Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …
A Court of Thorns and Roses was not what I expected going in to it. That being said I also don’t really know what I was expecting? But… what I got was not it! This is a book that is insanely hyped on social media. I don’t think I have met a single person who disliked this series and so I guess my expectations for it were quite high. Here is my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas:
THE PLOT, CHARACTERS AND STORY PROGRESSION
The characters in this book were not distinct enough for me. Each one played up to some kind of stereotype that took the enjoyment out of it. I like to be intrigued by the characters I’m reading as I learn more about their story. The only character I was remotely interested in was Tamlin. He honestly pulled it back for me, I really like him as a character.
Feyre came across as your typical “I never listen to instructions and act impulsively because I feel strongly about everything” kind of character. Rhysand… why does everyone like him so much? I honestly thought he was a pig throughout this book and grimaced at his behaviour. Feyre’s sisters are unnecessarily horrible to her. I guess that feeds into why Feyre is the way she is for the storyline. As a whole I was just underwhelmed but the cast but I have heard A Court of Mist and Fury is better so stay tuned for that!
WORLD BUILDING, ATMOSPHERE AND SETTING
The world building was excellent though. I loved the idea of there being a fairy realm separate from where the humans reside but them knowing of each others presence and the conflict between the races as a result.
THE VERDICT?
The plot didn’t blow me away. It was by no means boring but nothing about it shocked me or took my breath away. If I was to describe it I would say A Court of Thorns and Roses is a standard fantasy story with a smutty edge. The steamy scenes in this are… something. Sarah J. Maas has an extremely descriptive writing style and so her writing for those particular scenes definitely get the heart racing!
While the plot wasn’t anything innovative it was gripping enough that I wanted to keep reading/listening to the end to find out what was going to happen. Especially when the twist is revealed. I knew going in that there was going to be some kind of lie and betrayal based on the blurb and so I was reading along trying to work out what that might be and it was a surprise! How it was written into the story was also brilliantly done.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