Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 421 (Hardcover)
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Source: Library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

I feel like it would be hard to find someone that doesn't rave about this series or any of the author's other books. I do really enjoy Throne of Glass, although it has been awhile since I've picked up the series and I definitely plan on going back to it even though I believe I'm multiple books behind by now.

I've always really loved faerie books and I definitely own quite a few series focusing entirely on them. It had been awhile since I read a book about them though and I'm really glad I ended up reading this book. With the combination of faeries, a well crafted world, and some Beauty & the Beast I knew I was really going to enjoy this book.

The beginning of the story was a little difficult to get into though. It was slow and uneventful for the most part until probably halfway through, which is why I didn't give this book five stars. I also wasn't entirely sold on the romance, possibly because I was too preoccupied with trying to figure out why Tamlin would bother bringing her to his world. It seemed a tiny bit too easy of a romance, especially considering the fact that Feyre hated faeries so much she killed one that wasn't bothering her.

Aside from the start of romance, I did like the relationship that developed between Tamlin and Feyre, even if at first I didn't really enjoy it. There were some sweet moments and clearly there was some chemistry between the two of them. I also really enjoyed the interactions that Feyre had with Lucian. I especially loved any kind of scene that showed the darker side of the faeries. The descriptions were creepy and I would need to know how Feyre was going to make it out of the situation alive.

I'm not entirely sure what to think about Rhysand other than that I hope in future books there isn't a love triangle. I did feel sorry for him because of his position in the court and it kind of made me wonder why the queen didn't just do the same thing to Tamlin, it would have been a lot easier for her. It was also pretty amazing that every character in this book that I disliked at one point, I ended up liking because there was always motive for actions, even if it's not entirely clear what that is at first.

I really did enjoy this book and will definitely be picking up the next one. I just hope it's as good as this one, if not better.