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A review by skylover
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Got this book on a whim bc I heard so many great things and wanted to see what the hype was about, After 14 chapters of slow, boring, world-building content, I put the book down and planned to DNF. I recently read Fourth Wing (which is incredible from start to finish), and wanted another fantasy read when I saw this book unfinished on my shelf. I think another fantasy book needed to come along to show me why it takes so long to build the world and why it's important to explain in such long detail. Second go-around, I finished ACOTAR in less than 24 hours. Spoilers ahead:
Pros: Lucien is a ride-or-die fav, he's so witty and reminds me of that enemies to best friends vibe so few characters have with one another. Rhys, while being a tad toxic, was a unpredictable character that added a thrill to under the mountain. The villain was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the lore and other good or evil characters for the worlds.
Cons: Not a fan that most of the romance was borderline abusive or straight up harassment (Rhys LICKING her tears?? Tamlin BITING her neck?? no thanks), Tamlin was the most disinteresting love interest, Feyre was difficult to get behind for the first half of the book, and turning her into High Fae reminded me of Twilight, but instead of waiting 4 books and having arguments with her partner about it, she was just turned without her knowledge or consent. Also not a fan that the plot was kinda giving "can't live without my guy/romantic interest" vibes. Lastly, idk what kinda writing style this was, but it was very repetitive and redundant - if you highlighted your book when the phrases "he (Tamlin) growled", "he (Tamlin or Rhys) gave a lazy smile", Feyre mentioned her newfound love of painting (we get it, you don't hunt so you paint - cool!), random fire being mentioned, or eyes as green as (the forest, grass, emerald jewels, shrek at this point, you name it) - you'd have a very colorful book cause you had to use so many highlighters.
Would recommend to fantasy lovers who know how to get into world building.
Pros: Lucien is a ride-or-die fav, he's so witty and reminds me of that enemies to best friends vibe so few characters have with one another. Rhys, while being a tad toxic, was a unpredictable character that added a thrill to under the mountain. The villain was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the lore and other good or evil characters for the worlds.
Cons: Not a fan that most of the romance was borderline abusive or straight up harassment (Rhys LICKING her tears?? Tamlin BITING her neck?? no thanks), Tamlin was the most disinteresting love interest, Feyre was difficult to get behind for the first half of the book, and turning her into High Fae reminded me of Twilight, but instead of waiting 4 books and having arguments with her partner about it, she was just turned without her knowledge or consent. Also not a fan that the plot was kinda giving "can't live without my guy/romantic interest" vibes. Lastly, idk what kinda writing style this was, but it was very repetitive and redundant - if you highlighted your book when the phrases "he (Tamlin) growled", "he (Tamlin or Rhys) gave a lazy smile", Feyre mentioned her newfound love of painting (we get it, you don't hunt so you paint - cool!), random fire being mentioned, or eyes as green as (the forest, grass, emerald jewels, shrek at this point, you name it) - you'd have a very colorful book cause you had to use so many highlighters.
Would recommend to fantasy lovers who know how to get into world building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence