A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Series: A Court Of Thorns And Roses #1
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on May 5, 2015
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: eBook
Source: Libby, Library
The sexy, action-packed first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series from Sarah J. Maas.
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he's not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.
From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.
My Review:
I will admit I was hesitant to pick this book up because, I mean, all the hype around this series and the author herself is a bit intimidating. I dare say that a person would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of this author, especially right now when her newest book was just released. Sarah J. Maas is having a real moment. So, back to my hesitation…what if I don’t like the story or the writing? These were my fears, so to combat that, I decided to take the book out of the library using the Libby App. Seriously, Reader, if you don’t have a library card, you should get one because the number of books you will have access to is incredible. It allows you to try new authors and genres you might not necessarily want to purchase as your first read. Just something to keep in mind and really consider. So, spoiler I read the book and loved it. Not long after finishing it, I bought a copy for myself because I knew I needed it in my library.
In A Court Of Thorns And Roses we are following a girl named Feyre. Her mother passed away when she was younger, leaving her with her dad and two sisters. She is the youngest in the bunch. The family had money at one point, but something went terribly wrong, and they ended up losing their fortune. The father also became disabled along the way, leaving the responsibility of hunting to the girls. The older two girls are not really cut out for such work, so Feyre takes it upon herself, and besides, it helps to fulfill a promise she had made to her mother years before. The family is no longer well off, and food is difficult to come by, but Feyre does her best to provide for them. Odd isn’t it that the youngest has to be the provider with two older sisters and a father. One day, Feyre heads into the woods as she does every day to track and hunt whatever animal she is able to find. Times are tough, and it is the cold season, making it more difficult to keep warm, especially when she is thin, to begin with, from a long winter. This day, however, is going to change Feyre’s life forever, and she isn’t even aware of it yet. She has managed to find a deer and is getting ready to take aim with her bow when she spots a huge wolf stalking the same deer. Not sure what to do, she decides to watch and see what happens. Once the deer is killed, Feyre kills the wolf. Now, she has two bodies but is unable to carry them both back home, so she decides to skin the wolf so she can sell its fur and take the deer home for meat. What luck, right? One would think anyway. It isn’t long after being home that an intruder comes along and demands to take Feyre back with him to the Fae World beyond the wall. Feyre has committed a terrible crime in killing that wolf because it turns out the wolf is a Fae. Her father has no choice in the matter. If Feyre does not go, then she will be killed right there at her home.
Reader, if you assume that Feyre does not take too kindly to this, then you would be right. She is furious and scared of what her fate will become. Once in the Faerie World, Feyre notices that all the Fae have some sort of mask on, and no one seems to be taking them off. Why? Feyre is shocked by the beauty and the abundance of the place and what it provides. Feyre is treated very well in Tamlin’s Court, yet this does not comfort her because she does not trust the situation and prepares her escape routes. Personally, I am not sure why should would want to leave the Court. She has all the food she can eat, a beautiful room, and time to do what she pleases. Frankly, it isn’t much of a punishment; besides, it gets her away from her dreadful oldest sister. I can understand missing her home, but I mean, come on, the poor girl was practically starving. Reader, does Tamlin taking Feyre to live out the remainder of her days in his world remind you of anyone? This whole idea gives me Beauty And The Beast Vibes, but let me be clear: these are two very different stories.
It does not take Feyre long to regain some of her weight and begin settling into a routine. Not to mention that her eyes may have noticed how good-looking this Noble Fae really is, even with his mask on. Again, what is the deal with these masks? Everyone is wearing them except for Feyre. She begins to make friends with some Fae in the Court, such as Lucien, who happens to be Tamlin’s second in command and his friend. Through Lucien, she learns some things about Tamlin to help her understand him better and the pressures that he is under.
POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW
Things are not all fun and games, though, for Feyre in Tamlin’s Court because there is an evil creeping into the Court, and things are about to get dangerous, very dangerous. Feyre’s life is no longer safe, and she is sent packing back over the wall by Tamlin himself with enough jewels and money to have her set for life and then some. Feyre is now a very rich woman. It turns out that while she was away, Tamlin had also taken care of her sisters and father; they are no longer poor and now live in a beautiful home. Tamlin had not lied to her after all about tending to her family. This makes her love him even more.
The time has come when Tamlin will have to face his fate along with the rest of his Court. The evil villain is taking what is in her mind, rightfully hers. Amarantha, the evil Faerie Queen, wants to control all of the Fae and Courts. She gave Tamlin a challenge, which he did not succeed at, so now she is going to collect her prize. Of course, Feyre knows nothing about this and hears nothing from Tamlin back in the Faerie world. She begins to worry about him because, after all, she loves him, but she never told him. Why didn’t she tell him? She is worried for her friend Lucien and the servant who was always kind to her. Something is going down and she wants to help. One day, she leaves her father’s home and heads back over the wall. What she finds when she enters back into the Fae World is very upsetting. She does manage to find the servant who was always kind to her, and what she learns from this woman will set Feyre on a journey like none she has experienced before; it is a rescue mission.
NO MORE SPOILERS
I absolutely loved this story and I plan to continue in this series. The world-building I found to be wonderful, along with the character development. There were parts of the story that literally had me on the edge of my seat and others where I feared for certain characters’ lives. I loved the relationship that Feyre had with Lucien and their back-and-forth banter. There are some parts that may have been a bit disturbing when it came to controlling people, but that won’t stop me from continuing. I think you will enjoy this book if you love stories with Fae, magical creatures, evil villains, romance, magic, and the will to never give up. It truly was a wonderful ride. I am curious though, Reader, have you read this series before or anything by this author? If so please tell me what you thought of the book or the author. If you are new to this world, please let me know what you think. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Death of a Friend
- Parental Death
- Hunting
- Violence
- Men Controlling Women
- Poverty
- Starvation
- Gore
- Being Taken From One’s Home