Thursday, September 15, 2016

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas




A Court of Thorns and Roses

by 

Sarah J. Maas



Synopsis

 

She stole a life. Now she must pay with her heart.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.



Review

 

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales to be retold, so this book has been on my TBR for a while. When a reviewer said that fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses would like my book, it moved to the top of my list. Just for the record, if you like ACOTAR, you might like my book, but strictly speaking, ACOTAR is better. :)

This book had me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. It was the perfect setting for me, an old mystical world with magical secrets and lots of cottages and castles. The writing and narrative were top notch, revealing just enough information at just the right time.

The world building was fantastic. Right away you could tell that the more beautiful things were, the more dangerous they were. I absolutely love Maas's interpretation of Beauty and the Beast. She was able to provide the nostalgia of the classic fairytale, with a darkness appropriate for the adults fans have grown into. And she managed to do it while removing most of the Stockholm Syndrome vibe. To warn more conservative and sensitive readers, the book is steamy at times and I feel not appropriate for younger teens.

But can we talk about Feyre for a second? I went back and forth on her, not ever really deciding if I liked her or not. It was as if the author took Katniss out of the Hunger Games, gave her a bit more of an attitude, and dropped her in a fairytale. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a strong, independent female protagonist, but she just seemed really negative about a lot of stuff. One thing I didn't like about the plot is that she would make dumb decisions, or deliberately do what the other characters told her not to do, just so terrible things would happen that moved the story along. Despite the fact that I liked the story and the twists, that tactic felt cheap.

The other characters were very well rounded out. At times I didn't know who to love, and who to be afraid of. Especially Lucien. I heart Lucien. Stay away. He is mine.

I simply must read the next book. Trouble is, since I read this one in paperback, my mighty principles tell me I must wait until A Court of Mist and Fury is out in paperback next spring. This is truly a dilemma. 



4.5 stars

****'

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