A Court of Thorns & Roses

Title: A Court of Thorns & Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (2020)

Category & Genre: Adult fantasy fiction

Page number: 448

Tropes: enemies to lovers, earn your happy ending, rags to riches, pragmatic hero

Synopsis from the book jacket:

“When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.”

Why did I choose this book to read?

I honestly wanted to see if this would be worth all the attention I’ve seen it receive. If you scroll through the bottomless pit that is BookTok, you will see that people have gone absolutely crazy over this book series. People cosplay the characters at Halloween, make aesthetic quizzes for which character you are most alike, and all around blubber over this book series. I figured it was high time I got in on the action.

What did I like about A Court of Thorns & Roses?

It has an excellent progression from start to end, plot-wise, even for a book that is the starting point for a five-book series. Feyre’s feelings about the Fae are so hateful initially and have an excellent progression toward change; nothing felt rushed or flipped at a moment's notice. Her feelings change due to more minor things that make the bigger picture clear, making it enjoyable to go on the journey with her. I also loved the world-building throughout the story. I could clearly envision the Spring Court and Under the Mountain; the descriptions were very nicely detailed. 

Where did A Court of Thorns & Roses go wrong for me?

I’ve never been one for very graphic gore. There is a lot of violence and a lot of sexual disrespect just in this book alone, so I have to wonder how rough the rest of the series will be with this as the starting point. It makes me a little apprehensive to read the rest of the series, as these aren’t my favorite topics in literature. Aside from this, I had trouble envisioning Tamlin’s magical transformations and entire transformative state. The author’s language in describing these moments was a little muddled for my taste. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes…

“Rhysand stared at me for long enough that I faced him. "Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all.”

“I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world.”

“You look . . . better than before."

Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Lucien gave Tamlin an encouraging nod.

"And your hair is . . . clean.”

My character connection…

My character connection had to go to Lucien. I have a soft spot for the best friend supporting role. These roles just help further the story along so well, and I always appreciate a good moral compass on the main character’s shoulders. As for Lucien specifically, his loyalty truly knows no bounds. Although he has some prejudices towards Feyre, his attitude changes appropriately the more he gets to know her and sees her full complexity. 

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Final Verdict: 

As all books do, it has good and bad points, so I’d say this lands somewhere in the middle. I don’t think, for the first book at least, that the craze is wholly deserved, but I can understand why it has the fanbase that it does, and I look forward to better appreciating the hype as I continue to read the rest of the series.