A Court of Thorns and Roses: The hottest Tiktok sensation
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‘With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy’ STYLIST
Feyre is a huntress. And when she sees a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she kills the predator and takes its prey to feed herself and her family.
But the wolf was not what it seemed, and Feyre cannot predict the high price she will have to pay for its death…
Dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding even more than his piercing green eyes suggest.
As Feyre’s feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion, she learns that the faerie lands are a far more dangerous place than she realized. And Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
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Sarah J. Maas’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into 37 languages. Discover the tantalising, sweeping romantic fantasy, soon to be a major TV series, for yourself.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing, 1st edition (5 May 2015) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 9632 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 432 pages |
by little bookworm
When Feyre, out hunting for food for her family in the woods near her cottage, kills a wolf, she has no idea of the chain of events this action will give rise to. For the wolf, it transpires, was no such thing, but in actual fact a faerie creature, and she must now leave the life she has known behind her and go with the angered beast who comes knocking at the cottage door, demanding justice. Taken beyond the wall to the faerie realm of Prythian, Feyre now spends her days at the beast’s sprawling country manor, plotting her escape. Only the beast she discovers is in fact one of the High Fae Lords, his kingdom suffering from some sort of blight that affects their magic and has all their faces obscured behind masks, but that doesn’t stop Feyre from slowly falling for the High Lord behind the mask. Yet just as Feyre discovers a happiness she has never known, it is threatened to be taken away from her, that is unless she can break the curse that affects Tamlin and his people.
This is in part a re-working of Beauty and the Beast, and certainly the echoes of that story were clear to see. However, to call it a simple re-telling would be unfair to Sarah Maas, for it is so much more. In this book Maas builds an intricate faerie world with intriguing lore and all imaginatively rendered. I loved all the different types of faerie creatures, as well as learning about the different faerie courts and the powers of the High Lords. The majority of this book is set in the Spring Court, a lush and enchanting setting, but I would be intrigued to learn more about some of the other courts in further books, as well as more of the lore and backstory to the faerie world.
The beginning of the book was a little dreary to say the least, most of the characters pretty unlikeable, and whilst this part was a bit of a drag, I appreciated the contrast when Feyre enters Prythian, and it is in a way important to understand the drabness of her prior life and the hardships she had to endure as it is integral to her character. I did like that there were redeeming qualities to her family, especially Nesta, when we meet them later in the book, and that they were not as one-dimensional as originally portrayed.
Once Feyre enters Prythian the story stepped up for me. I loved the magical setting and getting to know the characters, and the sense of mystery as to what was really going on in Tamlin’s court. Much of the story continues at quite a slow pace, with a few memorable action sequences such as Feyre’s encounter with the Suriel and Naga that add some excitement. Whilst overall I did find the pacing of the story a little odd, I did appreciate the time taken for character development and world building, and it also meant that the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin had space and time to grow. I also liked the depictions of some of the faerie festivals, like Fire Night and the Summer Solstice, which Maas rendered very atmospherically with a sense of other-worldliness that felt truly enchanting.
It was lovely to watch Feyre, who starts off as a rather hardened and world-weary character, let go of some of her burdens and just enjoy life, and I thought Tamlin was very sweet in the way he appreciated that she has never been truly cared for before. I also liked Maas’ depiction of these two characters looking past their initial prejudices towards each other, and thought there were some genuine touching moments between them such as when Tamlin chooses Feyre’s painting of the woods where she used to hunt, because the emotions she captures in the painting resonate with him. Other scenes can occasionally feel a little schmaltzy and saccharine sweet, but Maas’ use of imagery, for example with the pool of starlight is spell-binding.
The final third of the book takes a leap in a very different direction, from a slow-burning romantic fairytale to action-packed sequences with a genuine sense of threat and danger as Feyre journeys Under the Mountain to try to break the curse on Tamlin and his people, facing the wicked faerie Queen Amarantha. This is where the story veers away from Beauty and the Beast, and really comes into its own I felt. Feyre has to go through three trials in order to try to save Tamlin, and undergoes immense suffering, both physical and psychological, truly testing her character. The story takes on a much darker feel and was genuinely gripping through all the final third act, though sometimes the pace felt rather rushed, such that I wish Maas had evened the pacing out more through the entire book.
