I’m just going to start out this review by saying that this book is fantastic. A Court of Thorns and Roses is Sarah J. Maas’s second series. Her first is the Throne of Glass series, which, if you were unaware, is one of my all-time favorite series and has remained on my favorites shelf for months now.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in a series of fairytale retellings. This book is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. If you follow my other blog, you’d know I have a certain fondness for that story. Why? Because my play was the same thing this year. The next books will be loose retellings of other, unspecified fairytales. Hopefully they’ll still be following A Court of Thorns and Roses’s same protagonist, Feyre. (fay-rah)
Feyre was an excellent protagonist. She’s strong willed, sarcastic, funny and passionate. This book is from her perspective and she’s a lot of fun to read about. I’ll admit that I do prefer Celaena (protagonist of the Throne of Glass books) to Feyre, but that doesn’t mean Feyre wasn’t a good protagonist on her own. Though, if Celaena and Feyre ever met and fought, my money would be on Calaena to win (though in the next books coming up I have a feeling we’ll see Feyre become stronger). It’s difficult not to love Feyre for her sass, wit and sarcasm.
Tamlin is Feyre’s main love interest in this book. He’s a dark, brooding and mysterious fairy. He’s also the man who took Feyre from her home as payment for the death of his kin. The tall and fair fae has the ability to shape shift and is the High Lord of the Spring Court. I like Tamlin, he’s a good guy. Maybe with a bit of a tortured soul, but boys aren’t nearly as interesting without one. Tamlin is loyal to his friends and is fiercely devoted to those he loves.
Rhysand is another of Feyre’s love interests in books to come. (I assume) I was waiting for him to show up the entire book. I’ve heard so many arguments Tamlin or Rhysand so I could only assume he’s another love intertest. The third point to the triangle. To be honest, I completely forgot his name, so I had no idea what his name was until I was three quarters into the book.
Rhysand is sarcastic, cunning, funny, dark and possibly even more mysterious than Tamlin. He’s first introduced after saving Feyre from some fae. We don’t see him again until much later in the story. Rhysand does what he thinks is best for him and his kin. Everything he does seems to have an ulterior motive. I found Rhysand a very enjoyable character to read about and look forward to hearing about him more.
When I read that Rhysand had black hair and blue eyes… Ahh I liked him already. If you follow my blog, you know that I find black hair and blue eyes very attractive.
Now for my favorite character, Lucien. Lucien is an ex prince of the Autumn Court, one of Tamlin’s best friends and an emissary for the Spring Court. He’s introduced to the story as a moody ass but the more Feyre gets to know him, the more likable he is. It didn’t take me long to love Lucien’s character and look forward to all scenes with him. Lucien is witty, funny, sarcastic and a little sneaky. He’s a very loyal companion and a very clever ally.
I loved watching Lucien and Feyre’s slowly grow throughout the book. He’s a very fun, amusing and lovable character to read about.
I’m giving A Court of Thorns and Roses 8/10 stars. It’s a magnificent book that’ll keep you glued to the pages the entire time. You won’t be able to put it down. The beginning is a little slow, but the characters are so well crafted and the plot so intriguing that you won’t want to put it down anyway.
I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since I heard about is existence and it did not disappoint. In the future books I expect there to be plenty of romance, action and shocking plot twists. And I hope to see more of Rhysand and Lucien.
Synopsis:
A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about 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 grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!
SPOILERS FOR A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES BELOW
“Next time Lucien gives you advice on how to trap a Suriel, you come to me. Dead chickens, my sagging ass. All you needed to do was offer it a new robe, and it would have groveled at your feet.”
I’m not sure why I thought that line was so amusing. Though, I did love how Lucien told Feyre how to catch a Suriel.
I have a hate/like relationship with the scenes where the protagonist is drunk/high or acting like it. I get so much secondhand embarrassment from it but at the same time it’s highly amusing. Every book series/book has at least one scene like that.
When we first met Nesta, I really hated her. Which I’m pretty sure was how I was supposed to feel. But after Feyre came back, I realized that I actually liked Nesta’s character. She’s strong willed and I liked that about her.
Okay when Feyre told Amarantha why she was there I just face palmed myself. Why in Raziel’s name would you actually tell her that? Though, I guess it all worked out in the end. Amarantha having a sword through her head and all.
My guess on who Feyre will end up with is Tamlin. Though, if this series is anything like Throne of Glass we’ll get to know Rhysand a lot better in the second book. I don’t like either of these boys better than the other. I like certain parts of them better but I don’t over all like one of them better than the other.
I enjoy Rhysand’s sense of humor and his over all attitude but I like how devoted Tamlin is. Personally, if I were Feyre I’d probably choose Rhysand but I do think that Tamlin is a good match for her. So I’ll contradict what I said earlier. I prefer Rhysand but I don’t prefer either of the boys for Feyre.
Another reason I like Rhysand is that he reminds me of my beloved Aedion (Throne of Glass character). Rhysand is Amarantha’s whore and Aedion Adarlan’s whore. That’s just the outer similarity though. They both are devoted to their people and there’s just something about their emotions that remind me of the other.
This connection between Feyre and Rhysand I think will come into a very interesting play in the future books.
I’m really looking forward to reading the next book.