Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses

By: Sarah J. Maas

Published By: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: May 5, 2015 (US)/May 7, 2015 (AUS)

Page Count: 416

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Bloomsbury Sydney

Young Adult/New Adult - Fantasy

I have been a big fan of Sarah J. Maas and her Throne of Glass series since fellow lark Jen introduced me to them. So when the opportunity came up to read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I absolutely jumped at the chance. 

As Cinderella is to Throne of Glass, Beauty and the Beast is to A Court of Thorns and Roses. However, this is definitely not a Disney tale. 

Nineteen year old Feyre lives with her father and sisters in a small cottage just south of the wall which divides the Mortal and Faerie Lands. Feyre’s sisters are vain and lazy, and her father never recovered from losing his fortune, so it is up to Feyre to provide food for the family’s table by hunting in the nearby woods. When she spots a doe in the woods, she knows she has to take it down. It’s winter, and there is precious little wildlife in the woods. But a wolf is also after the doe, and with starvation on the line, she has no choice but to kill it, even if there’s a very good chance it’s a faerie. 

 The price of killing a faerie is death, but Feyre is offered a choice – she can die, or she can leave her family and the mortal lands and travel across the wall into the faerie realms. Life on the other side of the wall is not what Feyre expected. Far from being a prisoner, she is free to roam and explore – but not to return to the mortal lands. Inevitably her feelings for Tamlin, her captor, grow, but rather than saving him, she may end up destroying herself. 

 A Court of Thorns and Roses is an ambitious and inventive retelling of a well-known fairy tale. Feyre is a smart and capable heroine who puts her family and friends ahead of her own wellbeing, to a sometimes worrying extent. Tamlin and his friend Lucien manage to be both captivating and sinister, as all good faeries should be. The villains of the tale are terrifying and there are a few quite brutal scenes and graphic depictions of violence. This is not a book for the faint hearted. 

 As a fan, this book was everything I wanted it to be. A strong heroine, a compelling romance and a great adventure, with just a little suspense left to carry us into the next installment.

Summary:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

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 grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!