Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2015)
Description
"Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from stories, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries. As her feelings toward him transform from hostility to a firey passion, the threats against the faerie lands grow. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose Tamlin forever"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
I started reading this book that has been on my shelf for years because of #dicksoapgate and #litsyafterdark. And in the end, I did enjoy it. Is it the best book ever written? Not by any means. Is it one I think will still be popular and have a lasting heartbeat in our future world? Do I think this
To this reader, this is just this generation's Twilight. Or heck, not even “this generation” but the same generation, only older. Twilight was about death do us part love and so is Court. The difference is, Twilight, like its Mormon author, is relatively clean. There were kisses here and there, but no more until marriage. And even then, things were relatively glossed over. This tale, while not the hard core erotica I was lead to believe, is definitely older and more mature in it’s sexuality. Think paperback romances by authors like Kelypas, Coulter, Michaels, etc. Being that the soap was “Illyrian” I am assuming that the books get more graphic throughout the series, as there was not much Illyrian or blue fae in this novel.
During one break in my reading I mentioned that I was ashamed that I purchased this novel for my YA collection. Now I wouldn’t say so much ashamed, after all, I’m not ashamed to have purchased Twilight, but I do have quite a few problems with this novel. In fact it’s those problems that make me think this book could lead to some excellent discussions among teens and adult alike.
Warning: Spoilers Start HERE!
Let’s start with toxic masculinity. It is all over this book. Tamlin is in Spring Court and they have a rejuvenation rite to welcome the planting season. One thing that is mentioned often is that Fayrah is to stay locked in her room and not come out till morning no matter who comes to the door. Turns out this rite fills Tamlin with lust where is driven to mate to let his magic drain to the earth. And if given a chance he would go after who he wants. Most women want him. They line up to be the eager one chosen. But Fayrah is not filled in on what is going on until she comes to close to tempting fate. My problem with this section is that characters express that Tamlin can not help himself. Bull!!! There are girls and guys I know as young as 12 and 13 reading this. To say that it is OKAY for a person not to be able to help their actions, is not only incorrect, but dangerous. It teaches these impressionable teens that rape culture is okay when it is decidedly not.
How about how much Fayrah actually wants it to happen? Her body is buzzing, and she is hot and bothered, and if Tamlin couldn’t have controlled himself, she would have not only been game but probably having a grand time. Dom/Sub culture does not bother me, but this is not that, this is RAPE CULTURE and we shouldn’t be writing that it is not only okay, but sexy, wanted, and deserved for one person to want to rape another.
Let’s not forget about Rhysand. You know from the first time you meet him that trouble will brew. But soon, you hate him. You hate him for his words, his actions, his very existence. In the end, I still hate him, but also feel put in the same ethical dilemmas as he. His bargain with Fayrah for a week every month. Just so he will heal her broken arm, take away the infection, and give her a fighting chance to live. It reeks of sexual slavery. Especially as the novel progresses and he dresses her in flimsy cloths, paints her like a tart, and gets her drunk night after night. Uggghhhh. So many people say he redeems himself in the other books, but man…..
Rhysand makes Fayrah drink almost every night. It’s an instant drunk. She dances and sits in laps, and pretty much tarts it up, except that she remembers very little of it. She doesn’t want to remember it. So now we are teaching impressionable young readers to deal with their feeling with mind altering substances. Hide the pain away. I know there are some that will say, it was the best recourse because she was in a life or death situation, but still, it’s my prerogative to not like it.
As I said earlier, overall I like the story. Beware, it SCREAMS YA. That’s not a bad thing, but yeah, it is YA, and not just because of the age of the characters. You see this in the wordiness that is prevalent through most of the story. The concentration on the inner thoughts of Fayrah, and the “will she, won’t she” written on every page. It’s another retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while I really enjoyed some of the story changes, some were not necessary, or so drawn out that they muddle the characters and story. There are better YA and erotic retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but at the same time, I can see and understand why this story resonates with so many readers. For some it will just be the limited selection in their past reading lives, but for others it’s the chance to escape. To discover a new world that looks like ours, but looks better, but also worse. You can see today’s problems wrapped in the storyline, where a heroine will conquer all for love, and right the topsy turvy world around her.
And while I have only given this book a 3.5/5 stars, I actually think I want to read the next book. Do I need to jump out and go buy it this minute, no. But the next time I need a brainless read to pass a few hours, I might again enter the world of Prythian.
Show More
would be one of the special books saved if there was a pending apocalypse? Probably not. What makes me think this? The way Twilight (Meyer) has fallen by the wayside and isn’t still on everyone’s lips like Harry Potter.To this reader, this is just this generation's Twilight. Or heck, not even “this generation” but the same generation, only older. Twilight was about death do us part love and so is Court. The difference is, Twilight, like its Mormon author, is relatively clean. There were kisses here and there, but no more until marriage. And even then, things were relatively glossed over. This tale, while not the hard core erotica I was lead to believe, is definitely older and more mature in it’s sexuality. Think paperback romances by authors like Kelypas, Coulter, Michaels, etc. Being that the soap was “Illyrian” I am assuming that the books get more graphic throughout the series, as there was not much Illyrian or blue fae in this novel.
During one break in my reading I mentioned that I was ashamed that I purchased this novel for my YA collection. Now I wouldn’t say so much ashamed, after all, I’m not ashamed to have purchased Twilight, but I do have quite a few problems with this novel. In fact it’s those problems that make me think this book could lead to some excellent discussions among teens and adult alike.
Warning: Spoilers Start HERE!
Let’s start with toxic masculinity. It is all over this book. Tamlin is in Spring Court and they have a rejuvenation rite to welcome the planting season. One thing that is mentioned often is that Fayrah is to stay locked in her room and not come out till morning no matter who comes to the door. Turns out this rite fills Tamlin with lust where is driven to mate to let his magic drain to the earth. And if given a chance he would go after who he wants. Most women want him. They line up to be the eager one chosen. But Fayrah is not filled in on what is going on until she comes to close to tempting fate. My problem with this section is that characters express that Tamlin can not help himself. Bull!!! There are girls and guys I know as young as 12 and 13 reading this. To say that it is OKAY for a person not to be able to help their actions, is not only incorrect, but dangerous. It teaches these impressionable teens that rape culture is okay when it is decidedly not.
How about how much Fayrah actually wants it to happen? Her body is buzzing, and she is hot and bothered, and if Tamlin couldn’t have controlled himself, she would have not only been game but probably having a grand time. Dom/Sub culture does not bother me, but this is not that, this is RAPE CULTURE and we shouldn’t be writing that it is not only okay, but sexy, wanted, and deserved for one person to want to rape another.
Let’s not forget about Rhysand. You know from the first time you meet him that trouble will brew. But soon, you hate him. You hate him for his words, his actions, his very existence. In the end, I still hate him, but also feel put in the same ethical dilemmas as he. His bargain with Fayrah for a week every month. Just so he will heal her broken arm, take away the infection, and give her a fighting chance to live. It reeks of sexual slavery. Especially as the novel progresses and he dresses her in flimsy cloths, paints her like a tart, and gets her drunk night after night. Uggghhhh. So many people say he redeems himself in the other books, but man…..
Rhysand makes Fayrah drink almost every night. It’s an instant drunk. She dances and sits in laps, and pretty much tarts it up, except that she remembers very little of it. She doesn’t want to remember it. So now we are teaching impressionable young readers to deal with their feeling with mind altering substances. Hide the pain away. I know there are some that will say, it was the best recourse because she was in a life or death situation, but still, it’s my prerogative to not like it.
As I said earlier, overall I like the story. Beware, it SCREAMS YA. That’s not a bad thing, but yeah, it is YA, and not just because of the age of the characters. You see this in the wordiness that is prevalent through most of the story. The concentration on the inner thoughts of Fayrah, and the “will she, won’t she” written on every page. It’s another retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while I really enjoyed some of the story changes, some were not necessary, or so drawn out that they muddle the characters and story. There are better YA and erotic retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but at the same time, I can see and understand why this story resonates with so many readers. For some it will just be the limited selection in their past reading lives, but for others it’s the chance to escape. To discover a new world that looks like ours, but looks better, but also worse. You can see today’s problems wrapped in the storyline, where a heroine will conquer all for love, and right the topsy turvy world around her.
And while I have only given this book a 3.5/5 stars, I actually think I want to read the next book. Do I need to jump out and go buy it this minute, no. But the next time I need a brainless read to pass a few hours, I might again enter the world of Prythian.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AmalieTurner
Originally I did not like this book. To start, I didn't know it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast so as I was getting through the first half of the book I was annoyed by the resemblance. If I had known to expect it I might have enjoyed it more, but it seemed a little forced like the author
Show More
was trying to make it work so it could fit with the Beauty and the Beast narrative. As soon as that story line ended and Maas was about to explore her own ideas without trying to stick to an already existing plot the story came to life and I loved it. If you pick up this book, don't be discouraged by the familiar aspects of the first half of the novel. Push through to the original parts of the plot where Maas' storytelling really takes off and soars without the confines of trying to fit into an already existing narrative. Well worth the read. Can't wait to see what happens next. Show Less
LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
Currently DNF'd at 69% (might finish if I get out of this reading slump)
"Do you lie awake at night to come up with all your witty replies for the following day?"
Oh dear, this is awful.
The Writing
The title of this book is stupid. It's stupid and flashy and unrelated to the actual content of the
The atmosphere and the opening chapter were excellent and I was intrigued by the idea that was offered me, but the actual book did not deliver at all.
This next point is a spoiler, but because I am disgusted with Sarah J Maas for including this, I am not going to mark it as such, since everyone should know what kind of morals this book is supporting before they read it especially when they are as filthy and vulgar as this was.
The attempted rape of Feyre by Tamlin was brushed off as no more than a mere romantic, steamy encounter to further their lukewarm love story. The only conclusions I can logically draw from this are all rather victim blamey, tbh—she was warned several times to stay inside with the doors locked until dawn, but she leaves her room not once but twice before dawn because she "wants to go to the party" and then later, after she almost gets gang-raped and is saved and then creeped out by Rhysand the murderous sociopath, she thinks she is totally safe to go eat a bunch of cookies because, well the drums stopped, so it's probably okay now, and then she gets sexually assaulted by Tamlin, who was still high with lust magic.
I was about to pass out when he grabbed me, so fast I didn't see anything until he had me pinned against the wall.
"Let go," I said as evenly as I could.
I [pushed] him away. He grabbed my hands again and bit my neck. I cried out as his teeth clamped onto the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder. I couldn't move—I couldn't think.
Before, during and after the attack, she's thinking, Wow, he's really hot. I'm kinda uncomfortable with this, but I guess it's okay that he's drunk on lust magic, because I wanted to sleep with him anyway. That is a very wrong and dangerous way of thinking. No matter what, it is never okay for anyone to make someone else sexually uncomfortable or afraid, especially when they've given verbal disapproval. This entire scene left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides that, the plot made no sense, even after exposition-Alis gave us the lowdown—in fact, it almost made less sense then. It was cheesy and cliché and frankly, boring.
The sex scenes were almost Empire of Storms levels of bad, cringey, and gross. I think Sarah J Maas doesn't know what YA means and isn't aware she's actually writing for NA.
The Worldbuilding
The Fae were, for one thing, almost exactly the same (primarily in appearance and personality) to the ones in the Throne of Glass series, and tbh I was disappointed. They're not even cleverly unique faeries. They're just Tolkien-esque elves that are actually vampires: fangs and biting, immortality, aetherial beauty, animalistic tendencies, superiority complex. They don't have any distinct differences from humans in their thought processes or emotional capacities—only the same degree of variety that exists in humans.
The religious system and creation story was very interesting and I really liked that aspect.
The Characters
Feyre aka Belle: Sarah J Maas decided to try something new and have a first person fixed perspective, but it didn't really work, because Feyre was a bland complacent character without much substance passed the surface level, and most of the interesting action took place where she couldn't see it. She suffered, like Celaena did in Crown of Midnight, from what I call Nehemia syndrome: the character that the MC has grown to trust, despite obvious suspicious behavior, turns out to be manipulative, and yet the MC completely overlooks that fact in favor of idolization of their lying friend. In this case, everyone in Prythian is keeping secrets from her and after almost getting her questions answered by the Suriel, Feyre decides to "Stay with the High Lord. He will keep you safe." and just completely forgets that she wants answers about the blight. Also, whereas Belle left the Beast in the original story because her father was in mortal danger, in this book, Feyre leaves because Tamlin impies that she's gonna get ganked by Rhys or Anarhamamdjoaka, the evil Faerie Queen (because evil Faerie Kings don't exist in fantasy anymore, apparently??). She is not an active protagonist. Also, her painting skills aren't a part of her characterization; it just feels tacked on to make her ~cool~ and ~unique~
Tamlin aka the Beast: I don't even care about this guy tbh. He's a confusing character who just feels like a Chaol-Rowan merge on steroids. He's violent, obsessive, and abusive, but also sweet, understanding, and caring, because that's not a contradiction.
Lucien aka Lumiere/Cogsworth (his steampunk eye suggests Cogsworth but his personality suggests Lumiere): So apparently he "hates" Feyre even though I almost shipped them more since they consistently had better chemistry than her and Tammy.
exposition-Alis aka Mrs Potts: She was okay. Just okay. She was fine.
Rhysand aka also the Beast and kinda Gaston too: Is he supposed to be her love interest for the rest of the series or something, because the fan art definitely suggests that, but, uh, did everyone forget that he's a dangerous sociopath with a history of violence??
Her fam: Nesta was like, supposed to have some kind of implied character arc but lol it wasn't very good. Elain was nice and I liked her. The dad was okay, I guess. Pretty forgettable tbh
Isaac Hale aka fake-out Gaston: This character wasn't important at all, but I just wanted to say that I think this is the dumbest name choice in a high fantasy book that I've ever seen. Isaac Hale?? Really, Sarah J Maas? Really? That's the Jason of fantasy names. This is a the-guy-who-went-to-high-school-with-my-older-sister kind of name. It's not a fantasy name.
Conclusion
While I managed to read it fairly quickly, I just couldn't take it anymore and quit. I may pick it up again at some point, idk, but for now, from where I left off and from what I predict and understand from various spoilers I've encountered on the internet, I don't really care about this series very much. Frankly, it's not good.
"Do you lie awake at night to come up with all your witty replies for the following day?"
Oh dear, this is awful.
The Writing
The title of this book is stupid. It's stupid and flashy and unrelated to the actual content of the
Show More
book. It's solely for the ~wow~ factor. The quotable line, "I love you... Thorns and all" is wholely ineffective because "thorns" had not been established as a motif and was only used in that context in that very scene, more than halfway through the book. The word "thorn" was only used a grand total of 9 times in this book.The atmosphere and the opening chapter were excellent and I was intrigued by the idea that was offered me, but the actual book did not deliver at all.
This next point is a spoiler, but because I am disgusted with Sarah J Maas for including this, I am not going to mark it as such, since everyone should know what kind of morals this book is supporting before they read it especially when they are as filthy and vulgar as this was.
The attempted rape of Feyre by Tamlin was brushed off as no more than a mere romantic, steamy encounter to further their lukewarm love story. The only conclusions I can logically draw from this are all rather victim blamey, tbh—she was warned several times to stay inside with the doors locked until dawn, but she leaves her room not once but twice before dawn because she "wants to go to the party" and then later, after she almost gets gang-raped and is saved and then creeped out by Rhysand the murderous sociopath, she thinks she is totally safe to go eat a bunch of cookies because, well the drums stopped, so it's probably okay now, and then she gets sexually assaulted by Tamlin, who was still high with lust magic.
I was about to pass out when he grabbed me, so fast I didn't see anything until he had me pinned against the wall.
"Let go," I said as evenly as I could.
I [pushed] him away. He grabbed my hands again and bit my neck. I cried out as his teeth clamped onto the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder. I couldn't move—I couldn't think.
Before, during and after the attack, she's thinking, Wow, he's really hot. I'm kinda uncomfortable with this, but I guess it's okay that he's drunk on lust magic, because I wanted to sleep with him anyway. That is a very wrong and dangerous way of thinking. No matter what, it is never okay for anyone to make someone else sexually uncomfortable or afraid, especially when they've given verbal disapproval. This entire scene left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides that, the plot made no sense, even after exposition-Alis gave us the lowdown—in fact, it almost made less sense then. It was cheesy and cliché and frankly, boring.
The sex scenes were almost Empire of Storms levels of bad, cringey, and gross. I think Sarah J Maas doesn't know what YA means and isn't aware she's actually writing for NA.
The Worldbuilding
The Fae were, for one thing, almost exactly the same (primarily in appearance and personality) to the ones in the Throne of Glass series, and tbh I was disappointed. They're not even cleverly unique faeries. They're just Tolkien-esque elves that are actually vampires: fangs and biting, immortality, aetherial beauty, animalistic tendencies, superiority complex. They don't have any distinct differences from humans in their thought processes or emotional capacities—only the same degree of variety that exists in humans.
The religious system and creation story was very interesting and I really liked that aspect.
The Characters
Feyre aka Belle: Sarah J Maas decided to try something new and have a first person fixed perspective, but it didn't really work, because Feyre was a bland complacent character without much substance passed the surface level, and most of the interesting action took place where she couldn't see it. She suffered, like Celaena did in Crown of Midnight, from what I call Nehemia syndrome: the character that the MC has grown to trust, despite obvious suspicious behavior, turns out to be manipulative, and yet the MC completely overlooks that fact in favor of idolization of their lying friend. In this case, everyone in Prythian is keeping secrets from her and after almost getting her questions answered by the Suriel, Feyre decides to "Stay with the High Lord. He will keep you safe." and just completely forgets that she wants answers about the blight. Also, whereas Belle left the Beast in the original story because her father was in mortal danger, in this book, Feyre leaves because Tamlin impies that she's gonna get ganked by Rhys or Anarhamamdjoaka, the evil Faerie Queen (because evil Faerie Kings don't exist in fantasy anymore, apparently??). She is not an active protagonist. Also, her painting skills aren't a part of her characterization; it just feels tacked on to make her ~cool~ and ~unique~
Tamlin aka the Beast: I don't even care about this guy tbh. He's a confusing character who just feels like a Chaol-Rowan merge on steroids. He's violent, obsessive, and abusive, but also sweet, understanding, and caring, because that's not a contradiction.
Lucien aka Lumiere/Cogsworth (his steampunk eye suggests Cogsworth but his personality suggests Lumiere): So apparently he "hates" Feyre even though I almost shipped them more since they consistently had better chemistry than her and Tammy.
exposition-Alis aka Mrs Potts: She was okay. Just okay. She was fine.
Rhysand aka also the Beast and kinda Gaston too: Is he supposed to be her love interest for the rest of the series or something, because the fan art definitely suggests that, but, uh, did everyone forget that he's a dangerous sociopath with a history of violence??
Her fam: Nesta was like, supposed to have some kind of implied character arc but lol it wasn't very good. Elain was nice and I liked her. The dad was okay, I guess. Pretty forgettable tbh
Isaac Hale aka fake-out Gaston: This character wasn't important at all, but I just wanted to say that I think this is the dumbest name choice in a high fantasy book that I've ever seen. Isaac Hale?? Really, Sarah J Maas? Really? That's the Jason of fantasy names. This is a the-guy-who-went-to-high-school-with-my-older-sister kind of name. It's not a fantasy name.
Conclusion
While I managed to read it fairly quickly, I just couldn't take it anymore and quit. I may pick it up again at some point, idk, but for now, from where I left off and from what I predict and understand from various spoilers I've encountered on the internet, I don't really care about this series very much. Frankly, it's not good.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ReadersCandyb
Hmmm.... I highly anticipated reading this book, but sadly it fell flat. The first half was extremely boring with unimportant details and a blah story line. When I reached the halfway point there seemed to be a dash of hope. I saw danger and an intensity that captured my attention. The problem was
I've heard this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but let me tell you... Tamlin is not ugly or scarred in anyway (that would be Lucien) and he may have monster characteristics, but those are over shown with the a typical bronze skin and muscle descriptive words. He's not even close to being a book boyfriend. The romance actually made me bitter. It felt so cheesy. It's one of those risque, in your face loves that are just too much. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't expect so many sexual scenes, but something was standing my way of connecting to the book. I ended up skimming towards the end just to say I finished it. The riddle... You will figure out as soon as you read it.
I'm bummed to be the debbie downer, but no I cannot recommend this book. It lacked dialogue, a fluent intriguing plot, and overall cleanup (there were editing issues).
Show More
that the danger was far and few between. To be honest the danger wasn't even remotely believable. Everything fell into place and seemed quite predictable. Someone was always there to save the day in a moments time. I think the Author wanted a Katniss Everdeen heroine in the world of An Ember in the Ashes.... It didn't work. Both books were on a-whole-nother level. I've heard this book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but let me tell you... Tamlin is not ugly or scarred in anyway (that would be Lucien) and he may have monster characteristics, but those are over shown with the a typical bronze skin and muscle descriptive words. He's not even close to being a book boyfriend. The romance actually made me bitter. It felt so cheesy. It's one of those risque, in your face loves that are just too much. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't expect so many sexual scenes, but something was standing my way of connecting to the book. I ended up skimming towards the end just to say I finished it. The riddle... You will figure out as soon as you read it.
I'm bummed to be the debbie downer, but no I cannot recommend this book. It lacked dialogue, a fluent intriguing plot, and overall cleanup (there were editing issues).
Show Less
LibraryThing member elenaj
Started out interesting, if melodramatic and overwrought, and degenerated into a pile of romance novel cliches AND became even more melodramatic and overwrought. I noped out at around page 180 (and then read the last two chapters, which confirmed that I made the right choice).
ETA: I have been
ETA: I have been
Show More
thinking more about this book, and I realized that the main problem for me was an incompatible kink. This book relies a lot on the pleasure of the wealthy, special (fae) male protagonist revealing something beautiful and amazing to the female protagonist. She is constantly overwhelmed with how breathtaking and magical something is - his house, his Special Glade, his portrait gallery, his abs. It turns out that is an anti-kink for me, at least in quantity. (Lesson learned: avoid that whole subgenre of lady-meets-billionaire novels.) Show Less
LibraryThing member yas4735
I finished...ok, I admit to skimming through a few pages...ok, a lot of pages. The potential for a great story is there but it's everything that I dislike about YA books.
Feyre is so irritating as a main character, I don't know where to start. She is impetuous, rude, arrogant, the typical tstl
Show More
stereotype - she hears all these stories about the fae and hates them so much but never stops to think, despite being warned countless times that they are tricky and not to take them at face value. Her illiteracy is a sore point for her, but still doesn't seriously attempt to learn even though she has a library at her disposal, a library full of fae books, possibly history. She consistently fails to read between the lines that she's involved in something bigger, can't stop sulking long enough to get answers from the people around her. The Fae have powers beyond her understanding but she still thinks that she can best them with her bow and arrow. She throws herself into danger with no thought, and then treats badly the person who's trying to help her, regardless what his own reasons for doing so were.
I have a teen daughter so understand that this is typical teenage behaviour, they FEEL so much more than adults, but then again, I don't think I ever was one.
Tamlin, at first I thought he's going to be a insipid character, whose only purpose is to drive the plot forward. But he lives up to being a tricky fae.
I'm not happy with the love triangle nor the ending. The only light at the end of the tunnel was Lucian. He was less annoying. Maybe I'm not being fair here. I'm not a big fan of YA and tend to avoid them where possible. You're welcome to make up your own mind.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lamotamant
I finished this yesterday but drew a pretty weighty blank when I tried to write a review. In short, this was a frustrating read that I had some major problems with. In an antithetical move that often boggles even my mind, I'll probably read the sequel anyways. My curious side has a desperate need
Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses was a two star read for me. This translates, for me, into 'meh' with the occasional highlight.
I liked the premise at its beginning. I was pretty excited that Maas undertook marrying a classic fairytale with fairy folk lore and interested in how she was going to sketch out these two worlds being at odds, what the mystery was, etc. And, overall, I liked that she shifted perspective from there being 'Beast' and 'Beauty' to each character having an amalgam of both beastly and beautiful nature; at least, this is what I took from it in more optimistic moments.
But immediately after reading this book I was more focused on what I couldn't get into than what I liked overall. I'm so bored with the He-Man formula for male protags; that 'I'm going to be an ass but you're going to find reason after reason (after reason ad infinitum) to excuse my behavior thanks to my troubled, yet chiseled, looks and my polarizing emotions/actions' just doesn't do it for me. I get the draw of the good guy vs. bad guy or the good side vs. bad side but the reality of this book is that the two male corners of this 'love' triangle assault/physically manipulate Freya. Oh, of course they both have their reasons for doing so [Excuse A]. And if Freya had simply stayed in her room or stayed away, it wouldn't have happened [Excuse B], so, shame on her, right?
I'm not an expert on romance as genre, it's hasn't been my go-to so I don't have much of a reference point. I expected romance with this story though, knowing it was playing on Beauty and the Beast and that romance (often a certain brand of romance) is typically a major player in modern fairytale retellings - especially YA retellings. However, possibly because there was such an absence of chemistry between the characters, it felt more like softcore erotica than a building, believable romance. Which is cool if softcore erotica is what you're looking for. Maas' sex scenes are certainly better played than similar scenes in a lot of YAs. At least there were none of the 'throbbing members' (and the like) that seem to populate enough fan fiction and novels alike as it is.
I just wanted more character and world development. I like fantasy reads to be atmospheric, immersive. I want to feel like I've just dunked my head in a pensieve and fallen into the scene I'm reading. Maas' interesting premise ended up feeling more like backdrop than anything else. So you have a highlight pop up here and there when a character's emotion, motivation, choice gets a fair eye turned to it but then you have something easily and annoyingly expected that eclipses that shine and muddies the waters. Like the 'love' triangle (what's sad is that a love triangle is so damn expected in YA series that I don't feel the need to mark this as a spoiler) and the personalities of those involved, the trials - both concept and results,that 'riddle'- okay, this was the lamest, most expected riddle that could have possibly been put to Feyre , etc. Before you know it, even the highlights become 'meh.'
Show More
to bulldoze it's way through cliffhangers and my love of fairy/folk tale retellings is always hoping even the most awkward retellings might redeem themselves eventually. As cynical as it may sound, the manipulation of a dangling cliffhanger has become pretty expected in new YA series. The read may be supremely frustrating for whatever reason(s) but you're inevitably going to have readers like me that moan a bit about it and eventually swallow the bitter pill of cracking open the next book while thinking, 'well played; well played, you dastardly author you.'Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses was a two star read for me. This translates, for me, into 'meh' with the occasional highlight.
I liked the premise at its beginning. I was pretty excited that Maas undertook marrying a classic fairytale with fairy folk lore and interested in how she was going to sketch out these two worlds being at odds, what the mystery was, etc. And, overall, I liked that she shifted perspective from there being 'Beast' and 'Beauty' to each character having an amalgam of both beastly and beautiful nature; at least, this is what I took from it in more optimistic moments.
But immediately after reading this book I was more focused on what I couldn't get into than what I liked overall. I'm so bored with the He-Man formula for male protags; that 'I'm going to be an ass but you're going to find reason after reason (after reason ad infinitum) to excuse my behavior thanks to my troubled, yet chiseled, looks and my polarizing emotions/actions' just doesn't do it for me. I get the draw of the good guy vs. bad guy or the good side vs. bad side but the reality of this book is that the two male corners of this 'love' triangle assault/physically manipulate Freya. Oh, of course they both have their reasons for doing so [Excuse A]. And if Freya had simply stayed in her room or stayed away, it wouldn't have happened [Excuse B], so, shame on her, right?
I'm not an expert on romance as genre, it's hasn't been my go-to so I don't have much of a reference point. I expected romance with this story though, knowing it was playing on Beauty and the Beast and that romance (often a certain brand of romance) is typically a major player in modern fairytale retellings - especially YA retellings. However, possibly because there was such an absence of chemistry between the characters, it felt more like softcore erotica than a building, believable romance. Which is cool if softcore erotica is what you're looking for. Maas' sex scenes are certainly better played than similar scenes in a lot of YAs. At least there were none of the 'throbbing members' (and the like) that seem to populate enough fan fiction and novels alike as it is.
I just wanted more character and world development. I like fantasy reads to be atmospheric, immersive. I want to feel like I've just dunked my head in a pensieve and fallen into the scene I'm reading. Maas' interesting premise ended up feeling more like backdrop than anything else. So you have a highlight pop up here and there when a character's emotion, motivation, choice gets a fair eye turned to it but then you have something easily and annoyingly expected that eclipses that shine and muddies the waters. Like the 'love' triangle (what's sad is that a love triangle is so damn expected in YA series that I don't feel the need to mark this as a spoiler) and the personalities of those involved, the trials - both concept and results,
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookappeal
This "beauty and the beast" story will undoubtedly appeal to readers of fantasy romance with its descriptive settings and smoldering romantic tension. Though I would have preferred more scheming and less smoldering (and was disappointed in the information dump necessary to get the story to turn
Show More
toward the final confrontation), Maas includes enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. The world building seems a little convenient in places but the real appeal is the attraction of star-crossed lovers and the dangers and difficult decisions that stand in the way. Show Less
LibraryThing member nikkinmichaels
I don't even know where to start when it comes to the amount of clichés in this book or the strange mix of compelling and juvenile all bound up in the writing style. It took me a hot sec to get into ACOTAR — which irritated me to no end on account of the cult following this novel has and the
Side note: I knew the answer to that "impossible" riddle literally before I'd even finished reading its first couplet. I can't be the only one. RIGHT??
Show More
fact that I'm usually a sucker for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST retellings. But somewhere around the latter half or third, I suddenly found myself completely captivated by the plot and invested in the characters, and I 100% intend to pick up book 2 tomorrow. Rating this a 3 for the uneven writing and the overwhelming clichés, but I'd roll with a 4/4.5 on overall story and the feeling I have now at the end.Side note: I knew the answer to that "impossible" riddle literally before I'd even finished reading its first couplet. I can't be the only one. RIGHT??
Show Less
LibraryThing member Nomnivor
A retelling of The Beauty and the Beast. With rapey Beast and his rape-friends. 1 Star because i can''t give less.
Stopped reading halfway thru.
Oh, by the way, it is Feyres own fault because she didn't listen to the men in this book. AND the men think it is funny what happened to her. And the
F*** this book. Hard.
Stopped reading halfway thru.
Oh, by the way, it is Feyres own fault because she didn't listen to the men in this book. AND the men think it is funny what happened to her. And the
Show More
other woman do want it because it is an honor, and it isn't the loveinterests fault anyways, because the beast in him did it.F*** this book. Hard.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Theriq
Not bad. A bit tropey and heavy on the romance for my typical reading, but I really liked the world and some of the characters.
LibraryThing member Ericanneri
Sarah J. Maas has officially become my new favorite author! This book was absolutely amazing!!! It's one of the few new adult/fantasy books that I've read, and it is perfectly done. The chemistry and romance between the characters is just on point (and the romance is borderline new adult, ooooh),
Show More
the plot twists are just breathtaking, and the characters themselves make you want to delve into the book and live in their world. And the ending! It was so action packed and just utter perfection. I could not put this baby down. One of the best, if not the best book I've read this year. Sarah J. Maas slays! Show Less
LibraryThing member titania86
Feyre and her family are living in poverty. Her father used to be a successful merchant, but disaster struck, leaving their debts unpaid and her father grievously attacked and disabled. Feyre is her family's only source of income, so she hunts to provide for them. One fateful day, she finds a huge
A Court of Thorns and Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that subverts a lot of the expectations of the fairy tale while staying true to the spirit of the story. Our Beauty is Feyre who is unlike any iteration of the character I've read or seen. She is pretty joyless, but not outright bitter. Her family needs someone to step up and get the money and food necessary to survive. Feyre is a pragmatist willing to do whatever it takes no matter how it effects her personal happiness. She has the strength and determination to hone her skills in hunting and other important skills even though she doesn't enjoy them. When she moved to Prythian, she became almost a different person. She was suddenly without direction. Her family was taken care of and she didn't need to do anything anymore, so she loosened up a bit. She focused her energy at first at trying to escape, but realized her family is better off with her there as the faeries provide for them. So then she learns and hones more unnecessary skills that she actually enjoys like learning to read and painting. She starts to tell jokes and actually get to know the faeries, who she has considered flatly evil and dangerous creatures her entire life. Her outlook completely changes and she starts to fall in love with Tamlin, the Beast. Despite some superficial changes, the core Feyre is basically the same. Later in the story, she also takes on momentous tasks to attempt to save her love and her friends despite prolonged suffering.
Tamlin, our Beast, is a mix of sensitive and callous. He was raised to be a warrior to survive his world while his true interests were in music and the arts. War and hardship have been such a part of his life that it's easy for him to forget who he is outside of all of that. He has to present a hard shell and make difficult decisions to succeed as a ruler in Prythian, but he changes as Feyre does. Both become more sensitive and learn something about each other and the culture they come from which causes both to shed their prejudices. The romance develops organically and over a large chunk of the book. That part does move a little slow, but if it were any faster, Feyre's actions at the end simply wouldn't make sense. It takes a lot of time to completely change your outlook on something that's been hammered into your head since birth. Also, I LOVE the way sexuality is treated in the novel. Feyre is very matter of fact and comfortable with herself. She had one partner in the human world who she liked but didn't love. For both of them, it was a convenient escape from their respective hardships, a spot of joy among all the misery. With Tamlin, things are more fiery and passionate because of love. I like that both sides are portrayed as positive instead of having a preachy message against different types of sexual relationships.
The book is lengthy and goes through a lot of different changes. It almost feels like it's multiple books in one due to the changes in location and tone. I read it in about 2 days because I had to know what happened next. Sarah J. Maas knows how to construct a book and I was invested from the first chapter. The fairy tale aspects are handled very well. The general story line is similar with the curse being the most obviously Beauty and the Beast aspect, but the story is free to move into past the plot of the fairy tale. I also enjoyed all the different types of faeries show, mostly of the horrific and variety. The ending is satisfying and at the same time leaves some loose ends that make me want to read the next book immediately. In the time before the next book comes out, I'll be reading all of her other books.
Show More
wolf in the woods about to attack her quarry. She chooses to kill the wolf and the deer to sell the pelt and eat the venison over a couple weeks. Things seem to finally be looking up until a faerie in wolf form named Tamlin bursts into their house demanding recompense for the murder of his friend. Feyre has two choices: either be executed or go to live in the faerie land of Prythian for the rest of her life. Of course she chooses life, but faeries are inhuman, cruel, and horrible creatures who used to enslave and use humans as playthings. Feyre braces herself for torture, enslavement, or just incarceration, but Tamlin proves to the opposite of her expectations. As they develop a relationship, it becomes clear that all is not well in Prythian. A blight that has robbed the faeries of most of their power is moving towards the human realm, posing a threat to everything and everyone. Can a weak mortal like Feyre help save her world?A Court of Thorns and Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that subverts a lot of the expectations of the fairy tale while staying true to the spirit of the story. Our Beauty is Feyre who is unlike any iteration of the character I've read or seen. She is pretty joyless, but not outright bitter. Her family needs someone to step up and get the money and food necessary to survive. Feyre is a pragmatist willing to do whatever it takes no matter how it effects her personal happiness. She has the strength and determination to hone her skills in hunting and other important skills even though she doesn't enjoy them. When she moved to Prythian, she became almost a different person. She was suddenly without direction. Her family was taken care of and she didn't need to do anything anymore, so she loosened up a bit. She focused her energy at first at trying to escape, but realized her family is better off with her there as the faeries provide for them. So then she learns and hones more unnecessary skills that she actually enjoys like learning to read and painting. She starts to tell jokes and actually get to know the faeries, who she has considered flatly evil and dangerous creatures her entire life. Her outlook completely changes and she starts to fall in love with Tamlin, the Beast. Despite some superficial changes, the core Feyre is basically the same. Later in the story, she also takes on momentous tasks to attempt to save her love and her friends despite prolonged suffering.
Tamlin, our Beast, is a mix of sensitive and callous. He was raised to be a warrior to survive his world while his true interests were in music and the arts. War and hardship have been such a part of his life that it's easy for him to forget who he is outside of all of that. He has to present a hard shell and make difficult decisions to succeed as a ruler in Prythian, but he changes as Feyre does. Both become more sensitive and learn something about each other and the culture they come from which causes both to shed their prejudices. The romance develops organically and over a large chunk of the book. That part does move a little slow, but if it were any faster, Feyre's actions at the end simply wouldn't make sense. It takes a lot of time to completely change your outlook on something that's been hammered into your head since birth. Also, I LOVE the way sexuality is treated in the novel. Feyre is very matter of fact and comfortable with herself. She had one partner in the human world who she liked but didn't love. For both of them, it was a convenient escape from their respective hardships, a spot of joy among all the misery. With Tamlin, things are more fiery and passionate because of love. I like that both sides are portrayed as positive instead of having a preachy message against different types of sexual relationships.
The book is lengthy and goes through a lot of different changes. It almost feels like it's multiple books in one due to the changes in location and tone. I read it in about 2 days because I had to know what happened next. Sarah J. Maas knows how to construct a book and I was invested from the first chapter. The fairy tale aspects are handled very well. The general story line is similar with the curse being the most obviously Beauty and the Beast aspect, but the story is free to move into past the plot of the fairy tale. I also enjoyed all the different types of faeries show, mostly of the horrific and variety. The ending is satisfying and at the same time leaves some loose ends that make me want to read the next book immediately. In the time before the next book comes out, I'll be reading all of her other books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member brandileigh2003
I wanted to read A Court of Thorns and Roses because I enjoyed what I have read of the first series by Maas and I wanted to try this one as well.
Maas didn't disappoint. She painted another beautiful world even though it is shadowed. The main character Feyre and her family, as well as most of her
Feyre's family is pretty dysfunctional. Her dad is disabled and the only money he brings in is very little from the wood carvings he makes. Her sisters don't help hunt or prepare the food that Feyre brings in, and they complain a lot. Feyre feels the burden of caring for them because of a promise she made to her mother on her mom's deathbed to watch over them. I felt for her, and wished that she wasn't put in such hard situations even knowing that without these trials there would be no story.
On the day that would change nearly everything about her future, she was lined up to kill a deer who had desperately came south looking for food, when she spotted the wolf. She had the dilemma of killing the deer and risk the gigantic wolf coming for her, or killing the wolf who she couldn't put aside the thought that he was more than just a mere animal. But it was basically kill one or the other, and probably both and face possible death or kill neither and face almost certain death of starvation. From the synopsis we know that she kills the wolf, and that is the catalyst for the Fae coming after her, and taking her to their lands.
It was neat to get to see Feyre experience the Fae kingdom for the first time. The rumors that were true and the others that were only halfway so, and others outright wrong. It was hard for her to be in a new land of magic not knowing what to expect, and then there is the mystery of Tamlin. He brings her there, and provides for her in his estate, but says she can leave if she wants as long as she stays in the Fae world. There are the little things though, like he is straining to be kind to her, and Feyre finds out he is providing for her family since he knew that she was pretty much sole survivor. So I can understand how the hatred of his kind develops into falling for him. Because there is kindness to him, and he is different from some of the other Fae she encounters. And there is the fact that he spared her life to begin with instead of killing her for killing one of their kind as the law allowed.
She bides her time, and tries to learn as much about Tamlin, the kingdom, the blight that is affecting their magic and will one day spread. She is smart, listens and plans for all sorts of scenarios. Through this and Feyre and Tam getting to know each other, we discover the depth of their characters. They both show each other things they thought contrary to humans and fae respectively. The kindness in their hearts resulting from huge pain really helps to understand their actions.
I am a little concerned with the possibility of a love triangle in the next because of an alliance made and help found in the least likely places. But maybe it will turn out differently because the character surprised me in more way than one. I am hoping that there won't be because I adore the romance that develops between Feyre and Tam. It is hot and steamy, they have such attraction as well as the element of fate. Feyre had to prove so much with the way the last third of the book went, and it tested her physically and mentally.
There were a lot of unexpected twists both in character development, allies that were gained, as well as plot turns that I never expected coming. I didn't want to put this down, and I will for sure be continuing this series. The ending was well placed and it ended a major thread, and left a lot of others for anticipation.
Bottom Line: Wonderful start to a new series by a fantasy author I already loved. Surprising turns with great character building and one hot romance.
Maas didn't disappoint. She painted another beautiful world even though it is shadowed. The main character Feyre and her family, as well as most of her
Show More
town are living on little food in the midst of their winter. That is what led her even deeper into the woods, and closer to the border of the Fae world. The villagers live in fear of the Fae. They spend what little money they have on iron and on charms that claim to keep them away.Feyre's family is pretty dysfunctional. Her dad is disabled and the only money he brings in is very little from the wood carvings he makes. Her sisters don't help hunt or prepare the food that Feyre brings in, and they complain a lot. Feyre feels the burden of caring for them because of a promise she made to her mother on her mom's deathbed to watch over them. I felt for her, and wished that she wasn't put in such hard situations even knowing that without these trials there would be no story.
On the day that would change nearly everything about her future, she was lined up to kill a deer who had desperately came south looking for food, when she spotted the wolf. She had the dilemma of killing the deer and risk the gigantic wolf coming for her, or killing the wolf who she couldn't put aside the thought that he was more than just a mere animal. But it was basically kill one or the other, and probably both and face possible death or kill neither and face almost certain death of starvation. From the synopsis we know that she kills the wolf, and that is the catalyst for the Fae coming after her, and taking her to their lands.
It was neat to get to see Feyre experience the Fae kingdom for the first time. The rumors that were true and the others that were only halfway so, and others outright wrong. It was hard for her to be in a new land of magic not knowing what to expect, and then there is the mystery of Tamlin. He brings her there, and provides for her in his estate, but says she can leave if she wants as long as she stays in the Fae world. There are the little things though, like he is straining to be kind to her, and Feyre finds out he is providing for her family since he knew that she was pretty much sole survivor. So I can understand how the hatred of his kind develops into falling for him. Because there is kindness to him, and he is different from some of the other Fae she encounters. And there is the fact that he spared her life to begin with instead of killing her for killing one of their kind as the law allowed.
She bides her time, and tries to learn as much about Tamlin, the kingdom, the blight that is affecting their magic and will one day spread. She is smart, listens and plans for all sorts of scenarios. Through this and Feyre and Tam getting to know each other, we discover the depth of their characters. They both show each other things they thought contrary to humans and fae respectively. The kindness in their hearts resulting from huge pain really helps to understand their actions.
I am a little concerned with the possibility of a love triangle in the next because of an alliance made and help found in the least likely places. But maybe it will turn out differently because the character surprised me in more way than one. I am hoping that there won't be because I adore the romance that develops between Feyre and Tam. It is hot and steamy, they have such attraction as well as the element of fate. Feyre had to prove so much with the way the last third of the book went, and it tested her physically and mentally.
There were a lot of unexpected twists both in character development, allies that were gained, as well as plot turns that I never expected coming. I didn't want to put this down, and I will for sure be continuing this series. The ending was well placed and it ended a major thread, and left a lot of others for anticipation.
Bottom Line: Wonderful start to a new series by a fantasy author I already loved. Surprising turns with great character building and one hot romance.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cablesclasses
Riddles and lies and bending of the truth abound in the latest mortal vs. fairy world Maas created in Court of Thorns and Roses. Feyre's promise to her mother keeps her focused on what matters most, family and the love that one finds in those bonds. Tamlin follows the Fae law that allows him to
Encouraging new tale about the Fae and human worlds coexistence. Graphic intimate scenes precludes recommendation for young teens. Sequel encouraged by ending yet good stand-alone too.
Show More
capture the human, Feyre who killed one of his Fae guards, and brings her to his court to live out her life. At court, she learns his mercy extends to all in his realm, even her. Weave Feyre's human curse to watch over her family and her constant unforgiveness with the curse placed upon the fae, and truths and lies and alliances eventually blend together to battle the evil Amarantha. Encouraging new tale about the Fae and human worlds coexistence. Graphic intimate scenes precludes recommendation for young teens. Sequel encouraged by ending yet good stand-alone too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Feyre finds herself swept north of the Wall and into the land of the immortal faeries when she kills a wolf in the woods. She is taken to the home of Tamlin who is the Lord of Spring. The lands of the Fae are under the control of a tyrant and it is up to Feyre to try to free them all. But Feyre is
This fantasy has some similarities to Beauty and the Beast in that Feyre is the youngest daughter of a man who has lost all his wealth and retreated to a small village. She has two older sisters who are either hateful or helpless. Feyre made a promise to her mother before she died that she would take care of her family. So, at age 11, she began trying to do so. It was hunting in the woods in order to keep them all from starving that led to her encounter with a wolf. However, in many ways, it is quite different than the fairy tale too. Feyre is not her father's beloved and favorite daughter. He has not taken his impoverishment and the beating that followed it well. He seems to be in a state of depression.
