Book Review – A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Published by Bloomsbury USA on May 5th 2015
Length: 16 hours 7 minutes
Genres: Action & Adventure, Faery, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 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! 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 over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever.

Lynn’s Review:

I had all the feels while listening to A Court of Thorns and Roses. I loved everything set in Pythia – the Fae, the magic. Even the Evil Queen. The humans and the human world left me a bit put-off.  

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. Feyre is the human, providing and protecting her ungrateful family. While out hunting, she kills a Fae disguised as a wolf. Which turns out is a major no-no. Feyre ends up having to spend her life in Pythia in exchange for the life she took. This is where the story really takes off for me. Feyre has been taught that the Fae are evil. And that any dealings with them are deadly. Instead, we get Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court. And protector of those the queen is determined to destroy. I loved Tamlin from the start. Maybe that was me projecting from the Disney Beauty and the Beast.

I’m not really sure. But as Feyra grew to love Tamlin, and care for the other Fae, I did as well. I also loved how part of the curse on Tamlin’s court is that everyone has masquerade masks which cannot be removed. We learn about the characters through their masks. Lions, Foxes, Birds. All very lovely. And very visual.

My main issue with the whole book was Feyre. She doesn’t listen to the rules anyone tells her. Don’t drink the wine, they say. The first thing she does is drink the wine. And yes, sure, there would be no actual book if she followed the rules. But in the end, she figures it out. 

On a side note, there is some SERIOUSLY AMAZING fan art out there for this series. But DO NOT Google until you’ve read. Spoiler central.

The long and short of A Court of Thorns and Roses – loved it. Read if you are into fairy tale retellings, high fantasy, Fae, and finally figuring out how to love, and be loved. 4 1/2 Stars for me.

 

Julie’s Review:

I have been quite a bit hit and miss (mostly miss) with fae books and retellings as of late. So I was very pleasantly turned around by this one. Yes, it is a retelling, sort of. I mean, it has the basic skeleton of Beauty and the Beast – in that the girl has to go live with the scary Beast man to atone for something, and her presence is needed to break a curse, which she knows nothing about. Also, there is a library. That’s sort of where the retelling part takes off and becomes its own intricate story, spun by a talented author.

I kind of break the book into two parts in my mind. The first part is the pretty (and pretty damn scary) fairy world and all the frolicking and living in captivity, but really, you’re free to roam. But – don’t go outside – because scary things. The first part, while getting me on Team Fairy, dragged because nothing actually happened, except for painting, and frolicking, and getting to know the fairy world – which is as dangerous and brutal as we expect.

Then the second half – the part when Feyre finally catches on and realizes she’s the key to helping everyone – that’s where it just takes off. Because of course, she is, silly weak mortal human girl who grew up hating the fae – of course, she’s the one to have to save them all. That’s how fairy curses work. The second half of the book was beautiful torture. I don’t know how else to describe it because it was so brutal, and yet so beautifully written and so, so vivid. The trials were so horrendous! I certainly would not want to play the LEGO video game version of this book. Or would I…

I agree about the main character. She does not listen or follow the rules. She’s more like the rebellious teenager who, when told don’t do this or that cause it might get you killed, thinks “thanks for the suggestion.” But she comes through, in true heroine fashion.

The audiobook is fantastically narrated to draw you in and keep you cringing. I think the audio added to my enjoyment of this read. Definitely a 4-star book.

 

Have you read a Court of Thorns and Roses? What other retellings would you recommend?

 

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