A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
Read: February 1-2, 2016
Published: May 5, 2015
Genre: Fantasy
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. (Amazon)
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Why did you read this book?
This is one of the many books that my cousin recommended to me and I'm finally getting to it. Also, I was in the fairy tale mood when I got it at the library a few weeks ago. And it's due Saturday, so I really had to get a move on and read it.
What did you like about this book?
This is one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast adaptations that I've read so far (I'll compare to them later). I liked the faerie aspect of the book. I've been kind of turned off towards the whole fae genre since I went through a fae genre frenzy by freshman/sophomore years of high school. This is the first I've read in a long time that I really enjoyed. As far as characters go, Lucien was probably my favorite. He was funny, but also really tough with a rough backstory. Feyre and Tamlin weren't as compelling to me, as characters, but I loved their love story. The best part about this book was probably the descriptions and the action scenes. Maas really has a way with words and her fighting scenes are excellent. It was really just a beautiful book to imagine, with the settings described so well I could see it.
What didn't you like about this book?
There seemed to be two climaxes to this book. The first was paced appropriately, but the second one was hard to get to. The whole build up to the main event at the end just took too long. I found myself skipping whole passages just because I was bored with it. I also had a problem with Feyre's character development. At the start of the book she was tough, and stubborn, and a provider...she was just awesome. However, as she fell in love with Tamlin, she lost the traits that I loved about her and by the first climax, she was a completely different person than she had been in the beginning. She was still portrayed as a strong, independent character, but I just didn't feel it like I did in the first chapters.
Comparisons:
As compared to Cruel Beauty, I enjoyed this one much more. The characters were better developed and it had a more driving plot and I cared about what happened in the end. When I compared this book to the original Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont, I was pleased to find small, basic similarities. There were the two sisters (although, the brothers were left out of Maas' book) and the sudden matter of Beauty/Feyre's father losing their fortune. The beast/Tamlin also sent Beauty/Feyre back home (although for different reasons). I just enjoyed the little similarities that reminded me that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. However, there were very, very few similarities to the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. No dancing cutlery, singing teapots, or animalistic footrests. The only thing that really reminded me of the Disney movie is when Tamlin took Feyre to the gallery, which was very similar to the beast showing Belle the library.
Bottom-Line:
I really did like this book. I'm not sure if I'll add it to my shelf, but I do know that I'll have to read the second one when it comes out in May. I will add that I'm a little leery of the second book (I've heard rumors of a love triangle. The horror!). However, I think this book can be read on its own. The ending is satisfying enough where you really don't need a second book. So I will recommend it to anyone that enjoys fairy tales. You may divulge in book two (A Court of Mist and Fury) at your own risk.
"We need hope, or else we cannot endure." -A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
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