A Court of Thorns and Roses
Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah Maas
Category: Fiction/Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
Recap:
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."
Author: Sarah Maas
Category: Fiction/Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
Recap:
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."
From Me:ACoTR interprets Beauty and the Beast, with a solid dose of fantasy world building. After killing a Fae during a hunt, Feyre is taken to Prythium to live out the rest of her life (under the terms of a treaty enacted after a historical war). Once there, she makes friends, learns more about the realm, shows some mortal ingenuity, and falls in love with her captor (Tamlin). As they circle each other, the issues in the realm become more clear. Speicifcally a queen (A), who took control and drained the 7 high lords powers 50 years ago. These troubles ultimately leading to Tamlin sending Feyre back to the mortal realm for safety from A.
Feyre instead returns to Fae worlds, and goes to A's court to face trials and rescue Tamlin (+ break the Beauty and the Beast Like curse). While there, she faces three trials (and goes through classic court intrigue), aided by Rhys (another high lord), and makes a Hades/Persephone esque bargain with him. Upon completing the trials (and solving the riddle, because of course it's a riddle) A kills Feyre. Rhys attempts to kill A, but his power is still blocked. Tamlin, curse broken and enraged by Feyre's death, kills A, returning power to all the high lords. The seven lords unite to resurrect Feyre as a Fae, and she returns to the spring court with Tamlin
Review:
I liked the world building in this book a lot. I think the concept of the 7 high lords, the different types of power, the holidays, the evil creatures- all awesome and right up my alley. I (for the most part) liked the characters. Tamlin (my weakness for blonds and caretakers), Lucien (probably the most interesting character in the first half, due to his inconsistency and unclear motives), and Rhys (high lord of the night court) all are great. Feyre seemed a little inconsistent - the plotline around her family is a bit hard to follow, as are her motivations, but I came around to it (despite my intense dislike of first person books)
The plotting seemed uneven, with a slow burn "something bad is happening" for 60% followed by a wild shift into "here is exactly what is going on and BTW this is not an action novel" once Feyre comes back. It almost felt like two books, and I enjoyed both because of the world building, but the deluge of detail in the second half seemed somewhat unnecessary.
The trials also left me a bit cold - the action sequences in this book did not work nearly as well as the relationships, world building, and dialogue. But, I can get on a ship, and this gave me that, so I'm happy. Even if I sorta spoiled myself thanks to Lois
Feyre instead returns to Fae worlds, and goes to A's court to face trials and rescue Tamlin (+ break the Beauty and the Beast Like curse). While there, she faces three trials (and goes through classic court intrigue), aided by Rhys (another high lord), and makes a Hades/Persephone esque bargain with him. Upon completing the trials (and solving the riddle, because of course it's a riddle) A kills Feyre. Rhys attempts to kill A, but his power is still blocked. Tamlin, curse broken and enraged by Feyre's death, kills A, returning power to all the high lords. The seven lords unite to resurrect Feyre as a Fae, and she returns to the spring court with Tamlin
Review:
I liked the world building in this book a lot. I think the concept of the 7 high lords, the different types of power, the holidays, the evil creatures- all awesome and right up my alley. I (for the most part) liked the characters. Tamlin (my weakness for blonds and caretakers), Lucien (probably the most interesting character in the first half, due to his inconsistency and unclear motives), and Rhys (high lord of the night court) all are great. Feyre seemed a little inconsistent - the plotline around her family is a bit hard to follow, as are her motivations, but I came around to it (despite my intense dislike of first person books)
The plotting seemed uneven, with a slow burn "something bad is happening" for 60% followed by a wild shift into "here is exactly what is going on and BTW this is not an action novel" once Feyre comes back. It almost felt like two books, and I enjoyed both because of the world building, but the deluge of detail in the second half seemed somewhat unnecessary.
The trials also left me a bit cold - the action sequences in this book did not work nearly as well as the relationships, world building, and dialogue. But, I can get on a ship, and this gave me that, so I'm happy. Even if I sorta spoiled myself thanks to Lois
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