Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Genre: NA Fantasy, Romance

Publication: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Length: 432 pages

Format: HC

Goodreads

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

this review will contain spoilers!!

As daily victim to spoilers (I’m talking everywhere guys) and growing fan of Maas, I had high expectations for this novel. I enjoyed THRONE OF GLASS, and I did see semblance in terms of writing between this book and Maas’s debut series. (I also saw some similarities between this book and SHATTER ME!) Fortunately, I really enjoyed this novel and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

This novel follows Feyre who, to pay the debt for taking a fae life, is forced to live with a faerie, a High Lord of Prythian. There, she finds herself in the middle of political affairs and other fun shenanigans. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast was definitely apparent in the beginning of the novel, and I definitely enjoyed this concept. Although the beginning of the novel was a bit slow, it gave me a chance to really understand Feyre and her life before going to Prythian.

“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.”(414, HC)

The characters were wholly complex and thrilling to read about. I really adored Feyre and her persistence when going through the three trials (the trials were so action-packed and wonderfully written!). Feyre is such a multi-dimensional character and I could definitely connect with her throughout the whole novel. Tamlin…well, he was a different story. I could understand why Feyre fell in love with him, and I did see some signs of an emotionally abusive relationship (so freaking controlling bYe also wtf he wasn’t doing anything when Feyre was getting tortured by Amarantha), but I want to look into it even further and read ACOMAF to fully understand the impact of their relationship. I had a love-hate relationship with Rhys; he did help Feyre in many ways but some of his words and actions made me really ://// such as:

“And Feyre… I don’t like my belongings tampered with.” (348) — gross :////

I hope in Rhys redeems himself in ACOMAF; we’ll see how I feel about him in the next book! My conclusion towards Rhys and Tamlin so far is ://// but I’m desperately hoping that Rhys is nicer in the sequel. I also really liked Lucien—he was sassy and he was just so different from the other characters that he really stuck out to me in the book. I honestly just CAN’T WAIT to read ACOMAF because I hear there’s so much character development, and y’all know I’m a sucker for that.

Overall, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES was a great start to a new Maas series. I enjoyed the action, adventure, and romance (hello sexy scenes) that this gorgeous book offers. This book reminded me a lot of SHATTER ME (spoilers! highlight to read) in the initial love interest (Adam/Tamlin) and the new love interest (Warner/Rhys) as well as the comic relief type (Kenji/Lucien). I’m beyond excited to snag a copy of ACOMAF!!

Have you read this book yet? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below! (please no ACOMAF spoilers, I BEG.)