Cait’s Review of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas

This first book review is actually from my blog, but it’s one I felt needed shared here because it is so important to me. Instead of trying to write a whole new review on the book, I decided to just copy and paste the one I already published. So, without further ado, my review on A Court of Thorns and Roses:

I’ve never written a full-on book review before, so I have been struggling on where to begin. I’ve read over a dozen books in the last two months. It’s safe to say I’m officially out of my reading slump. Hence, I thought I would start with the series that is responsible for all of this reading: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

This isn’t going to come as a surprise to anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter. I’m obsessed– understatement of the year.

For those who don’t know, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is the first book in a series. There are currently three books: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin. The series will continue with a novella and books written from other characters’ perspectives. The novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight, will be released May 1, 2018. Let’s be honest though, it’s the length of a typical book so it won’t feel like a novella, which is very exciting!

Now, I read ACOTAR at the end of August 2017, and it took me a couple months to get to the others, but once I got into the second… I couldn’t stop. Rarely do I like sequels more than the first book. This was the exception. The second was truly the best, but I’ll get to that later.

Now, because there are three books, I’m going to review them one at a time. There will be spoilers as I go on, but there will be warnings when I get to them. Let’s start with book one:

A Court of Thorns and Roses

This first book is a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling, which is 100% why I started it. Fairy tale retellings are kind of my thing, as you will come to see as I continue reviews. ACOTAR is about 19-year-old Feyre, who kills a wolf while hunting to feed her family. However, when it turns out that the wolf was actually Fae, Feyre is taken prisoner and forced to stay in the Fae-ruled country of Prythian.

Tamlin, High Lord of the Summer Court, is Feyre’s captor and he has a secret. His Court was cursed 50 years earlier during a masquerade, and now they’re all stuck in their masks. Feyre slowly warms to the Court, its members (including a new friend(ish), Lucien), and of course, Tamlin.

It’s the typical “Beauty and the Beast” story, but then it gets dark and twisty. When Tamlin sends Feyre home to her family, to protect her, he and Lucien are taken captive by Amarantha, the powerful Fae who put the curse on the Summer Court and is in control of the other Courts. They’re taken to Under the Mountain, an underground court, where many from other Courts are already being held. Feyre returns, realizing she needs to help break the curse, and makes her way through the underground labyrinth. When captured, Amarantha gives her the chance to break the curse by either going through a series of trials or solving a riddle.

I loved the book, but it was this that really made it great in my opinion.

Reading this book made my heart so happy. From the Fae, to the “Beauty and the Beast” plot, it really was unlike anything I’d read before. I loved the Fae celebrations, and the different Courts were really intriguing. The trials were intense, palms-sweaty-intense.

I loved the fierceness between Feyre and Tamlin. Lucien made me laugh with his sarcasm. Amarantha was horrifying. And the villain-not-villain Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, was really interesting. He saves Feyre after a trial, but in doing so, she is forced to make a deal with him. They are linked and if/when they get out, she must spend one week a month with him in his Court.

This book just amazed me. It started off as a story I love and know so well and just became something so much more. The world building and descriptions are incredible. This was my first introduction to Maas as an author, and I am so grateful that I randomly picked it to try. I had heard of it briefly, but somehow managed to not know much more than the title and the fact that it was like “Beauty and the Beast.” If you like fantasy, or YA fiction in general, I highly recommend giving it a read.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is available in every format on Amazon!

**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**

This book broke my heart over and over (I should’ve taken that as a hint for the rest of Maas’ books), especially the end. When Rhys realized Feyre couldn’t read the second trial’s clue and helped her through their new bond, and she had to just trust him. When she had to stab the three innocent Fae in the heart during final trial, including Tamlin. The book was good, but it wasn’t until the trials that I had trouble putting it down. And then after everything Feyre went through, her entire life and Under the Mountain, I couldn’t believe she was killed by Amarantha after breaking the curse. I cried. Then the High Fae of each Court gathered together, gave her a bit of each of their power (even Rhys), and brought her back to life, as a Fae! And I was so happy because she could be with Tamlin after all, especially since she was immortal too. I’m a sucker for a happy ending!

Her moment with Rhys at the end really pulled at my heart, and in truth, their interactions are what I was looking forward to with the following book. While reading this book, I felt like there was much more to him than we knew at the time. I’ve also always liked those characters who are… how does one describe Rhys’ personality in ACOTAR? He’s a cocky, sexy, mysterious, super powerful Fae– and he knows it. I couldn’t wait for the snarky bickering that was sure to come.