When Feyre finds herself at Tamlin's estate, she learns that many of the ideas that she had about the Fae were not correct. She finds kindness from Tamlin and from his servants. She also finds that there are still many dangers to humans in the Fae territory. There are many of the Fae who are incredibly dangerous. As she gets to know Tamlin better, she begins to fall in love with him. After declaring his love, Tamlin sends her back home to keep her safe. She doesn't want to leave him.
When she realizes that she no longer fits at home, she tries to go back to Tamlin and then learns a secret that he had been keeping from her. He was under a curse that bound him to Amaranth is he couldn't convince a human to declare her love for him. Feyre is determined to free him from the curse and goes through all sorts of trials to try to free him.
This was an amazing story that was well-written, filled with fascinating characters, and very fast-paced. I can't wait to share it with my students and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.
Show More
a weak, illiterate human and the tyrant is strong enough to cow the much more powerful Fae lords.This fantasy has some similarities to Beauty and the Beast in that Feyre is the youngest daughter of a man who has lost all his wealth and retreated to a small village. She has two older sisters who are either hateful or helpless. Feyre made a promise to her mother before she died that she would take care of her family. So, at age 11, she began trying to do so. It was hunting in the woods in order to keep them all from starving that led to her encounter with a wolf. However, in many ways, it is quite different than the fairy tale too. Feyre is not her father's beloved and favorite daughter. He has not taken his impoverishment and the beating that followed it well. He seems to be in a state of depression.
When Feyre finds herself at Tamlin's estate, she learns that many of the ideas that she had about the Fae were not correct. She finds kindness from Tamlin and from his servants. She also finds that there are still many dangers to humans in the Fae territory. There are many of the Fae who are incredibly dangerous. As she gets to know Tamlin better, she begins to fall in love with him. After declaring his love, Tamlin sends her back home to keep her safe. She doesn't want to leave him.
When she realizes that she no longer fits at home, she tries to go back to Tamlin and then learns a secret that he had been keeping from her. He was under a curse that bound him to Amaranth is he couldn't convince a human to declare her love for him. Feyre is determined to free him from the curse and goes through all sorts of trials to try to free him.
This was an amazing story that was well-written, filled with fascinating characters, and very fast-paced. I can't wait to share it with my students and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
As a huge fan of Sarah J Maas's 'Throne of Glass' series, I've been excited about the release of A Court of Thorn and Roses, the first book in a new trilogy, blending fae lore with a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fable.
In the depths of winter, Fayre is fighting to keep her poverty stricken
Instead the beast, who is not exactly a monster at all but rather a High Fae with shape shifting abilities, offers her a life of ease in his court but can Fayre really trust the word of a Faerie, especially when something dark and wicked lurks close by?
I really liked the character of Fayre, she is a strong willed, fierce and passionate, though not without her vulnerabilities. She struggles to adjust to her new life in Prythia and is understandably slow to trust Tamlin but once she gives in to her fate she embraces it wholeheartedly.
It isn't until Fayre is captive in Prythia that Tamlin reveals his true self, not just High Fae, he is the devastatingly handsome and powerful High Lord of the Spring Court. Tamlin though is also cursed, condemned to wear a masquerade mask with weakening powers, by what he explains to Fayre is a blight that has been poisoning the magic in the realm.
The nature and source of the 'blight' provides the major arc of conflict for the novel. I won't give it away but I will say it surprised me. I enjoyed the action and drama of the story, particularly in the climatic final chapters, but I did feel that the story lagged somewhat in the middle. Fayre's time in the Spring Court is largely uneventful, with most of the action happening 'off the page', while Fayre sort of wanders around with her easel.
And as to be expected, romance develops between Fayre and Tamlin. There are some intimate scenes between the couple, but nothing too explicit. There is also the potential for a love triangle of sorts with the introduction of the enigmatic High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand.
While I wasn't wholly enamored by A Court of Thorn and Roses I did enjoy the characters and the world Maas has built and I will be picking up the next book, as yet untitled, as soon as it is available.
In the depths of winter, Fayre is fighting to keep her poverty stricken
Show More
family alive when she kills a wolf, unaware he is a creature of the fae. Having unwittingly broken the centuries old treaty made between the humans and their kind, she willingly submits to the penalty to protect her family and is dragged to Prythia by the beast that demands it, expecting to be killed, enslaved or worse by the race that once slaughtered humans for sport.Instead the beast, who is not exactly a monster at all but rather a High Fae with shape shifting abilities, offers her a life of ease in his court but can Fayre really trust the word of a Faerie, especially when something dark and wicked lurks close by?
I really liked the character of Fayre, she is a strong willed, fierce and passionate, though not without her vulnerabilities. She struggles to adjust to her new life in Prythia and is understandably slow to trust Tamlin but once she gives in to her fate she embraces it wholeheartedly.
It isn't until Fayre is captive in Prythia that Tamlin reveals his true self, not just High Fae, he is the devastatingly handsome and powerful High Lord of the Spring Court. Tamlin though is also cursed, condemned to wear a masquerade mask with weakening powers, by what he explains to Fayre is a blight that has been poisoning the magic in the realm.
The nature and source of the 'blight' provides the major arc of conflict for the novel. I won't give it away but I will say it surprised me. I enjoyed the action and drama of the story, particularly in the climatic final chapters, but I did feel that the story lagged somewhat in the middle. Fayre's time in the Spring Court is largely uneventful, with most of the action happening 'off the page', while Fayre sort of wanders around with her easel.
And as to be expected, romance develops between Fayre and Tamlin. There are some intimate scenes between the couple, but nothing too explicit. There is also the potential for a love triangle of sorts with the introduction of the enigmatic High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand.
While I wasn't wholly enamored by A Court of Thorn and Roses I did enjoy the characters and the world Maas has built and I will be picking up the next book, as yet untitled, as soon as it is available.
Show Less
LibraryThing member willowsmom
A wonderful fairytale adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. I've read quite a few (okay, all I could get my hands on) adaptations of this tale, and A Court of Thorns and Roses ranks up there with Robin McKinley's Beauty. The characters were incredibly interesting, the story fast-paced, and even
Show More
though I had a good idea where the tale would end up, the path it took to get there was new and interesting and...yeah pretty much I just really enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member dkgarner95
OMG. This book. THIS BOOK.
Now THAT'S how you do a fairy tale retelling, my friends! The bones of the original are there, but the story's been fleshed out in a new, totally original body ;)
I adored everything about ACOTAR---seriously, Sarah J. Maas has completely outdone herself with this one! The
And, perhaps the most surprising thing of all, I didn't even mind the tiny love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I'm Team True Love 1,000%, but I didn't exactly hate the player from the other team either, if you know what I'm sayin' ;)
Speaking of romantic encounters, did you know that ACOTAR is most decidedly NOT a YA book? Somehow I got it in my head that it was and was quite surprised at the level of heat that was radiating off the pages *fans self appreciatively*
I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately, but that doesn't make it any less true---This is quite easily one of THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR.
