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A review by chococaptain
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
1.5 š„±
TW: mentions of non consensual sexual advances
long story short: Iām literally nursing a headache as I read the last few chapters. why Iām having a headache, you might ask? wellā¦ (ellipsis totally intended)
(nah jk my toothache is making my headache but damn did this book make the pain worse)
the book was a difficult read in so many different aspects. the writing style was so bad, the plot was too predictable, and the characters were extremely flat.
- writing style -
MY GOD the amount of ellipses and em-dashes in this book is so??????????? like why???? SJM has an editor but why are thereā¦ soā¦ manyā¦ ellipsesāand even more em-dashes that donāt make sense!!!!! maaaan this would NEVER pass a basic creative writing class in my uni. itās unbearable. I swear every time I see an ellipsis or em-dash aged me. why does SJM use it so much? for emphasis? jeez everything is emphasised then. for suspense? itās just too predictable.
also, āparameterā instead of āperimeterā? really? AND WATERY BOWELS? girl is your stomach ok?
- plot -
āitās a modern retelling of beauty and the beast.ā retelling? you mean a poorly paraphrased beauty and the beast??? itās SO beauty and the beast. a curse, handsome prince, servants cursed (as furnitures or as mask-wearing faes), evil witch/queen, i love you, and the non existent rose. like, why is the title of this book A Court of Thorn and Roses? I donāt even remember any meaningful reference to thorns and roses? at least Beauty and the Beast had an actual rose.
but wait! thereās a twist! it now becomes a retelling of Cupid and Psyche! 2 sisters, āhiddenā lover, a goddess who got pissed and gave her humanly impossible tasks! *snores* I know stories are inspired by other stories but this one is just tooā¦ (why am I using an ellipsis? HELP) unoriginal.
another thing that annoyed me is how everything was just so easy for Feyre (more on this later).rags to riches? check. family taken care of? check. all these as āpunishmentā for her k wording a faerie. my god.
LAST THING UNDER THIS! the plot is slower than my brain when faced by a math problem. my work friend asked me about the book when she found out I was reading it. I told her āIām around 50% but nothing major yet.ā and then I realised that dang Iām already halfway and thereās nothing cool happening yet?! the story only starts moving during the last quarter. you can skip so many chapters and youāll still understand the story because everything from Feyre killing the faerie wolf then living with Tamlin to her going back to her family are boring and wonāt make sense until Alisā monologue. honestly, just search for Alisā monologue if you donāt wanna waste time. itās basically the story and of course a happy ending after that.
- characters -
yep, the characters are flatter than a plywood. Feyre is dumb (everyone: āFeyre, donāt do this.ā Feyre: āsorry canāt hear you!ā) Tamlin is manipulative and lowkey a sexual predator??? so is Rhysand. taking advantage of Feyre just because sheās drugged wtf Lucien is honestly the only likeable character in my opinion. Alis is alright. Amarantha was a bad bitch but sheās annoying. Feyreās sisters are also annoying and the story doesnāt even need them hahahaha
I also feel like Isaac Hale is not needed. heās like the opposite of Chekhovās gun. I thought heāll play a part in the love triangle but whatās the point of mentioning his sexual relationship with Feyre if it doesnāt do anything at all??? JUST REMOVE IT GAAAAAH
I already scheduled the rest of the series for my august tbr but uhhhā¦ā¦ā¦.. idk.
wow this is the longest review Iāve ever done (not counting the papers I had to write for my lit classes lol). I didnāt like this book but would totally recommend so I can have more ppl I can rant to about this book š
TW: mentions of non consensual sexual advances
long story short: Iām literally nursing a headache as I read the last few chapters. why Iām having a headache, you might ask? wellā¦ (ellipsis totally intended)
(nah jk my toothache is making my headache but damn did this book make the pain worse)
the book was a difficult read in so many different aspects. the writing style was so bad, the plot was too predictable, and the characters were extremely flat.
- writing style -
MY GOD the amount of ellipses and em-dashes in this book is so??????????? like why???? SJM has an editor but why are thereā¦ soā¦ manyā¦ ellipsesāand even more em-dashes that donāt make sense!!!!! maaaan this would NEVER pass a basic creative writing class in my uni. itās unbearable. I swear every time I see an ellipsis or em-dash aged me. why does SJM use it so much? for emphasis? jeez everything is emphasised then. for suspense? itās just too predictable.
also, āparameterā instead of āperimeterā? really? AND WATERY BOWELS? girl is your stomach ok?
- plot -
āitās a modern retelling of beauty and the beast.ā retelling? you mean a poorly paraphrased beauty and the beast???
another thing that annoyed me is how everything was just so easy for Feyre (more on this later).
LAST THING UNDER THIS! the plot is slower than my brain when faced by a math problem. my work friend asked me about the book when she found out I was reading it. I told her āIām around 50% but nothing major yet.ā and then I realised that dang Iām already halfway and thereās nothing cool happening yet?!
- characters -
yep, the characters are flatter than a plywood. Feyre is dumb (everyone: āFeyre, donāt do this.ā Feyre: āsorry canāt hear you!ā) Tamlin is manipulative and lowkey a sexual predator??? so is Rhysand.
I also feel like Isaac Hale is not needed.
I already scheduled the rest of the series for my august tbr but uhhhā¦ā¦ā¦.. idk.
wow this is the longest review Iāve ever done (not counting the papers I had to write for my lit classes lol). I didnāt like this book but would totally recommend so I can have more ppl I can rant to about this book š
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault