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A review by annemariecunningham
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ACOTAR was a solid foray back into the fantasy genre for me.
Feyre, the novel’s protagonist, kills a wolf and is taken by a beast (Tamlin) to his estate in the faerie world of Prythian. He holds her there for killing his wolf friend, who was actually a faerie. Throughout the book, we find out about a twisted labyrinth of treaties, curses, and creatures who complicate things for our protagonist, for Tamlin, and for a host of supporting characters. In the end, Feyre travels Under the Mountain to save Tamlin (and his friend Lucien) and break the curse.
This book gave off definite Beauty and the Beast vibes - kidnapping a girl, holding her at a massive estate, a cursed beastly creature. I thought the main and secondary characters were generally well-written and I enjoyed the overall plot, but HOLY COW it took some time to get there. Feyre killed the wolf, was kidnapped, and was at Tamlin’s estate by chapter 6. She then lallygagged around for about 20 chapters. A few excursions into the forest, a quick intro to Rhysand, and a solstice party, sure, but very little happened again plot-wise until chapter 26. The book coasted on the relationship development and sexual tension between Feyre and Tamlin for the bulk of chapters 7-25. Don’t get me wrong, I was HERE for that, but Maas absolutely could have condensed that information from 180 pages to about 60.
My other issue with ACOTAR was the lack of anger toward Feyre by Tamlin. You’re telling me a human girl kills your friend, who you sent in an attempt to break this curse, and you’re going to just bring her to your estate and let her hang out while you hope she falls in love with you? I get that Tamlin had an ulterior motive and a timeline, but it read to me like he loved her from the jump instead of falling in love with her, which seemed odd. I think a Beauty-and-the-Beast type romance where they both started out angry and gradually fell in love would have made for a better plot.
Once the pace picked up, and once I (sort of) accepted the love story/timeline between Feyre and Tamlin, I really enjoyed the remainder of the book. Maas is a skilled fantasy writer; she had me hooked during Feyre’s entire time Under the Mountain. There were SO MANY good twists in the last 100 pages!
Overall, did ACOTAR knock my socks off? No. Will I read the next book in the series because I want to see how these relationships play out? Yes. Recommend? Sure, especially if you’re into fantasy.
Feyre, the novel’s protagonist, kills a wolf and is taken by a beast (Tamlin) to his estate in the faerie world of Prythian. He holds her there for killing his wolf friend, who was actually a faerie. Throughout the book, we find out about a twisted labyrinth of treaties, curses, and creatures who complicate things for our protagonist, for Tamlin, and for a host of supporting characters. In the end, Feyre travels Under the Mountain to save Tamlin (and his friend Lucien) and break the curse.
This book gave off definite Beauty and the Beast vibes - kidnapping a girl, holding her at a massive estate, a cursed beastly creature. I thought the main and secondary characters were generally well-written and I enjoyed the overall plot, but HOLY COW it took some time to get there. Feyre killed the wolf, was kidnapped, and was at Tamlin’s estate by chapter 6. She then lallygagged around for about 20 chapters. A few excursions into the forest, a quick intro to Rhysand, and a solstice party, sure, but very little happened again plot-wise until chapter 26. The book coasted on the relationship development and sexual tension between Feyre and Tamlin for the bulk of chapters 7-25. Don’t get me wrong, I was HERE for that, but Maas absolutely could have condensed that information from 180 pages to about 60.
My other issue with ACOTAR was the lack of anger toward Feyre by Tamlin. You’re telling me a human girl kills your friend, who you sent in an attempt to break this curse, and you’re going to just bring her to your estate and let her hang out while you hope she falls in love with you? I get that Tamlin had an ulterior motive and a timeline, but it read to me like he loved her from the jump instead of falling in love with her, which seemed odd. I think a Beauty-and-the-Beast type romance where they both started out angry and gradually fell in love would have made for a better plot.
Once the pace picked up, and once I (sort of) accepted the love story/timeline between Feyre and Tamlin, I really enjoyed the remainder of the book. Maas is a skilled fantasy writer; she had me hooked during Feyre’s entire time Under the Mountain. There were SO MANY good twists in the last 100 pages!
Overall, did ACOTAR knock my socks off? No. Will I read the next book in the series because I want to see how these relationships play out? Yes. Recommend? Sure, especially if you’re into fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail