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A review by anl2633
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
Sitting at a 3.75/4 right now.
I actually really enjoyed myself. I don't know why it took me so long to actually read ACOTAR. Back in 2015, I bought it the day it released, but then I just...couldn't finish it. In fact, I barely made it past chapter 1. It didn't start out interesting like Throne of Glass, and Feyre seemed too Katniss Everdeen. So I never got into the series. Until now, when I saw the pretty new covers on the shelves in the Adult Fantasy section of the bookstore and my interest was piqued again.
I guess I'm at a place now in life where I can be more open to this series. Once I got past the first 50 pages, I was hooked actually. And delving into this world reminded me of my experience reading (and enjoying) the Throne of Glass books. I know a lot of people in the book community trash Sarah J. Maas's writing style, but I kind of enjoy the long-winded, purple prose-y style she has. And to be honest, I don't hate em dashes all that much. Her writing pulls you in, and for now, that's enough for me.
What I liked:
1. The worldbuilding and the fae characters. To be honest, I'm not really a fan of faeries. It's difficult for me to set aside my own personal morality and get into the right headspace with characters that spend their lives being cruel and clever and awful. But Maas's fae are way different than Holly Black's and I think I like her characterization more. The fae in this book can be cruel, yes, but they seem to react that way rather than just stir up trouble for the hell of it. Prythian is interesting too, and I'd like to learn more about the other courts, but I like the small bits and pieces I've been given. I loved reading about the festivals and the different faeries Feyre ran across.
2. Feyre. She was a surprisingly fun character to read from. I mean, she was an idiot, but I liked laughing at all the conclusions she'd jump to that were just so preposterous. She's obviously making bad choices to move the plot along, but I didn't really go into this book expecting it to be a deep piece of critical literature. It was nice to sit back and let her steer us along through a story that's actually really comedic. And if I'm being honest, I'd be just as clueless and stupid if I were in her shoes.
3. Tamlin. I know from reading spoilers over the years that he's supposed to be an asshole, but as far as this book goes, I don't see it yet. I'm guessing that changes down the road, so I did read this book with that in mind and tried not to get attached to the relationship. I really liked the mask aspect of the curse as well. It seemed like a nice way to recall the original Beauty and the Beast legend without being too obvious, and it made for some nice images in my head. Masquerades are awesome.
4. Rhys. He probably takes the cake as far as most interesting character in ACOTAR. He's obviously the smartest one in the book, and nothing good would've ended up happening if he didn't exist. Feyre would definitely be dead and Prythian destroyed.
What I didn't like:
1. As much as I liked Rhys as the character 3 steps ahead of everyone else, he's pretty problematic. Getting Feyre drunk on faerie wine, dressing her up in a scantily clad outfit, and then treating her like a prostitute by forcing her to dance at parties and sit in his lap...? That doesn't sit well with me. Maybe he ends up being a good character later in the series, and maybe he did what he did to make Tamlin angry so he could destroy Amarantha, but that doesn't change how problematic he seems treating Feyre like that. I don't vibe with that kind of stuff.
2. Amarantha is probably the dumbest character in this book, and that's saying a lot, because Feyre doesn't necessarily have a common sense thought process either. But...who in their right mind makes a curse like that? There were so many specifications, it was comedic reading about it. It was so hilarious that I had to close the book and just laugh. "You will not be released from your curse until you can find a girl who hates faeries so much so that she kills one, and then you must make her fall in love with a faerie and explicitly say she loves you, and you have 49 years to accomplish this." And that's not even the worst of it. Then she makes Feyre complete a bunch of stupid tasks but gives her a chance to solve the most obvious riddle in the world and instantly be set free. And the answer to that riddle is just so plain and clear, I just...she's asking to be defeated.
Despite all that, I liked ACOTAR for what it is so far. It's not the best thing I've read all year, and it's actually quite tame for a New Adult book? I'm pretty sure that changes later down the road, but this book was not at all explicit like everyone makes it out to be. But I am looking forward to the rest of the series
I actually really enjoyed myself. I don't know why it took me so long to actually read ACOTAR. Back in 2015, I bought it the day it released, but then I just...couldn't finish it. In fact, I barely made it past chapter 1. It didn't start out interesting like Throne of Glass, and Feyre seemed too Katniss Everdeen. So I never got into the series. Until now, when I saw the pretty new covers on the shelves in the Adult Fantasy section of the bookstore and my interest was piqued again.
I guess I'm at a place now in life where I can be more open to this series. Once I got past the first 50 pages, I was hooked actually. And delving into this world reminded me of my experience reading (and enjoying) the Throne of Glass books. I know a lot of people in the book community trash Sarah J. Maas's writing style, but I kind of enjoy the long-winded, purple prose-y style she has. And to be honest, I don't hate em dashes all that much. Her writing pulls you in, and for now, that's enough for me.
What I liked:
1. The worldbuilding and the fae characters. To be honest, I'm not really a fan of faeries. It's difficult for me to set aside my own personal morality and get into the right headspace with characters that spend their lives being cruel and clever and awful. But Maas's fae are way different than Holly Black's and I think I like her characterization more. The fae in this book can be cruel, yes, but they seem to react that way rather than just stir up trouble for the hell of it. Prythian is interesting too, and I'd like to learn more about the other courts, but I like the small bits and pieces I've been given. I loved reading about the festivals and the different faeries Feyre ran across.
2. Feyre. She was a surprisingly fun character to read from. I mean, she was an idiot, but I liked laughing at all the conclusions she'd jump to that were just so preposterous. She's obviously making bad choices to move the plot along, but I didn't really go into this book expecting it to be a deep piece of critical literature. It was nice to sit back and let her steer us along through a story that's actually really comedic. And if I'm being honest, I'd be just as clueless and stupid if I were in her shoes.
3. Tamlin. I know from reading spoilers over the years that he's supposed to be an asshole, but as far as this book goes, I don't see it yet. I'm guessing that changes down the road, so I did read this book with that in mind and tried not to get attached to the relationship. I really liked the mask aspect of the curse as well. It seemed like a nice way to recall the original Beauty and the Beast legend without being too obvious, and it made for some nice images in my head. Masquerades are awesome.
4. Rhys. He probably takes the cake as far as most interesting character in ACOTAR. He's obviously the smartest one in the book, and nothing good would've ended up happening if he didn't exist. Feyre would definitely be dead and Prythian destroyed.
What I didn't like:
1. As much as I liked Rhys as the character 3 steps ahead of everyone else, he's pretty problematic. Getting Feyre drunk on faerie wine, dressing her up in a scantily clad outfit, and then treating her like a prostitute by forcing her to dance at parties and sit in his lap...? That doesn't sit well with me. Maybe he ends up being a good character later in the series, and maybe he did what he did to make Tamlin angry so he could destroy Amarantha, but that doesn't change how problematic he seems treating Feyre like that. I don't vibe with that kind of stuff.
2. Amarantha is probably the dumbest character in this book, and that's saying a lot, because Feyre doesn't necessarily have a common sense thought process either. But...who in their right mind makes a curse like that? There were so many specifications, it was comedic reading about it. It was so hilarious that I had to close the book and just laugh. "You will not be released from your curse until you can find a girl who hates faeries so much so that she kills one, and then you must make her fall in love with a faerie and explicitly say she loves you, and you have 49 years to accomplish this." And that's not even the worst of it. Then she makes Feyre complete a bunch of stupid tasks but gives her a chance to solve the most obvious riddle in the world and instantly be set free. And the answer to that riddle is just so plain and clear, I just...she's asking to be defeated.
Despite all that, I liked ACOTAR for what it is so far. It's not the best thing I've read all year, and it's actually quite tame for a New Adult book? I'm pretty sure that changes later down the road, but this book was not at all explicit like everyone makes it out to be. But I am looking forward to the rest of the series