Jump to Chapter Recap of A Court of Frost and Starlight: 1–12 | 23–28 // ACOTAR Book 1 Summary | ACOTAR Book 2 Summary | ACOTAR Book 3 Summary | ACOTAR Book 5 Summary
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapters 13–22 Summary
This Sarah J. Maas A Court of Frost and Starlight chapter summary contains full spoilers.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 13
Feyre goes inside the Wolf’s Den looking for her sister Nesta, who she finds at a back table playing cards with three High Fae men. She sends the men away and sits down with Nesta. Feyre asks why Nesta skipped the dinner Elain had invited her to, and Nesta brushes it off without much interest. Feyre then brings up the Winter Solstice celebration happening in two days and tries to persuade Nesta to come. Nesta refuses. Feyre makes one last attempt by invoking their father, which angers Nesta, who tells Feyre to leave.
Just as Feyre starts walking out, Nesta stops her to mention that her rent payment is coming due soon. Feyre tells Nesta to show up to the Solstice and it will be handled, then leaves.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 14
Rhysand and Mor take a walk through the ruined estates along the Sidra River. The conversation turns to Keir’s planned visit to Velaris, which Rhysand expects to happen in spring. He offers to make sure Mor isn’t around when Keir visits, but she dismisses the idea. Mor doesn’t want to give her father the satisfaction of thinking she ran.
Then Rhysand brings up something bigger. Treaty negotiations across the continent have stalled, and he wants Mor to travel to various kingdoms to help move things along. Mor questions whether he’s really just trying to get her out of the way because he doubts her ability to handle Keir. Rhysand quickly reassures her that isn’t the case. As far as Keir and Eris go, Rhysand tells Mor they’re manageable. They both know the cost of stepping out of line, so Mor’s presence in Velaris isn’t what keeps them in check.
Rhysand makes clear Mor can say no, and he won’t hold it against her. Mor looks east toward the continent, already turning the offer over in her mind.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 15
Feyre wakes on Solstice morning unsure what to give Rhysand. Elain suggests they go for a walk, and Feyre uses the outing as a chance to shop.
At a weaver’s stall, Feyre is drawn to a tapestry made from two fabrics the weaver created herself. One fabric is called Void, born from the weaver’s grief after her husband died in the war, and the other is called Hope, which followed once the weaver had mastered that grief. Feyre buys the tapestry for herself.
Feyre then slips away to a studio in the Rainbow district where she has been painting in secret. Ressina walks in and tells Feyre that Polina’s family may be willing to sell the space.
Outside, Feyre shares an idea with Rhysand that offering painting to others might help people who struggle the way she does. Rhysand encourages Feyre to pursue the idea.
Feyre’s last stop is Amren, whom she visits hoping for insight into Nesta. Nesta has been pulling away from the family and refuses to come home for Solstice. Amren declines to share details but tells Feyre to give Nesta time and space. Before leaving, Feyre asks Amren to pass along one message that having Nesta there would mean a lot.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 16
Rhysand watches Cassian and Azriel settle into their shared bedroom at the town house for the Solstice holiday. Cassian has brought a bag full of weapons, vaguely suggesting a few might double as presents. The three brothers touch briefly on the unrest brewing in the Illyrian camps, though Rhysand and Azriel have agreed between themselves to hold back the full picture until after the holiday, wanting to give Cassian a few days of rest before pulling him back into the unrest.
On Solstice Eve, everyone is gathered in the sitting room around the fire. Feyre joins Rhysand, and Varian, the Prince of Adriata, is also there as Amren’s guest. The group falls into easy conversation, with Cassian drawing most of the ribbing. The question of whether to invite the Summer Court’s High Lord Tarquin comes up briefly, but the group leaves the decision to Varian.
Elain slips in later and takes a quiet spot near the window. Feyre notices Nesta hasn’t shown up, and Rhysand reminds Feyre that Nesta was invited for the following day. Rhysand then raises a toast to family, old and new, and the Solstice celebration officially begins.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 17
On Solstice morning, Feyre wakes to find Rhysand beside her with a birthday gift. Rhysand ends up giving her three things: a personalized leather sketchbook, a sky blue scarf, and a new satchel stocked with drawing supplies. Feyre spends the rest of the morning sketching him.
When Feyre and Rhysand head downstairs for breakfast, Cassian and Azriel appear in Illyrian leathers and haul Rhysand out the door, calling it a longstanding custom among the three of them. Feyre eats alone, then settles in to do some paperwork, sharing a few brief messages with Rhysand through their bond before abandoning the ledgers.
Feyre goes looking for Elain and finds her in the dining room putting together an impressive spread of baked goods. They chat briefly, and Elain asks whether Feyre has heard from Nesta. Before Feyre can answer, there’s a knock at the door. Elain rushes to open it, but instead of Nesta, she finds Lucien standing on the front step.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 18
Lucien stops by the town house during Solstice with gifts for both sisters. Elain is barely present, offering almost nothing before she slips away to the kitchen.
Feyre and Lucien talk by the fire. He has been dividing his time between the Spring Court and a manor in the human territories, where he lives with Jurian and Vassa. The three of them call themselves the Band of Exiles.
When Feyre urges Lucien to move to Velaris and serve as their human emissary, he refuses. Lucien feels unwelcome at Spring Court, won’t live off Rhys’s money, and finds that being near Elain only complicates things further. He also mentions that Tamlin recently boxed up Lucien’s belongings and delivered them to the manor without a word, most likely after a visit from Rhys. Lucien leaves shortly after.
Feyre goes to find Elain in the kitchen and tries to nudge her toward being more open with Lucien. Elain dismisses the idea. She has no interest in a mate or a relationship.
Mor finds Feyre soon after and talks her down, telling her to stop trying to manage her sisters and let things sort themselves out.
Then Mor brings Feyre up to the mountain cabin, where Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel are in the middle of their annual Solstice snowball fight, a tradition they’ve kept for centuries.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 19
Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel have just finished a snowball fight outside. While the three head off to use a traditional Illyrian steam shed, Feyre and Mor stay inside drinking. Through their bond, Feyre and Rhysand trade playful thoughts back and forth, and Feyre sends him a flirtatious memory that gets him kicked out.
Later, everyone gathers at the town house dressed up for the Winter Solstice. Rhysand gives a short toast, and the celebration begins. A few moments later, he returns carrying a birthday cake lit with candles, since Feyre’s birthday falls on the same night. Elain explains that she had Nuala design the three tiers to represent each of the three sisters, saying Feyre has always been the foundation beneath Elain and Nesta. Feyre makes a wish but keeps it to herself, feeling a sense of certainty about her life and the people in it.
The group moves on to gifts. Rhysand reveals a huge hidden pile of presents, and everyone digs in with their usual mix of enthusiasm and chaos. Just then, a single knock comes at the door. Feyre already knows who it is. She walks to the door and opens it to find Nesta standing there.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 20
Nesta arrives late to Feyre’s Solstice gathering and lingers at the front door until Elain draws her inside. The mood is tense at first, but Amren breaks the ice with a blunt remark that somehow gets a rare smile out of Nesta.
The group goes back to exchanging gifts. Elain gives Nesta a set of romance novels she personally picked out at a bookshop. Feyre gives Cassian, Azriel, and Mor a painting she made to reflect something true about them. The painting Feyre gives Rhysand later on is the most personal. It shows him a version of herself she has never shared with anyone else.
The rest of the evening passes with dinner, laughter, and drinking, though Nesta stays quiet and a little apart from everyone. When Nesta finally gets up to leave, Feyre follows her to the door and hands her a banker’s note to cover her rent. Nesta takes it without a word and walks out into the cold.
Cassian sees the exchange and immediately goes after Nesta.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 21
Cassian catches up with Nesta at the gate. He insists on walking her home, and though she resists, she ends up tolerating his company. The walk turns into an argument, with Nesta repeatedly telling him to leave her alone and Cassian arguing that she’s become increasingly shut off from her sisters and everyone around her. He tries to hand her a Solstice gift, a small box he had spent months searching for, but she wants nothing to do with it.
When Cassian reaches out and grabs Nesta’s hand, asking her to just talk to him, she pulls free, gives him a long cold look, and walks away without saying a word. Cassian hurls the gift into the frozen river.
When Nesta gets back to her apartment, she locks the door and lights the faelight so Cassian, whom she knows has been watching from a nearby rooftop, will finally leave. Nesta slides down to the floor and sits in the dark. She’s been emotionally hollow for months, moving through her days without really feeling anything.
A Court of Frost and Starlight Chapter 22
After the evening winds down, Rhysand winnows Feyre to their mountain cabin for some time to themselves. Feyre asks him to replace the eye tattoos on her palms with the Night Court insignia, but before he does, she shares something through their mind bond. She wants to start a family. Rhysand is overwhelmed, and the markings are changed. Feyre and Rhysand spend the night together at the cabin.
The next morning, Rhysand takes Feyre to a ruined estate along the Sidra River. He bought the property as her Solstice gift and tells her to build whatever she wants on the estate, a home for both of them with room for their friends and family. He asks her to include a nursery, and Feyre agrees.