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

Title A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author Sarah J. Maas

Description from Amazon

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.

Re-Release Date June 2, 2020

Initial Thoughts

Full disclosure, I read this book in April and have been stewing on this review for a while. Before I read this book, I had read Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series and actually had read some of the books more than once. I had also read House of Earth and Blood and knew that I was going to love this series. Why did I hesitate to read it, you might be wondering. I think I was trying to savor the first time I read this book. I mean it’s not like SJM isn’t writing new stuff, but you can’t go back and read a series for the first time ever again so I wanted to make sure I was savoring the first time I read this epic series.

Some Things I Liked

• RHYSAND. I didn’t just like him, I loved him. (Rowan > Rhysand in my mind, but Rhys is a close second). I couldn’t get over how much I loved him and really hated Tamlin.
• Beauty and the Beast vibes. I’ve always considered Beauty and the Beast as a variety of the story of Hades and Persephone from Greek mythology. This story felt more Hades and Persephone than Beauty and the Beast which I LOVED. I also loved the twist in the romance plot – it really makes you consider who is the Beast character in the story.
• First person narration. Unlike TOG and HOEAB, ACOTAR is told from first person and I really enjoyed that. Feyre’s character lended itself really nicely to inner monologues and I enjoyed seeing her thoughts play out in her mind. I’d also like to see POVs from other characters in the future. This book makes me want SJM to write other books in this style.
• Complex world building. SJM’s signature. I loved the world building here and I want to visit all of the Courts. They all sound pretty phenomenal and I can’t wait to read more about them in the next books.

Series Value

I finished ACOTAR and literally started ACOMAF immediately. Series value is incredibly high and, I already know I’ll be re-reading this series in the future.

Final Thoughts

I loved this book. I was fairly certain SJM would not let me down and I was correct. I still like TOG as a series more but this series is a close second. Please note, I can’t compare HOEAB yet as there is only one book out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – if you like ACOTAR, ACOMAF is even better. Trust me.
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – if you enjoyed the writing style, complex world building, and swoon worthy romance, try SJM’s other completed series. Again, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen – if you like audiobooks, do yourself a favor and listen to this one. But, even if you read it, if you enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspects of ACOTAR as well as the complex character relationships, try this series.