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A review by kayelina
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
3.0
a spoiler free review
So basically A Court of Thorns & Roses is just a rated R version of Beauty and the Beast which I was not prepared for. Feyre is the youngest of three, living in poverty and fighting and hunting for her family’s survival when she shoots a magical creature she shouldn’t have. Based on an ancient treaty between the two realms, she is forced to live the rest of her life amongst the Faeries. A life for a life. These creatures are cursed by a mysterious and unknown magical “blight” to live their lives with masks amongst their face as certain creatures rank higher and are therefore, stronger and more powerful than others. Once Feyre discovers the secrets behind one of the Court’s mysterious High Lord, Tamlin, she must fight to keep him and save the people as her feelings for their kind turns from hatred to love.
My biggest issue is with books where the plot is driven by romance instead of vice versa. This is mostly done in fantasy books, which I read a lot of, and a war is going on between countries, kingdoms, or realms and yet somehow, romance is the most important thing to these books, which I can’t grasp. There’s war and bloodshed and usually the most important people in the war are related to the protagonists so why in the HELL are you guys making love when people--your people--are dying? For about the first 280 pages, it’s pure romance. So much so, that I got bored and was wondering where the story was going as the stakes kind of got lost in the middle.
I guess, it’s okay if this is your thing. And I guess it’s okay because the second half of the plot explains the need for the romance but I felt it too cliché to believe. Especially for such a mature book. The Faerie creatures are painted as beautifully grotesque, but my brain I guess imagined them more grotesque than beautiful because once it started getting hot and heavy, I was repulsed and felt tricked into reading some beastiality or Disney erotica. In reality, these Faerie characters are basically just humans with wings and/or masquerade masks that are glued to their face and they can’t take off the whole time. So more Phantom of the Opera. Minor characters are ugly and more tree-like? obviously, which I feel like just makes the whole experience a cop out. Which is why when Feyre starts making out with one of them I was confused like “isn’t his skin like tree bark?” Which is the Beast element of the whole Beauty and the Beast -like plot that I am not sure Maas was going for? But I mean the book is called a court. of thorns. and roses. So… it’s what I got from the entire novel whether she meant it or not. So when they started trying to make a baby I was confused because I don’t really mate with trees, personally, but if that’s what you’re into, who am I to judge?
I will say the final act redeemed itself a little. It was more gory, adventurous and now everything had a point to it which was very intriguing, detailed, and a little original might I add. There were still some elements of clichés like the protagonist being forced to dress provocatively for the antagonist’s disgusting desires and the ending had a little Twilight feeling for 2.4 seconds.
There are reasons for the provocative outfits but I really give a big eye-roll to stories and plots where the protagonist is over sexualilzed for silly excuses. Like she’s hot. WE GET IT. I just think there’s a much more powerful way to make a villain scary or foul in a book than making the hot prisoner protagonist his sex slave. (This is a hyperbole, of course.) Yes, men are gross sex beings (which is also mentioned in a scene or two in this book. Got some Midsommar vibes for a second there) but there’s just other more gruesome ways to make me hate your villain.
The protagonist, Feyre, is… okay? She’s often described as a “useless” human being in the realm of the Faeries and it was repeated so many times in the book I guess I started to believe it. I really can’t pick something that stands out about her character but she wasn’t COMPLETELY dull and iditoic. She does do some dumb shit though, not going to lie, but I will leave that for you to read and decide how you feel about her, should you choose to read it.
I read Throne of Glass, another series by Maas, and loved it and knew this book was more mature but I was more excited for this book than the other. I hoped that it delivered more than clichés. With a more interesting turn of events in the last 100 pages and Maas’s exquisite world building capabilities, I might give the sequel a read. I accidentally purchased the fourth book instead of the first, so I might as well get the second and third right? I powered through this one and she’s introduced me to enough characters that I do want to see what happens to them in the future. With the hint of a small happily ever after ending, I’m hoping the next few books will be less romance and more gore. I don’t recommend this to teens unless they’re upperclassmen or in college. This isn’t your typical Hunger Games or Divergent YA dystopia.
