Book Review – A Court of Thorns and Roses

Book Review – A Court of Thorns and RosesA Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Also by this author: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2), A Court of Wings and Ruin
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on May 5th 2015
Pages: 416
Also in this series: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2), A Court of Wings and Ruin
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

She stole a life. Now she must pay with her heart.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only 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.

My Review:

Finally!  A book that lives up to the hype!

I had never read any of Sarah J. Maas’ books prior to picking up A Court of Thorns and Roses, but when I heard that it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which is one of my all-time favorite stories, I knew I just had to read it. It turned out to be the right decision too because I devoured this 400+ page book in less than 2 days. I literally could NOT put it down once I got started.

Based on Sarah J. Maas’ popularity, I think I’m probably the last person on the planet to have read this book, but if you’re one of the few who hasn’t, let me share some of my favorite things from  A Court of Thorns and Roses:

The Secondary Characters:  I think I might end up being in the minority on this though because my favorite characters were not actually the main characters. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Feyre and Tamlin. I found their romantic chemistry very believable and totally wanted things to work out for them.  The characters who really stole the show for me, however, were Lucien and Rhysand. I LOVED those guys! They were quirky, witty, unpredictable, and just so much fun to read about. As I was reading, I kept thinking how cool it would be if they had books of their own!  I’m probably also in the minority on this, but I was so intrigued by Rhysand and how he interacted with Feyre that I couldn’t help but wonder if he would make a better match for her than Tamlin.

It’s Part Romance/Part Epic Action Adventure:  I’m never super big on books that are overly romantic so I loved that even though there were clearly hints of romance and sexual tension here, there was also plenty of dangerous and exciting action mixed in to keep my adrenaline pumping. My favorite parts of the book were actually as we move closer to the end and the wicked Amarantha is holding Tamlin hostage. She challenges our heroine Feyre to complete 3 nearly impossible tasks in order to win back Tamlin. I was on the edge of my seat and just flying through those pages because of all of the nonstop action, danger, deception, creepy creatures, and so much more.

The Faerie Kingdom of Prythian:  The world Sarah J. Maas has created here is fabulous as well, probably one of my favorite fantasy worlds of all time. I loved the idea of the 7 courts of the kingdom being based on the 4 seasons, followed by day, night, and dawn. The lands Maas creates are lush and beautiful, the faerie creatures were all so incredibly unique.  Maas does such an amazing job of bringing Prythian to life that I truly felt like I had been transported to a whole new world.

Was there anything I didn’t care for?

My only real quibble was the punishment that kicks off the rest of the story. Feyre kills what turns out to be a faerie wolf, which apparently is in violation of a treaty between the human world and the faerie world. Her punishment is that she has to abandon her family forever and go live in the faerie world. It sounds sad at first, since she’ll never see her family again, but then for pages and pages, we just watch her basically be placed in the lap of luxury where she is well-dressed, well fed, and allowed to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. Seriously, what kind of punishment is that?! We get an explanation for it later in the novel as Tamlin tells Feyre more about himself, but for the few pages there, I really had my doubts about whether I was going to buy into the retelling.  Maas sold me though, so yay!

Who would I recommend this book to? 

I would most definitely recommend it to anyone who loves either fantasy or Beauty and the Beast or both.  It’s one of my favorite retellings so far and it’s an amazing fantasy read. Because of the mature themes involved and the sexual tension, I would say it’s probably not appropriate for younger readers.

Okay, now I have to get my hands on the next book in the series.  A Court of Mist and Fury. Can’t wait to read it!

Rating:  4.5 stars!

Question:  Have you read A Court of Thorn and Roses?  Did you love it? Hate it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel, released on September 6th, 2016.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

6 replies
    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yes, it was amazing! Now I need to hurry up and get paid so that I can go get the next book, haha. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog 🙂

  1. Breanna
    Breanna says:

    I haven’t read this book yet, but my best friend has and she won’t stop talking about it! I need to pick this book up soon! Great review you have there.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Haha, I’m not surprised. I couldn’t stop talking about it either and really need to get my hands on the second book ASAP!

  2. Di @ Book Reviews by Di
    Di @ Book Reviews by Di says:

    I’m glad you loved this one! I am going to keep checking to see when you are reading and reviewing the sequel as that one just blew me away.

    I too loved the secondary characters and thought they outshone the MCs. My review isn’t on my blog as it was pre-blogging days but it’s on GR. I didn’t post my ACoMaF review on my blog because it’s incomprehensible but it remains one of my favourite books of 2016. I’ll probably re-read them both early next year in anticipation of the third book! I hope you love it as much as I did. 🙂

Comments are closed.