A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on May 5th 2015
Pages: 421
Goodreads
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
4 Nuts
When I started this series I thought nothing could be as good as Throne of Glass. And during the first half of this book I was right. I felt like I was reading two different books. First, the book with an insufferably annoying idiot. Second the book with the badass who is learning about a new world but can still hold her own. The second half of this book is addicting and leads into an incredible series, but that’s if you can get through the first part.
The Story
ACOTAR starts out slow. I found it really difficult to get into until about the halfway mark. After that I read the rest in a matter of a few hours. The first half lacks any kind of urgency or driving force. A lot of that has to do with the naivety of the MC. Once it gets going it’s really hard to put down and the writing itself is well done. It does improve, however, after a second read.
The Characters
Feyre is two different characters throughout this book. First she’s a self sufficient yet slightly idiotic borefest who doesn’t listen to the people around her who are more knowledgable than she. Several times in the first half of the book she gets herself into a bind that would have been easily prevented if she had bothered to listen. Thankfully she learns and the second half of the book is much more enjoyable as she comes into her own.
Tamlin is a beast in the worst possible way. While everyone at the time the first book released was singing his praises I was shaking my head. He’s intolerable, domineering, and in my eyes completely irredeemable. So it was no surprise when later books revealed the kind of person he was. Honestly, he’s just a dick. Also my phone keeps autocorrecting his name to Tampon.
Lucien. Dear god I love Lucien. He’s a dick but with a lovable heart. His sass always got a good laugh out of me and he seemed to be the most level headed of anyone in the Spring Court. Seriously, how could any of this not have gone terribly? A fox indeed.
Rhysand is my favorite. He was my favorite from the moment he swaggered onto the page. In my mind he sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch so that’s always a good sign I’m going to love a character. I’ve always been drawn to darker characters, sometimes evil sometimes not. While I originally appreciated Rhys’ Darkling-ness I got a lovely surprise closer to the end of the book.
The Romance
Tamlin is so obviously the starter guy. He eases her in to the world until Feyre can find better which she inevitably will. He’s still a tool and will always be a tool but he’s a great way to introduce her to Prythian. I was far more interested in the budding romance between her and another character and the slow burn of that relationship will be much more satisfying I’m sure.
Final Thoughts
I feel like if each half of the book would be rated separately, the first half would get a 2.5 and the second would get a 4. Together I averaged it out to about a 3.5, though I was totally psyched to read the next book immediately. This is definitely a binge-worthy series and for me I found I liked it better that way, having read each book back to back twice. It’s not an easy world to leave once you’re done.
I highly recommend this book, with the warning that it does start out slow AND that it is NOT young adult. It fits firmly in the new adult category, with lots of steaminess not appropriate for many younger YA readers.
What did you think of ACOTAR? Share your thoughts in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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