Thanks for making it this far. Follow me on Instagram for more reviews @Kayelina
So basically A Court of Thorns & Roses is just a rated R version of Beauty and the Beast which I was not prepared for. Feyre is the youngest of three, living in poverty and fighting and hunting for her family’s survival when she shoots a magical creature she shouldn’t have. Based on an ancient treaty between the two realms, she is forced to live the rest of her life amongst the Faeries. A life for a life. These creatures are cursed by a mysterious and unknown magical “blight” to live their lives with masks amongst their face as certain creatures rank higher and are therefore, stronger and more powerful than others. Once Feyre discovers the secrets behind one of the Court’s mysterious High Lord, Tamlin, she must fight to keep him and save the people as her feelings for their kind turns from hatred to love.
My biggest issue is with books where the plot is driven by romance instead of vice versa. This is mostly done in fantasy books, which I read a lot of, and a war is going on between countries, kingdoms, or realms and yet somehow, romance is the most important thing to these books, which I can’t grasp. There’s war and bloodshed and usually the most important people in the war are related to the protagonists so why in the HELL are you guys making love when people--your people--are dying? For about the first 280 pages, it’s pure romance. So much so, that I got bored and was wondering where the story was going as the stakes kind of got lost in the middle.
I guess, it’s okay if this is your thing. And I guess it’s okay because the second half of the plot explains the need for the romance but I felt it too cliché to believe. Especially for such a mature book. The Faerie creatures are painted as beautifully grotesque, but my brain I guess imagined them more grotesque than beautiful because once it started getting hot and heavy, I was repulsed and felt tricked into reading some beastiality or Disney erotica. In reality, these Faerie characters are basically just humans with wings and/or masquerade masks that are glued to their face and they can’t take off the whole time. So more Phantom of the Opera. Minor characters are ugly and more tree-like? obviously, which I feel like just makes the whole experience a cop out. Which is why when Feyre starts making out with one of them I was confused like “isn’t his skin like tree bark?” Which is the Beast element of the whole Beauty and the Beast -like plot that I am not sure Maas was going for? But I mean the book is called a court. of thorns. and roses. So… it’s what I got from the entire novel whether she meant it or not. So when they started trying to make a baby I was confused because I don’t really mate with trees, personally, but if that’s what you’re into, who am I to judge?
I will say the final act redeemed itself a little. It was more gory, adventurous and now everything had a point to it which was very intriguing, detailed, and a little original might I add. There were still some elements of clichés like the protagonist being forced to dress provocatively for the antagonist’s disgusting desires and the ending had a little Twilight feeling for 2.4 seconds.
There are reasons for the provocative outfits but I really give a big eye-roll to stories and plots where the protagonist is over sexualilzed for silly excuses. Like she’s hot. WE GET IT. I just think there’s a much more powerful way to make a villain scary or foul in a book than making the hot prisoner protagonist his sex slave. (This is a hyperbole, of course.) Yes, men are gross sex beings (which is also mentioned in a scene or two in this book. Got some Midsommar vibes for a second there) but there’s just other more gruesome ways to make me hate your villain.
The protagonist, Feyre, is… okay? She’s often described as a “useless” human being in the realm of the Faeries and it was repeated so many times in the book I guess I started to believe it. I really can’t pick something that stands out about her character but she wasn’t COMPLETELY dull and iditoic. She does do some dumb shit though, not going to lie, but I will leave that for you to read and decide how you feel about her, should you choose to read it.
I read Throne of Glass, another series by Maas, and loved it and knew this book was more mature but I was more excited for this book than the other. I hoped that it delivered more than clichés. With a more interesting turn of events in the last 100 pages and Maas’s exquisite world building capabilities, I might give the sequel a read. I accidentally purchased the fourth book instead of the first, so I might as well get the second and third right? I powered through this one and she’s introduced me to enough characters that I do want to see what happens to them in the future. With the hint of a small happily ever after ending, I’m hoping the next few books will be less romance and more gore. I don’t recommend this to teens unless they’re upperclassmen or in college. This isn’t your typical Hunger Games or Divergent YA dystopia.
Thanks for making it this far. Follow me on Instagram for more reviews @Kayelina