A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: HC
Summary
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!
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!
Review
“‘I love you,’ I said, and stabbed him.”
Feyre is a hunter—a skill she was forced to learn to keep her family alive after ill luck took away her family’s fortune left them destitute—and when she encounters a wolf in the woods, she does not hesitate to kill the faerie in wolf form even though he makes no move to attack her. But Feyre must pay for killing the faerie unprovoked, so when a faerie comes to claim Feyre’s life as retribution for the life she took, she has two choices: she can die, or she can cross the Wall separating human land from faerie land and live the rest of her life in Prythian away from her family. With no real choice in the matter, Feyre accompanies the faerie, Tamlin, to seek shelter with him in his court.
Where do I begin with this? I’m a sucker for fairy tales, and A Court of Thorns and Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I loved it. The faeries are monsters: they are powerful enough to easily kill humans and only a treaty prevents them from keeping humans as slaves as they once did. Even now encountering a faerie means almost certain death. Only under Tamlin’s orders is Feyre able to survive, but as she soon learns not all is as it seems. All the faeries are afraid of the powerful Her, unwilling to even speak of her, but Feyre knows she is a threat—a threat so powerful that even Tamlin, a High Lord, is afraid. I absolutely loved the nuances of the faerie courts, and although there were few surprises—ACOTR closely followed the traditional Beauty and the Beast storyline—it still drew me in. However, for fans (like me) of Holly Black's novels, there was not nearly enough development of the faerie courts comparatively, as most of the information was squeezed into the very end rather than developed from the beginning.
Tamlin is the beast. He is a faerie, and Feyre hates the faeries for the threat they pose and the monsters that they are, and even more she resents Tamlin for taking her away from her family. Though he shelters her in his court, Feyre’s one goal is to figure out how to leave and return to her family. Her plan: befriend Lucien, Tamlin’s friend who despises her and only keeps her safe upon Tamlin’s orders (and also my favorite character). Although she was brought into Prythian against her will, Feyre gradually settles into her new life, though she is determined as ever to leave it, and she learns that not all is as it seems. The faeries are monsters, but she discovers Tamlin isn’t so horrible. She begins to learn their secrets: they can lie and iron has no affect on them despite what they have lead humans to believe.
Just as Feyre is beginning to recognize her feelings for Tamlin, he sends her away to escape the threatening his court. But when Feyre leaves, she condemns Tamlin and his entire court to death. Now aware of all she lost, Feyre is resolved to win Tamlin back from Her, Amarantha, the Faerie who, in her twisted plot for revenge, now controls all the magic of the High Lords of the seven courts. Feyre must best Amarantha, a nearly impossible feat, or loose Tamlin forever. And that, for me, was the really fun part.
I loved this book, and Sarah Mass does a fantastic job creating an intriguing and imaginative world, but as far as Beauty and the Beast retellings go, this one is not the best I’ve read. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge or The Hollow Kingdom by Claire B. Dunkle are much better Beauty and the Beast stories as they do not shy away from the ugly like ACOTR does. My main problem was that for all Tamlin is supposed to be a beast—and he is while in his wolf form—while in his faerie form he is also beautiful despite the mask that always covers his face. Poor Feyre falls in love with a stunningly handsome man. This changes the story and makes it slightly less interesting. After all, Beauty and the Beast is an enticing story because how could she ever fall in love with an ugly beast? This aspect was just missing from Tamlin.
I love Throne of Glass, and was a bit disappointed by ACOTR, though it was still a good book.
Cover: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters/character development: 3/5
Writing style: 5/5
Overall: 3.8/5
