"My awe might have subdued my fear had the place not been so wholly empty and silent. Even the garden through which we walked, following a gravel path to the main doors of the house, seemed hushed and sleeping."

I know people think I just have some kind of vendetta against these works, but they genuinely read like nails on a chalkboard for me. It's constant repetition for no reason. She tells us the place is wholly quiet. Why does she need to point out that even the garden is quiet? Why wouldn't the garden be quiet if she already said the whole place is very quiet? Why do we need to know it's empty and silent and hushed and sleeping?

"Above the array of amethyst irises and pale snowdrops and butter-yellow daffodils swaying in the balmy breeze, the faint stench of metal ticked my nostrils."

Feyre assumes the metal she's smelling is the magic that's making it spring in Prythian when it's winter back home. She's very salty about this and also starts to sweat under her winter clothes. 

They finally reach the doors to the manor, and Not a Martax hops up the stairs and goes inside without Feyre. Like... okay? What a weirdo.

Feyre is mad that she was magically roofied, or whatever, because now she doesn't know the way back home. She assumes that's why Not a Martax knocked her out, but I thought it was pretty clear that she asked 3 questions, and that was 3 questions too many for NaM.

While she was sleeping, Not a Martax took her knife, and she's grossed out by the thought of him pawing at her to get it.

"I shoved away the fury and terror and disgust as my horse came to a stop of her own accord at the foot of the stairs."

Feyre thinks maybe she can make a break for it, since the gates are still open, but the horse won't budge. Plan B is to head off on foot, run blindly, and hope for the best, but when she dismounts, she finds she's weak and hungry. She thinks that only a fool would run with no food, so she decides to head inside. 

She describes the opulent house for a paragraph or two. (SJM doesn't know how to use paragraphs properly, so I have to guesstimate.)

"I’d known the High Fae had once built themselves palaces and temples around the world—buildings that my mortal ancestors had destroyed after the War out of spite—but I’d never considered how they might live today, the elegance and wealth they might possess. Never contemplated that the faeries, these feral monsters, might own estates grander than any mortal dwelling."

I'm not sure why, if she knows that they had the ability to build palaces before, it would be shocking that they can.... build palaces now...?

Feyre follows Not a Martax into a room that has a long table full food. How much food? I'm so glad you asked.

A long table—longer than any we’d ever possessed at our manor—filled most of the space. It was laden with food and wine—so much food, some of it wafting tendrils of steam, that my mouth watered. At least it was familiar, and not some strange faerie delicacy: chicken, bread, peas, fish, asparagus, lamb … it could have been a feast at any mortal manor. Another surprise. The beast padded to the oversized chair at the head of the table.

I lingered by the threshold, gazing at the food—all that hot, glorious food—that I couldn’t eat. That was the first rule we were taught as children, usually in songs or chants: If misfortune forced you to keep company with a faerie, you never drank their wine, never ate their food.

I'm almost a little proud that she's suspicious of the food—all that food—but also... is her plan never to eat? 

Just then, Not a Martax shapeshifts into a man!

SURPRISE! 

"He was one of the High Fae, one of their ruling nobility: beautiful, lethal, and merciless."

Feyre can only see a part of his face because most of it is covered by a golden mask.

I'd somehow forgotten along the way that this was marketed as a Beauty and the Beast retelling back in 2015. That's why I bought it! Pre-ordered it, in fact.

Imagine my surprise when I got the book only to find out that the beastly element isn't really that he can turn into an animal, but that he's wearing a golden mask on his face. LIKE MAGICALLY SUPERGLUED ON HIS FACE. 

I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.

All Feyre knows right now is that he's wearing a mask, and she assumes it's a fae fashion trend. 

She asks Not a Martax who he is, and he tells her to sit and eat. She hesitates and then finally says that it isn't safe for humans. Not a Martax "huffs a laugh," which is a phrase I hate that SJM loves. Not a Martax assures her the food is fine.

Feyre thinks about making a break for it, again, even though it was like 4 paragraphs ago that she said that would be super foolish.

"But while every inch of this place was civilized and clean and beautiful, I had to get out, had to get back."

Not a Martax tells her to go ahead and leave if she wants. He isn't her jailer. She can live anywhere she wants within Prythian. She knows that if she left, she'd probably get eaten. She also knows she has to eat. But she thinks she can't eat this food. So she kind of just stands there. I'm so glad we are going through this again.

Not a Martax is like FINE, WHATEVER, and just starts serving himself.

Another high fae walks in, this one red-headed and also wearing a mask. He doesn't notice Feyre, and just asks if Andras is dead, and Not a Martax confirms that he was killed by a mortal girl. 

"“Well, what?” My captor cocked his head, the movement more animal than human. 

“Is Andras dead, then?” 

A nod from my captor—savior, whatever he was. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly."

Whoa, friends, did you catch it? One second she's all "my captor," and the next second she's all my "captor— savior, whatever."

Where did THAT come from? Stockholm? Is that you? We just got here. 

Not a Martax points to Feyre, so Red Head turns to her finally. His mask is bronze and fox-shaped, but Feyre can still see that he's got a scar across his face and he's missing one eye, replaced by a "golden orb." 

