Sarah J. Maas - A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1)

Sarah J. Maas - A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1) 

4⭐

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Book Series

Pages: 420

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing 

Date Published: 2nd June 2020

 

Book Blurb: 

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 finally braved it and read the first book of the ACOTAR series. Now, I see what the hype is all about really. I must admit, it is a great book, with excellent world-building and great writing. Yet, for me, it was just a tad too long. I know, I know, it’s a first book and the author needs to set the world and its premise to the reader, but still. It felt like at least 100 words could have been cut and the book would have been still as great. It was supposed to be a The Beauty and the Beast retelling but again I didn’t feel it.

The story follows Fayre, who is a very resourceful hunter who by accident kills a disguised faerie. Tamlin from the faerie world comes to take Fayre as a captive until her debt is paid, a.k.a., her whole life. Feyre doesn’t know much about the lands of Prythian, but she knows they are dangerous to mortals like her. So although she adopts to her new home with Tamlin, she notices that something is very wrong with the faerie world and that something dark is about to be unleashed. Whilst all of that is happening her feelings towards her captor grow, but whether it is wise in the midst of all this darkness growing?

I liked it, especially how well-fleshed the characters in this book are. I don’t have a favourite yet, but there aren’t any particular characters that I dislike either. Yet, anyways. I, however, didn’t feel much chemistry between Feyre and Tamlin, but maybe that was just me.

Oh, the setting, world-building and descriptions of the different courts and the fey world are amazing in this book. However, there were parts that I felt that I was reading a YA and not a Young Adult fantasy book.

Overall: Very interesting, beautifully written with amazing world-building and a very well-developed set of characters. I really enjoyed reading this, even though for me it didn’t feel like a Beauty and the Beast retelling and at times it did feel a tad on the YA side of fantasy. I would be interested to read the rest of the series and see if I enjoy the rest of the books more than this first one. 

About the Author:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram.

https://sarahjmaas.com/