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

Let me start this off by saying that I found A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas to be FANTASTIC. This was my first book by Maas (I know, shocker!) and so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. There was so much hype surrounding this book that I was almost tempted to not buy it because I didn’t want to get my hopes up and then have them bashed into a rock a hundred thousand times. Yes, it’s happened before. Luckily for me and my hopes, that wasn’t the case this time!

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!

Okay, so who here doesn’t love a good fairy tale retelling? Nobody? Wonderful, because then I’d have to ask, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!! Also, I would be doubly disappointed because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. Seriously, I’ve got to get my hand on the Beast’s library… Anyways, moving on.

I loved the Maas was able to blend faerie folklore with this classic tale. I’m a sucker for anything fairy related so I found that aspect to be very intriguing. It really worked for the overall story and plot line but for me, it seemed to take away from the Beast-aspect of Tamlin. I just didn’t find him scary. At all. I mean he was hardly ever even in beast form, most of the time he was in super gorgeous faerie mode. Come on, who wouldn’t fall for that?

This tale was pretty action packed all the way through, moving along at a very steady pace. I never found myself getting bored with the story or wishing for it just finish already (sorry, The Selection, that was a dig at you). Things really start to pick up around page 150 but don’t worry, you won’t find yourself praying that you get there before you chunk the book across the room from boredom. That would be impossible, by the way. (Of course, if you were bored with this book, I am so sorry!)

I think my only annoyance with this book would be some of the characters. Feyre was a pretty good protagonist for the most part. I appreciate that she was the strong one in her family and really independent. Yay for girl power! However, she did tend to spend quite a bit of time whining. But because character growth is so awesome, she does grow out of it some by the end of the book. Woohoo! As for Tamlin, well I can’t say if I liked him or not. He was just there. I loved that he was very protective, loyal, and just an overall good person. But he had no personality. It’s like Maas said, “No worries, he’s hot and nice. He doesn’t need a personality.” If I was Feyre, I would’ve preferred there to be something more to him before I fell for him. But that’s just me. I tend to go for the sassy ones. Which is why my favorite characters were Lucien and Rhysand, by far. They are both complex characters and with their personal histories full of some intense emotional depth. I’m especially looking forward to getting to know Rhysand better in the next book. Needless to say, I’ve got a fever and the only cure for it is… LOVE TRIANGLE!

This book is a wonderful start to a new trilogy from Sarah J. Maas. The world she created is so whimsical and amazing that I cannot wait to see her expand on it as the series goes on. The sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury, is due on May 3rd and I cannot wait. So don’t worry, guys have plenty of time to jump on the bandwagon. There’s room for everyone!

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars