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

Synopsis:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

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 grows over the faerie lands, 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!

This was my most anticipated book of 2015, and I’m thrilled to say that it lived up to the hype. I loved this book from the first page to the last. I positively devoured it, and I’m quite upset that now I have to wait such a long time for the next book.

While hunting to feed her family, Feyre happens to kill a wolf in the woods. Little does she know that the wolf was actually a faerie. But when a monstrous beast comes to her cottage, demanded reparations, she has no choice but to go with him, to save her family. What she doesn’t expect is for the beast to actually be a handsome if somewhat surly faerie named Tamlin living on a beautiful estate in the Spring Court, where it’s always springtime. She doesn’t expect him to be kind to her either, but that’s exactly what he is: kind, interested, and protective. As the two get to know each other, Feyre learns that Prythian, the faerie lands, are under great danger, though Tamlin promises he will keep her safe.

This is predominantly romance, but there’s quite a bit of interesting fae magic and politics going on as well. This is no insta love either; Feyre quite hates Tamlin for a while, and only through his continuous care and concern for her does she start to realize her feelings for him. So the first two thirds of this book is the development of their relationship, and the last third deals with Feyre having to try to free Tamlin from dark faerie magic in an excruciating and thrilling trial.

There were terribly wonderful secondary characters as well, specifically Tamlin’s closest friend Lucien, who is not quite trustworthy, and has a bit of sass in him, and Rhysand, a dark faerie who has a serious interest in Feyre. I’m not looking forward to the development of a love triangle between Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhys, and I will be honest: It’s a bit disturbing that people actually think Feyre and Rhys should be together. Hopefully these people are few and far between. I think Rhys has the possibility of being a very interesting character, but he’s already done terrible things to Feyre. We should not be encouraging a relationship between the two.

This book is somewhere in between Young Adult and New Adult, which is my new favorite level of genre. There was sex in it, but only vaguely described and all of the conflict and romance was more intense than usual YA. This also means that the violence is more bloody, the torture more terrible, and some of the magic more…sexual. It’s a bit hard to describe, and I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is completely inappropriate for teens, but it is more intense.

There’s so much more to love here, with the faerie magic, and of course, Tam and Feyre’s steamy romance, and the mysterious blight attacking Prythian. Plus, Sarah J. Maas is so excellent at world building, and her prose is so smooth and clever and lovely. Do I like this more than Throne of Glass, which is one of my favorite Fantasy series? It’s very, very possible. I couldn’t put this one down and it’s already on my to-re-read list. Which I will probably re-read sometime very soon.

Also, can we talk about how absolutely GORGEOUS that cover is? One of the best covers of the year. And now, I need the second one. Right now.

Content Warning: Recommended for 16+

• Language: Some, but infrequent
• Sex (vaguely described, more so than usual Young Adult)
• Torture/Violence
• Disturbing Images