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A review by seilahuh
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
okay. first to get this out of the way, sarah j. maas is an incredibly problematic author. and tbh she's not a great writer. i did NAWT buy this book. don't buy this book it ain't worth it. i only re-read the series because i wanted to properly critique the content...
and then i forgot to do the review. but i still remember all i hated in ACOTAR.
"my own bowels turned watery with fear." everyone hates this phrase and i do too, it was never-ending and just a terrible, terrible description.
ACOTAR itself is simply a Beauty and the Beast-type story, practically everyone's read it so i'm not gonna discuss the story. i see why it appealed to so many people though. it's pretty digestible romance, and it hits all the fairytale points. the girl is taken from her humdrum life and swept into a far richer life by a fae highlord, who's inhumanely attractive and is into her. and they fuck. it's what everyone wants!
it's pretty average and of the entire series is the better book of the series.
but.
it's always annoying when white 'fantasy' authors do this thing where they invert racial dynamics by creating a system in their books where white folks experience oppression akin to real life oppression i and other black people face. having humans be enslaved by fae was so ugh, like i outwardly sighed.
i also sighed when maas had the premise be that feyre is like this tough, badass girl. feyre didn't give that *to me*. and i would expound, but i forgot the details so i'm moving on.
the answer to the riddle amarantha gave her...that riddle was so damn stupid. not more stupid than feyre but it was coming close! (the girl thought her disabled father who wouldn't move to feed her, came to Prythian to save her.)
again this story is the strongest in the series, and i only think that's because it draws from so much material we're already familiar with, which is why i haven't called it a 'good' book. it's not; it's quite boring. you know what's gonna happen, you know where the stories going because we've seen it all before.
that's about all i got to say about this one. i did not buy this book. y'all, do not buy this book. want better for yourself, you can do so much better 🙏🏽
and then i forgot to do the review. but i still remember all i hated in ACOTAR.
"my own bowels turned watery with fear." everyone hates this phrase and i do too, it was never-ending and just a terrible, terrible description.
ACOTAR itself is simply a Beauty and the Beast-type story, practically everyone's read it so i'm not gonna discuss the story. i see why it appealed to so many people though. it's pretty digestible romance, and it hits all the fairytale points. the girl is taken from her humdrum life and swept into a far richer life by a fae highlord, who's inhumanely attractive and is into her. and they fuck. it's what everyone wants!
it's pretty average and of the entire series is the better book of the series.
but.
it's always annoying when white 'fantasy' authors do this thing where they invert racial dynamics by creating a system in their books where white folks experience oppression akin to real life oppression i and other black people face. having humans be enslaved by fae was so ugh, like i outwardly sighed.
i also sighed when maas had the premise be that feyre is like this tough, badass girl. feyre didn't give that *to me*. and i would expound, but i forgot the details so i'm moving on.
the answer to the riddle amarantha gave her...that riddle was so damn stupid. not more stupid than feyre but it was coming close! (the girl thought her disabled father who wouldn't move to feed her, came to Prythian to save her.)
again this story is the strongest in the series, and i only think that's because it draws from so much material we're already familiar with, which is why i haven't called it a 'good' book. it's not; it's quite boring. you know what's gonna happen, you know where the stories going because we've seen it all before.
that's about all i got to say about this one. i did not buy this book. y'all, do not buy this book. want better for yourself, you can do so much better 🙏🏽
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Misogyny