Review by ashleejsmith - A Court of Thorns and Roses

ashleejsmith 's review for:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Ok so ACOTAR is a classic guilty pleasure read - highly entertaining but frustratingly flawed. Maas creates an engaging fantasy romance that kept me onboard despite some significant issues with execution.

The world has potential and the characters are compelling enough to make me want to keep reading.

However, for me the first-person narrative from Feyre's perspective creates a major bottleneck that stopped me from fully experiencing what could be a rich, complex world. Her limited viewpoint restricts access to more interesting characters (e.g. Lucien/Rhysand/Nesta) and hampers the fantasy world-building in favour of the romance plot.

The writing relies heavily on YA tropes and convenient plot devices and exposition - characters travel through random portals (leaving behind potential plot holes), conflicts resolve too easily, and magical elements become overly convenient in ways that undermine stakes and believability.

The plot is also quite predictable, following familiar fantasy romance beats that you can see coming from miles away. Character development feels a bit rushed and surface-level.

This reads like polished fan fiction - nothing wrong with that, but it focuses more on being an easy, addictive read than being particularly sophisticated.

It's the literary equivalent of binge-worthy TV: you'll think "this is SO good!" whilst reading, but really… is it?

Ultimately, I think I’ll continue the series because, tbh, who doesn’t love a guilty pleasure?

Content Warnings