Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

316 reviews

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

i was so excited to read this after all the hype but was bored and disappointed. it made me think the whole time ‘wow i wonder what better romantasy books are out there.’

1. the main character feyre (bc of course that’s her name) has very little development, only one interest of her own, and is unlikeable in an unuseful way. the fact that she would literally die for a faerie she hated for most of the book, never had any real romantic emotional connection, and never admitted her love for him is RIDICULOUS RIGHT? 
2. i HATED the syntax!! so many sentences trailed off with an ellipses to mimic the characters thoughts, but it made it confusing, overly dramatic, and over used. perhaps the worst part of the book 
3. over use of the same phrases. “i could feel the bile in my throat” take a shot every time you read that line. so many tired phrases used again and again and like what does that even mean 
4. Tampon (tamlin) sucks. he’s an unlikeable character and not redeemable even when it’s clear the author is trying to redeem him. he’s horny, controlling, possessive, lazy, helpless, and a liar. this character is like every horrible man i’ve met in real life and that trope ruins the genre of romantasy entirely. 
5. undeveloped fantasy world. it was pointless and frustrating to keep the reader in the dark about how the magic world works and made it seem like the author herself did not understand the magic world she created. 

2 points for the anticipation and for lucien 

*Spoiler* there is only one real sex scene and it’s kind of glossed over. there are other scenes when tamlin gets horny and sort of attacks feyre and it’s assumed that she’s consenting/into it. not good enough. the presence of sex in this book is sexist and predatory so don’t read it if you want smut. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Oof brutal read - I had to grit my teeth to get through this one so I could feel a part of the hype but oh my lord talk about a Mary Sue fantasy story. I was pretty down with the plot and the forbidden romance through the first half of the book, but the whole second half threw me for a loop and I could not wrap my mind around any of the character’s motivations. 

My friend said the second book and the rest of the series is better. Thankfully the second audiobook is available on Libby to rent immediately!

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Feyre entering the world of Fae and learning about after giving up everything to save her family. The world building done just right and you know their surroundings from the first page.
I couldn’t give it a 5/5 because her visit home just felt rushed but it could just be how I read it. 
The time under mountain was morbid at times and challenging but the depth this part of the story cannot be faulted.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Consider me hooked!

If this ever gets adapted, I hope it's an animated series like Netflix Castlevania.

  • Interesting world building. 
  • A visceral type of writing.
  • Nitpick: a bit too rushed in some parts (ex. spoiler:
    family reuniting, arguably understandably
    ) and a bit too slow in others. But not enough to really bother me. 
  • I've seen people say the 2nd is better and I'm looking forward to it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The first book of one of y favorite series. The second weakest in the series in terms of plot and character development, but it sets the stage and the world building really picks up in the second half. If you're a fan of fae and of retellings, I think ACOTAR is a series for you.

Liked
-Feyre's courage
-Depiction of ruthlessness in humans and faeries
-description of trauma and grief
-the characters we meet

Disliked
-the uselessness of Feyre's family
-Tamlin's temper tantrums
-Feyre's inability to figure out the world's easiest riddle
-the choppy pace of the book (way too slow to way too fast)

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings