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

A Court of Thorns and Roses
(A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s
Published: May 5, 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, New Adult
My Rating:

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.

 

“He’d shown me pools of starlight… He’s saved my life like some kind of feral knight in a legend, and I’d gulped it down like faerie wine…”

I was completely blown away after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses. I finally realized why this book has hit the shelves with a storm and became an all around hype in the entire book community. Apart from the fact that it’s the work of a genius in a person of Sarah J. Maas, this book is a complete deal.

The plot. Everything was so perfect in terms of its plot. I loved how Sarah J. Maas based the fairy concept on such a popular tale as “Beauty and the Beast” that she plotted the majority of its storyline into ACOTAR’s story and used Beauty and the Beast’s main characters as the basis for this book’s characters.

The pacing. There was no such thing as slow-paced here. Ever. I couldn’t even remember if there was a single part of the book where I felt bored or sleepy. Every chapter, every paragraph, every single line, screamed intensity.

The world-building. Stunning. I am at a loss for words just thinking about how Sarah J. Maas built the amazing world of this book. How everything started as a myth when a lady was holding a Cauldron and the whole fairie continent was magically created. I also loved how the whole continent was divided into different courts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Day, Night, Winter, and Dawn court and how they were all managed by High Lords. Speechless.

The characters. Feyre is one unique and well-developed character. Better than Celaena in my opinion. She’s strong-willed and very responsible. I liked her character so much that I found myself teary-eyed at times because of the knowledge that she’s the only one who feeds her family, thus her hunting at the woods. Even when she felt so terrified of the forest and the creatures lurking in it, she braved her soul because of her obligations. And with no whining on her part. Also, she’s the kind of character that you will like because she’s simply not annoying. She takes responsibility in her every decision. She’s also cunning and wise despite the fact that she’s illiterate. Yes. We’re having an imperfect, no-Mary Sue character here, guys.

On the other hand, I loved Tamlin. A High Lord fae with an air of mystery and well, sexiness. Who doesn’t want to sign up? He was described so beautifully and intricately here that I couldn’t help but sigh at the sheer perfection of his characterization.

“I love you. Thorns and all.”

The romance. I have been looking for books that balance both the fantasy and romantic aspects and never have I expected that this book was it. WHY??? WHY did I resist the temptation of reading it? This book basically has been sitting on my shelf for months! Now I see what I’ve totally missed all this time. The romance was all kinds of beautiful. There were swoony and even steamy scenes which kind of… surprised me. (Really, Sarah J. Maas? You could definitely write intimate scenes that are way beyond my imaginings in a fantasy book?) I didn’t know this was sort of a New Adult book– which was good, because it just made the romance all the more compelling.

“I don’t want you to live somewhere else. I want you here, where I can look after you– where I can come home and know you’re here, painting and safe.”

The later part of the book hinted a love triangle because… *sigh Rhysand.

Yes, we are meeting the other piece of the love triangle! And what a delicious piece, too. I don’t normally root for two guys in a love triangle but here I am, shipping either Tamlin or Rhysand for Feyre!

“Each of us has a beast roaming beneath our skin, roaring to get out.”

The ending. The final chapters of this book proved to be a big and epic surprise. WOW, I was so amazed by the things that took place… especially when Amarantha, the evil Queen, was introduced. That’s when the whole lot of action took place and everything became too overwhelming for me to take. I ended up panting and my heart was beating loudly because I got so nervous.

Now that is how you start a series! Sarah J. Maas, you did it again. You truly are a queen. Rightfully so! A Court of Thorns and Roses is another one of those books one will shelve as a new favorite. It’s beautiful in every single way and it’s complete with all the elements you are looking for in a fantasy retelling. If you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favor and start it now.

Rating:

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