A Court Of Thorns And Roses Book Review

A Court Of Thorns And Roses Book Review

Book: A Court Of Thorns And Roses
Author: Sarah. J. Maas
Rating: 5 stars

So I had never really taken much interest in this series. I had seen it in bookshops and had just never picked it up, never really thought it was something I would be interested in. One day I was, as usual, early to meet someone and decided to go and meander around in my local waterstones until it was time to go and meet them. I am fairly familiar with the staff in there - they know me by face (some by name) and vise versa. One of the staff members noticed I was just aimlessly wandering - I wasn't looking for a book in particular and struck up a conversation with me, recommending books to me, most of which I had already read/bought. He pointed out this book and said it has a very strong 'Beauty and the Beast' feel to it at parts, and that it is very dark. Instantly I was hooked and left with said book.

Now, yes, in places the book does have a striking resemblance to Beauty and the Beast...except the plot for this book is SO much more complex, and when he said it gets very dark...I was not prepared enough. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start at the basic beginning.

So, without giving too much of the plot away, here is the plot, copied from Goodreads:

"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...Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever."

Now I know it sounds like a start to a typical dystopian romance series - I thought the exact same thing when I first read the book, but the more I read the more I realised that this book was completely different to any other I had read before - and I am guilty of reading many a dystopian novels. Just as you think you know where the book is headed, a hundred twists and turns take the story somewhere completely different. The whole book I tried to guess what was going to happen, and the whole book I was left surprised. The book kept me captivated from page 1 and at several points I had my own heart racing at some of the plot points.

When it comes to the characters, Feyre, the main female protagonist is kinda samey - a 19 year old mortal girl...but she's likeable. If not for the fact she is a strong and independent female character - we need more of them! And some of the things she goes through in the course of the book...you have to admire her courage at the very least. As for the main male characters, there is the male who she falls in love with - Tamlin - who holds a dark past, but not in the typical brooding way and his best friend - Lucien - who is sarcastic and comes out with witty remarks, although he holds a much more important purpose in the book than just that. As for the 'villains' of the book....I am completely and utterly in love with them for all the right reasons. The male villain - Rhysland - is someone I need to see more of - I highly doubt he is all evil and he seems like such a complex and interesting character I want more of every time I read a part in which he is in. The female villain - Amarantha - is someone so evil that it's almost impossible to comprehend someone with so much hatred. She is easily the villain I love to hate. I feel like by the end of the series, these are going to be characters I am going to love with every fibre of my being.

The way the first book ended made it seem as though on the surface all the loose ends have been tied up, but beneath the surface there are just more troubles coming, hence the next two novels in the series. As soon as I am back from Turkey, I am headed back to my local Waterstones - firstly to get the other two books, secondly, to thank the wonderful member of staff in there who told me to read this book - I have easily found another series I love (I have a feeling it may end up being one of my favourites) and characters I love strongly.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend the series - well the first book at least - to someone to read, although because of some of the content, I would advise the series to be read by those age 16+, although that is subjective of course! I am so happy to have found another series I love so strongly and hope if any of you read it, you enjoy it as much as me!

Until next time,

Leyla

xxx