Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Overview:
Rating: 2 out of 5.
I picked up this book because of the high ratings on it received on Goodreads and the huge following it has on bookstagram. While it wasn’t my favorite read of the year by far, I definitely became more invested in it as I read on. My biggest beef with the story is the main romance — which seemed to come out of nowhere. Still, I loved the relational dynamics between Feyre and her siblings, as well as the mystery and suspense built around the growing darkness in Prythian. I hope that the next book in the series will have more world-building.
Content Warning:
A Court of Thorns and Roses contains violence, gore, torture, sexual content, kidnapping, death, and animal cruelty.
Book Description:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is an adult fantasy novel that focuses on the story of nineteen-year-old Feyre. Feyre lives with her fallen family on the border of the mortal lands, just a few miles away from The Wall and the Fairy realms it separates them from. While hunting one day, Feyre kills a fairy that managed to slip through the barrier. She quickly comes to learn that there exists a treaty between humans and the fae, one dictating that she must pay for the life she took by living the rest of her days in the fairyland of Prythian. Feyre is whisked away by one of the powerful fairy leaders, known as Tamlin, to reside in his estate. While she is treated by him with growing kindness and affection, not everything is as it seems. There is a darkness sweeping across Prythian and a terrifying woman that people speak of in whispers. Feyre must learn to listen, to truly see the signs as what they are, in order to save both the worlds of humanity and magic.
On the Characters’ Relationships [Spoilers]:
I know that a lot of folks love this book specifically for the romance between Feyre and Tamlin. I, however, just do not get their relationship. Feyre was a random girl who killed one of Tamlin’s men, skinned him, and sold the hide for money. Tamlin stole Feyre away from the family she cared for to live the rest of her life in a dangerous land. They are human and fairy, historically at odds and destined to be enemies. It should take something significant, something truly life-altering to make two such people love one another. Yet, I never felt like there was one such moment between them. Yes, it is true that Tamlin sets up the circumstances of their relationship to try and break the curse plaguing him and his people. BUT just because he intends to find love doesn’t mean that they would automatically care for one another. I needed to see the reason behind their growing compassion towards each other. Instead, it felt more like they woke up one day and started flirted because they had nothing better to do.
Despite the relationship between Tamlin and Feyre falling flat, I loved the dynamics between Feyre and her family. The balance of sibling antagonism with the sisters’ relentless commitment to one another was so powerfully real and unexpected. I was grateful that Maas brought the family back together, if only briefly, for tender moments they shared in the middle of the book. Specifically, the reveal of Nesta’s concern for her family had me all up in my feelings. I relished every minute of it!
On the Building of Suspense:
Maas does an excellent job of shrouding the larger conflicts of the story (aka the growing darkness in Pyrithian and the threat of a mysterious woman) in mystery, feeding the reader little tidbits of information here and there through eavesdropped conversations, cryptic warnings, and half answered questions. I understood enough of what was going on to avoid total confusion, but I could not figure out the ending before I read it. It was a satisfying experience to develop theories as to how all the puzzle pieces fit together, and even more satisfying when the author revealed a twist I hadn’t even considered.
On What I’d Like to See in the Next Book:
Like I mentioned in the overview, this was not my favorite book 2020. Still, certain elements of it have intrigued me enough that I’m planning on reading the next in the series, A Court of Mist and Shadows. Among other things, I hope ACOMAS digs deeper into the relationship between Tamlin and Feyre so it becomes more solid and believable. I also hope our characters get to explore the intricacies of the fairy world more in-depth: What are their customs? Their politics? Finally, I would LOVE more time with Nesta and Elain….. but mostly Nesta because she is so cool.