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

“We need hope, or else we cannot endure.”

I have embraced being a basic white girl since I was a teenager. I love One Direction, Twilight, and pumpkin spice lattes. My top two artists in 2022 were Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. I tried way too hard to be "different" in middle school, so by the time I got to high school I decided I was tired of pretending I didn't like things that I did like just because they were perceived as shallow.

Why do I say this? Because A Court of Thorns and Roses is the basic b**** fantasy series right now, as far as I can tell. Every avid reader and their dog has read this series and it is very well-received.

Always the first to be open about being part of the masses, I love to talk about how much I love this series. Seriously, if it had been around circa my 2013 Tumblr years, I would've had an absolute cringe fest of a field day. I haven't obsessed over something like I obsess over this series since my early college years.

The Technical Stuff

Reading format: Hardcover

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Content Rating: MA

NeuroCandy Scale: 🍬🍬🍬🍬🍬

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Official Summary from the Sarah J. Maas Website

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!

Review

I have read all the books in the ACOTAR series and my somewhat controversial opinion is that the first installment is my second favorite in the entire series.

The first thing I want to mention is that I love that this book starts with action. I know a lot of people read that sentence and were like, "What?" because I know that a lot of people find the first book to be very slow. I don't find it to be slow at all.

From the first page, we see Feyre hunting to provide for her family to find herself faced with the turmoil of whether she should kill the wolf. Afterward, the narrative jumps straight into her family dynamic. All of this happens while we learn about the struggles her character possesses. The first three chapters set up Feyre's character without being boring and when chapter four starts we are thrown into the story as the beast makes its appearance. It was this evenly paced narrative that made this such an easy book for me to get into.

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

The worldbuilding that SJM includes in this series is some of my favorite. Of course, it's not as in-depth as classics by Tolkien or George R.R. Martin, but I wouldn’t consider either of these classic fantasy authors to be NeuroCandy. Thorns and Roses is NeuroCandy, which should be enjoyed for what it is and not judged for what it is not.

I liked the details and complexities of the "fairies can't lie" and fairie repellent iron situations. I liked how much emphasis there was in this world that promises are sacred. I liked that the humans knew of fairies' existence, but that they didn't know anything about them. I liked that just like reality, fairies and humans don't like each other because they are different, and that there are unfair judgements and misconceptions on both sides.

The descriptions of the creatures and magic in this series are amazing. I've never been able to visualize a fantasy creature like I was able to visualize the Suriel. Every detail of the bony, sunken creature was rich with description. The tree-bark skin or gangly blue limbs of lesser fairies painted a vivid world of different fae... races? We'll go with that.

The agony felt by the characters when Tamlin wasn't able to save a lesser fairie, the terror felt by the characters when Rhysand discovered Feyre's existence, the joy Feyre and Tamlin feel during the solstice... it all tugged at my heart so much that I knew I was going to have it bad for this book series. Seriously, the serotonin that flooded my body while I read about Feyre finally being able to let loose and dance at the solstice after everything she'd been through was unmatched.

“Because I wouldn't want to die alone...

Because I'd want someone to hold my hand until the end, and awhile after that.

That's something everyone deserves, human or faerie.”

I liked Tamlin. I liked that he cared about Feyre and wanted to protect her after she'd spent so long being the protector and provider for her family. I did think that there was a lack of proper communication between Feyre and the Prythian fairies, especially when it came to Calanmai or Feyre trying to get back to the human lands. As I mentioned in my Touch of Darkness Series Review, I always go into books with rose colored glasses because I try not to take fiction too seriously, so I chalked it up to being necessary for furthering the plot.

Lucien is my favorite character in the whole series because of the first book. It’s rough– his character isn’t given nearly as much attention or love after the conclusion of the first installment. SJM writes that each fae has a distinct smell, and a friend said he decided Lucien smells like pumpkin spice lattes. Lucien, my favorite Pumpkin Spice King. He was the funniest character in the book, but he was more than comedic relief. He had his own depth and complexity and seeing his character grow made my heart so happy.

As soon as the book hit its rising action, I couldn't put it down. The Middengard Wyrm scene was the most badass thing I've ever read. I think it would have been a great plotline if she had tried to amputate her own arm (if you know, you know), but it would have left no room to set up the next book.

As far as Amarantha's cronies, Rhysand was the worst. I hated him. Again, I couldn't avoid spoilers, so I knew that people love Rhysand, and I seriously couldn't understand why. He was possessive over her for no reason and found a way to prevent anyone, including Tamlin, from touching her. Though he showed kindness and mercy to her on some occasions, he was still incredibly cruel.

All of the feelings that I felt while reading this book lead me to being an emotional wreck when Feyre got her happy ending. I couldn't wait to pick up the next book. Overall, I loved the way this book set up the series. I know that a lot of people find it to be very slow, but I think it had the perfect balance of being a "set up book" while also having enough action to keep it exciting.

“You were always too good for here Feyre. Too good for us, too good for everyone.’ He squeezed my hand. ‘If you ever escape, ever convince them that you’ve paid the debt, don’t return.”

This book could also technically be read as a standalone for those who don't want to commit to a series, but I would highly recommend continuing because SJM gives us far more where that came from in the second book. The first book is barely a scratch on the surface when it comes to the capabilities of the world she's built for this universe.

I loved everything about this book. I even loved the parts that I hated. This is because I didn't hate anything due to poor writing, but because SJM meant for me to hate it (see above: Rhysand). This book would have a 5 star rather than a 4.5, but the 5 star is saved for my favorite book in the series. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially for beginner fantasy readers like myself.