Red Head can't believe that scrawny ole Feyre—A GIRL!—brought down their wolf friend, Andras. This makes Feyre very upset, so she thinks about murdering Red Head, too. At this point, everyone can catch Feyre's hands.

Feyre can't decide why they are wearing masks. She figures Red Head needs it because he's got a "brutal scar" and Not a Martax wears his in solidarity. Interesting guess, there, girlfriend. Why don't you keep workshopping that one.

Red Head asks Feyre if it felt good to murder his friend, and instead of feeling bad about the fact that she did that exactly, Feyre reaches for her knife so she can kill some more people. She remembers her knife was confiscated.

Red Head continues on his rant, but Not a Martax tells him—Lucien—to behave. Lucien suddenly goes stiff and then bows to Feyre and compliments her. It's a weird interaction, and I don't know what's going on there. 

Not a Martax says someone named Alis will show Feyre to her room because she needs a bath and fresh clothes. Feyre doesn't know if she should be insulted.

"A rotund brown-haired woman in a simple brass bird mask tugged on my arm and inclined her head toward the open door behind us. Her white apron was crisp above her homespun brown dress—a servant."

Another female character who isn't an evil sister, and she's a servant. Cool.

Feyre also notes that since the servant also has a mask, they are definitely a fashion trend. Then she has this nonsensical thought:

If they cared so much about their clothes, about what even their servants wore, maybe they were shallow and vain enough for me to deceive, despite their master’s warrior clothes. Still, they were High Fae. I would have to be clever and quiet and bide my time until I could escape.

They must be vain if they clothed their servants well, am I right? Sorry, but in mind, it's confirmed that the Archerons were sucky rich people who didn't treat their servants well.

Alis leads Feyre out, but somehow Feyre catches a bunch of Lucien and Not a Martax's conversation. Lucien still can't believe their wolf friend is dead. He says they should just kill Feyre, but Not a Martax says she'll stay with them, unharmed, especially because her life in her human "hovel" was hell enough. Plus, Not a Martax has hope that some plan they are working on for something could work. Lucien snarks that he's sure Feyre will be an awesome replacement for their wolf friend, and she might even train to protect their borders. Not a Martax snarls in response.

Alis and Feyre must be walking very slowly, or Lucien and Not a Martax must be terrible about yelling their secret conversations, because that was a heck of a lot to overhear.

We cut to Feyre being bathed, given a hair cut, and getting plucked by three fae servants. Alis sets out a dress for Feyre to wear, which she hates, as she hasn't worn a dress in years. Plus, a dress would be inconvenient for escaping. I'm confused about the whole "escaping" thing, given that Not a Martax was like "you can leave if you want." Bestie, it isn't escaping if he gave you permission to leave. Feyre doesn't listen.

Alis storms out of the room, which leaves us with another page long description of Feyre's beautiful room that is the most beautiful to ever beautiful. Alis comes back into the room and shows Feyre her old clothes, which fell apart as soon as they tried to wash them. Alis asks if Feyre will wear the new dress now, but Feyre keeps pouting. Alis leaves and returns again, this time with pants and a tunic.

"It had to cost a fortune in itself—and it tugged at that useless part of my mind that admired lovely and strange and colorful things."

There is this additional, useless aside where Feyre tells us that she used to hang out with her father in his office, back when they were rich, and that's how she knows that the emerald curtains are really expensive. I'm so glad she shared. I would've definitely questioned how she knew the EMERALD and VELVET and GOLD were expensive, had she not told us her father once... taught her the price of things... Phew! Now we all know exactly how Feyre can tell things are expensive.

As she thinks about her father:

"A chill scuttled down my spine."

SCUTTLED DOWN?!

Feyre says it's been days since she left her house, and her family is probably already low on food. 

Alis braids Feyre's hair and comments on her being skin and bones. Feyre replies that that's what happens to poor mortals in winter. Alis "huffs a laugh" and tells Feyre not to be fucking rude (she almost says that) and to pay attention in her new environment. Some people will be upset that Andras is dead and Feyre is here, even if they know the terms of the treaty. Feyre should keep her head down. Alis does encourage her to be sassy to Lucien, though, if she dares. Feyre says she doesn't dare, and the chapter ends with Alis leaving before Feyre can ask any relevant or plot-driving questions. 

Shucks, maybe next time. 

That was 10 Kindle pages and SIXTY-ONE EM DASHES. 

Do you guys remember when I was doing the chapter recaps for House of Earth and Blood on TikTok? I started counting the word "door" because, for some inexplicable reason, SJM uses the word door REPEATEDLY. Every time someone is even near a door, SJM tells us about it. It wasn't until this chapter that I felt very aware of them in this book. There were FIFTEEN DOORS in this chapter, and there have been 30 doors so far in the first 56 pages.

Also, since we are now with the High Fae, there were a lot of animal noises: 5 growls and 2 snarls, and I imagine we'll only get more as we go on. 

Next time: Fae are terrible hosts, and Feyre is a terrible guest in Chapter 07.

♥️

Mari