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A review by midnacine
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Update: Six Months Later
I really hated this series, and after a friend spoiled the ending of House of Sky and Breath for me, I've decided I'm never picking up another SJM book ever again. I'm dropping my rating to 2 stars because in retrospect I just don't like any of these books lmao, thanks for coming to my TED talk
Okay... so I loved this book, but I have a lot of feelings. I usually write reviews on my phone but I had to come onto my laptop to type this one. That says a lot for me, because I'm lazy and pulling out my laptop is a hassle. Just a fair warning, my emotions WILL lead to cussing.
Just as a spoiler-free tidbit before I continue: great book, highly recommend if you're into high fantasy and heartbreaking romance.
I'd like to preface this saying I had the endgame couple spoiled for me long before I even bought this book, so if you haven't seen the fanart like I have, please do NOT continue reading this. Knowing is what made it difficult to read.
All in all, I really enjoyed this! I mean, clearly, because you see the five star rating. I love how the reader is introduced to this series with a twist on a classic fairytale. I think I remember my friend telling me it was a Beauty and the Beast reimagining years ago when she first recommended it, but I definitely didn't realize it until like halfway through lol. The characterization and the world building is so beautifully done. I feel connected to Feyre and the Spring Court fae, my heart aches for Tamlin, and Lucien is my precious snarky boy. Now, when it comes to Rhysand........... Rhysand is where the majority of my issues lie. Again, I know he ends up becoming the love interest for Feyre over Tamlin. What I can't figure out is WHY.
I published several of my Kindle notes on Goodreads, and if I were able to post them here, you'd notice the majority of them are from the last quarter of the book. When Rhysand first appeared at the Great Rite, I was like "oh okay cool this is gonna be like a ASITE/Plated Prisoner thing where everyone's terrified of him because he can kill people but he's actually a really wholesome guy who just doesn't wanna see people get hurt". And then we find out he's the one who sent the disembodied head to be displayed on Tamlin's fountain AS A JOKE and my brain turned into that clip of Tyra Banks saying "We were rooting for you! We were ALL rooting for you!"
Rhysand DRUGGED Feyre and forced her to give him lap dances in front of Tamlin nearly every night for three months. THREE MONTHS. Oh but he healed her arm and used his magic tattoo to help her win the second task because she can't read. Like big fuckin deal. He laughed at her pain, literally marked her as his property, and purposefully dressed her up in skimpy clothing she felt embarrassed in because he wanted to make Tamlin angry. Way to just objectify this woman and use her as a tool to hurt the guy she actually loves.
And then this mans has the AUDACITY to excuse his behavior and justify it by saying that he didn't want history to remember him as someone who stood in the background and did nothing, that you wanted to be written down as someone who fought against Amarantha "at the end". But bitch where were you BEFORE all of that??? Acting as her damn lackey and having sex with her. And worse of all - Feyre actually starts feeling for him! You're just gonna let three months of abuse slide under the table because "he feels as though no one should die alone just like I do!"
I just know this is gonna turn into a Severus Snape thing where the whole audience is expected to forgive this asshole for treating Feyre like garbage because he's dark, mysterious, and did a couple not-shitty things. Tbh most of the reason I wanna continue the series is because I wanna know what happens to Tamlin and I've heard Cassian is way better than Rhysand.
Okay I'm done ranting for now, if I have anything more to add I'll edit this some other time when it's not 2 AM and I'm being fueled by rage.
I really hated this series, and after a friend spoiled the ending of House of Sky and Breath for me, I've decided I'm never picking up another SJM book ever again. I'm dropping my rating to 2 stars because in retrospect I just don't like any of these books lmao, thanks for coming to my TED talk
Okay... so I loved this book, but I have a lot of feelings. I usually write reviews on my phone but I had to come onto my laptop to type this one. That says a lot for me, because I'm lazy and pulling out my laptop is a hassle. Just a fair warning, my emotions WILL lead to cussing.
Just as a spoiler-free tidbit before I continue: great book, highly recommend if you're into high fantasy and heartbreaking romance.
I'd like to preface this saying I had the endgame couple spoiled for me long before I even bought this book, so if you haven't seen the fanart like I have, please do NOT continue reading this. Knowing is what made it difficult to read.
I published several of my Kindle notes on Goodreads, and if I were able to post them here, you'd notice the majority of them are from the last quarter of the book. When Rhysand first appeared at the Great Rite, I was like "oh okay cool this is gonna be like a ASITE/Plated Prisoner thing where everyone's terrified of him because he can kill people but he's actually a really wholesome guy who just doesn't wanna see people get hurt". And then we find out he's the one who sent the disembodied head to be displayed on Tamlin's fountain AS A JOKE and my brain turned into that clip of Tyra Banks saying "We were rooting for you! We were ALL rooting for you!"
Rhysand DRUGGED Feyre and forced her to give him lap dances in front of Tamlin nearly every night for three months. THREE MONTHS. Oh but he healed her arm and used his magic tattoo to help her win the second task because she can't read. Like big fuckin deal. He laughed at her pain, literally marked her as his property, and purposefully dressed her up in skimpy clothing she felt embarrassed in because he wanted to make Tamlin angry. Way to just objectify this woman and use her as a tool to hurt the guy she actually loves.
And then this mans has the AUDACITY to excuse his behavior and justify it by saying that he didn't want history to remember him as someone who stood in the background and did nothing, that you wanted to be written down as someone who fought against Amarantha "at the end". But bitch where were you BEFORE all of that??? Acting as her damn lackey and having sex with her. And worse of all - Feyre actually starts feeling for him! You're just gonna let three months of abuse slide under the table because "he feels as though no one should die alone just like I do!"
I just know this is gonna turn into a Severus Snape thing where the whole audience is expected to forgive this asshole for treating Feyre like garbage because he's dark, mysterious, and did a couple not-shitty things. Tbh most of the reason I wanna continue the series is because I wanna know what happens to Tamlin and I've heard Cassian is way better than Rhysand.
Okay I'm done ranting for now, if I have anything more to add I'll edit this some other time when it's not 2 AM and I'm being fueled by rage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Child abuse, and Torture