I did feel that at times there was a little too much exposition, though that being said the back stories to some of the characters e.g. Amarantha were interesting, it just sometimes felt like a bit of an information dump. Also that final riddle was surely too easy?
I felt another reason that enhanced the final third of the book was the character of Rhysand. Though he is introduced earlier at the Fire Night ceremony, we only really get to know him more later on Under the Mountain, and personally I found him the most interesting character in the story. He was a delectable combination of charisma and intrigue, with a dark edge to him, but also a vulnerability that we just occasionally get a glimpse of, but that suggests more to him. I can understand why some people might think he used Feyre poorly, but personally I thought it was pretty obvious he was actually only trying to help her, as well as help his kind overall in having any chance of defeating Amarantha. His actions on the surface, may have seemed taunting and cruel, but they were done for a reason, and I think Feyre understood that. Furthermore, he never actually violated her when he drugged her, and if it were not for Rhysand then Feyre would not have managed to get through the tasks. Furthermore, despite his deceptiveness and underhandedness, I thought he showed his true colours when Amarantha was torturing Feyre and he tried to make a stand against her.
The only issue I have is that in some ways I thought that Feyre and Rhysand had more chemistry than Feyre and Tamlin, and at the very end of the story the bond between her and Rhysand almost resonated more, despite all that she did for Tamlin, which given the prior set up and investment in the relationship with Tamlin felt a bit odd. I’m intrigued to see how Maas develops this in the next book, as given Feyre’s bargain with Rhysand, he will evidently feature, and reading some of the reviews of the next book there seems to be a bit of hate towards Tamlin and a lot of Rhys shipping. Right now, though I enjoyed Feyre’s interaction with Rhys, I still feel that her and Tamlin’s relationship was the central one in the book and one that I am invested in, furthermore, I like Tamlin as a character. Whilst Rhys is a character that shines and gets all the good lines, along with Lucien, I feel that Tamlin fits as the central hero.
Overall, I thought this a great read, romantic and magical with some fantastic world building and characters that I’m looking forward to seeing more of.
by Charlotte Mei Jennings
I’ve read the ACOTAR series and Throne of Glass series and one thing to note is that Sarah J Mass books always seems to have a bit of slow start to her books – I’ve found the first books in both the series a bit admissible, with sometimes poor, questionable writing and chunks of plot stuffed into the middle to flesh it out. However I would recommend persevering because once she gets going, the writing and story vastly improves and becomes really enjoyable, with plots and character development that will hook you in and never let you go!
I found this with ACOTR – the start of the book and the final part were exciting, intriguing and well written. The bit in the middle sort of lost me a bit, almost as though the editor made a snap decision to include some first draft material at the last minute – some of it was filler, some of it exposition, some just made no sense. I found the Feyre in this part of a book a bit daft, and very removed from the strong, sensible young woman who’d kept her family from starving that we’d met at the start. The latter part of the book makes up for this though.
As to Tamlin, I was not a fan. I don’t want to give away anything but I was disappointed and frustrated for Feyre. Then I read book 2 and felt validated in my feelings. So in a nutshell persevere of your struggling, because they do get better.
by Disgruntled
The first book is a slow burner, world building, introducing characters, most of the action happens in the final 3rd of the book. But the entire series will have you hooked. You will have a book hangover. You will not be able to function in the real world without thinking of fairies, wings, magic. You will wish you were born in another dimension. Think twice before signing your life over to this book!
by noushie
This book was recommended to me, not my usual type of fiction so I began it thinking it wouldn’t be for me. I gradually got into the story and became immersed in it. I couldn’t put it down. Brilliant writing , fantastic fantasy, inspired. Can’t wait to read the next in the series.
by A.D:
I really enjoyed this book and bought the rest of the series afterward but it’s not the best book out there. A little cheesy romance with fantasy elements which I enjoyed but would only recommend if you’re looking exactly for that.
At first, I was a little disappointed because the beginning chapters were absolutely amazing and the way the author described the main character’s world and situation was captivating but then it quickly turned into just a romance book and I felt a little let down.
However, once I started to take it for what it was, I was able to enjoy it and ended up being obsessed with the series.
The book came in good condition. No complaints about the delivery.