Now THAT'S how you do a fairy tale retelling, my friends! The bones of the original are there, but the story's been fleshed out in a new, totally original body ;)
I adored everything about ACOTAR---seriously, Sarah J. Maas has completely outdone herself with this one! The
Show More
spin on the original story, the complex cast of characters, the vivid descriptions that allow you to paint breathtaking scenery (and sometimes not-so-pleasant gore) on the canvas in your head, the unbridled creativity that just bursts from the pages---I WANNA SWIM IN STARLIGHT!!!! Ahem.And, perhaps the most surprising thing of all, I didn't even mind the tiny love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I'm Team True Love 1,000%, but I didn't exactly hate the player from the other team either, if you know what I'm sayin' ;)
Speaking of romantic encounters, did you know that ACOTAR is most decidedly NOT a YA book? Somehow I got it in my head that it was and was quite surprised at the level of heat that was radiating off the pages *fans self appreciatively*
I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately, but that doesn't make it any less true---This is quite easily one of THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I didn't realize this was a Beauty & the Beast retelling when I started, but it was a pleasant surprise as I'm a huge sucker for fairy retellings (and I certainly would have read it soon had I known)! And I of course, really enjoyed the story; Sarah J. Maas is clearly developing into an excellent
Show More
writer & I think she may be one of my new favorite authors for YA fantasy. A fun read & highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member crashmyparty
A Court of Thorns and Roses vs. Beauty and the Beast: A Comparison
This was book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.
While reading A Court of Thorns and Roses, my first Sarah J. Maas book, I noticed a few similarities to my
It was a relief to find out that Beauty and the Beast had not lost its appeal for me. That means something is off with this particular interpretation of the fairytale. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, we have Feyre, a 19 year old huntress whose family lives in poverty since they lost their fortune, who provides for her horrible sisters (a la Cinderella) and her crippled father. When she kills a wolf who turned out to be a fae in disguise, Tamlin, our beast, knocks down her door and takes her to live in his castle in a court in the faerie lands – a life for a life. There’s a problem though – Tamlin isn’t really a beast. He’s like a shape shifter, between fae and beast, and he’s extraordinarily handsome and really not at all scary. He’s so incredibly good looking that this is pretty much all the heroine can think about, even though she hates him. Already I am unimpressed because where is the importance of inner beauty, who could ever love a beast? It doesn’t matter when he doesn’t even look like a beast! And his curse is that he and his entire court have to wear masks forever? What?
What I enjoyed about Beauty and the Beast is the slow burn, the gradual building of trust and friendship that blossoms into love. You can see it unfolding on the screen in front of you. In A Court of Thorns and Roses there was none of that. One moment Feyre’s repulsed by Tamlin, the next there’s some lusty behaviour and then they’re in love? (Even after some questionable scenes that were pretty distasteful if you ask me). I believe that Belle has fallen for her Beast, and he for her in return, and that he no longer has the beastly behaviour he exhibited at the start – he learns to curb his temper, he attempts to learn table manners and he is gentle and kind with not just her, but everyone – the library scene as well as the snowball scene are adorable and evident of what is developing between them. I couldn’t believe it with Feyre and Tamlin with whom there only appeared to be lust and pretty faerie things and pretty faces. And paintings – supposed to be like the library but I found it had a whole lot less heart.
I also think that, although the primary audience is children, there was a benefit from having the backstory explained in the film. When the curse was revealed in the novel, it was explained by a servant who was supposed to assume a Mrs. Potts role but did not have the presence in the novel to be an important character. And what we had was a whole lot of telling (I suppose the nice thing in the movies is you can be shown a lot easier) that was incredibly boring. Belle also didn’t need to be told to confess her love to break the curse. She loved him, as she had seen past his beastly exterior to his kind and gentle heart. Beauty and the Beast is the story of redemption, how people can change and how looks aren’t the most important thing, that it’s the heart inside the person or beast that counts. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the story of – I’m not even really sure. I feel like the description of one does not suit the other.
A Court of Thorns and Roses really got interesting for me in the last chapters about Feyre’s tasks, to prove her love for Tamlin, where it most deviated from the conventional tale. Then the action picked up and it definitely got more exciting. It felt like a little too late, though, and I’m not sure I’m invested enough to continue the series. While mildly entertaining, I was glad to be done with it all. I definitely don’t really care about the characters. I will stick to my Disney favourite from now because you know what, I liked the talking appliances/servants! A Court of Thorns and Roses could have learnt a thing or two – especially when to leave well enough alone.
This was book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.
While reading A Court of Thorns and Roses, my first Sarah J. Maas book, I noticed a few similarities to my
Show More
favourite childhood Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. I realised after hitting Twitter that this book was a loose retelling of the classic tale (I will admit also that I am not familiar with any of the original tales). The only problem was, I was not really enjoying A Court of Thorns and Roses. How could this be? I loved Beauty and the Beast! But there was a lot that was bothering me about A Court of Thorns and Roses and it made me wonder – as I have gotten older, has the beloved Disney movie lost its appeal? Would what was bothering me about A Court of Thorns and Roses bother me in Beauty and the Beast? It had been a long time since I last watched Beauty and the Beast so I found a copy (very difficult!), sat down and prepared to be disappointed.It was a relief to find out that Beauty and the Beast had not lost its appeal for me. That means something is off with this particular interpretation of the fairytale. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, we have Feyre, a 19 year old huntress whose family lives in poverty since they lost their fortune, who provides for her horrible sisters (a la Cinderella) and her crippled father. When she kills a wolf who turned out to be a fae in disguise, Tamlin, our beast, knocks down her door and takes her to live in his castle in a court in the faerie lands – a life for a life. There’s a problem though – Tamlin isn’t really a beast. He’s like a shape shifter, between fae and beast, and he’s extraordinarily handsome and really not at all scary. He’s so incredibly good looking that this is pretty much all the heroine can think about, even though she hates him. Already I am unimpressed because where is the importance of inner beauty, who could ever love a beast? It doesn’t matter when he doesn’t even look like a beast! And his curse is that he and his entire court have to wear masks forever? What?
What I enjoyed about Beauty and the Beast is the slow burn, the gradual building of trust and friendship that blossoms into love. You can see it unfolding on the screen in front of you. In A Court of Thorns and Roses there was none of that. One moment Feyre’s repulsed by Tamlin, the next there’s some lusty behaviour and then they’re in love? (Even after some questionable scenes that were pretty distasteful if you ask me). I believe that Belle has fallen for her Beast, and he for her in return, and that he no longer has the beastly behaviour he exhibited at the start – he learns to curb his temper, he attempts to learn table manners and he is gentle and kind with not just her, but everyone – the library scene as well as the snowball scene are adorable and evident of what is developing between them. I couldn’t believe it with Feyre and Tamlin with whom there only appeared to be lust and pretty faerie things and pretty faces. And paintings – supposed to be like the library but I found it had a whole lot less heart.
I also think that, although the primary audience is children, there was a benefit from having the backstory explained in the film. When the curse was revealed in the novel, it was explained by a servant who was supposed to assume a Mrs. Potts role but did not have the presence in the novel to be an important character. And what we had was a whole lot of telling (I suppose the nice thing in the movies is you can be shown a lot easier) that was incredibly boring. Belle also didn’t need to be told to confess her love to break the curse. She loved him, as she had seen past his beastly exterior to his kind and gentle heart. Beauty and the Beast is the story of redemption, how people can change and how looks aren’t the most important thing, that it’s the heart inside the person or beast that counts. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the story of – I’m not even really sure. I feel like the description of one does not suit the other.
A Court of Thorns and Roses really got interesting for me in the last chapters about Feyre’s tasks, to prove her love for Tamlin, where it most deviated from the conventional tale. Then the action picked up and it definitely got more exciting. It felt like a little too late, though, and I’m not sure I’m invested enough to continue the series. While mildly entertaining, I was glad to be done with it all. I definitely don’t really care about the characters. I will stick to my Disney favourite from now because you know what, I liked the talking appliances/servants! A Court of Thorns and Roses could have learnt a thing or two – especially when to leave well enough alone.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kissedbyink
I think I'd read a grocery list if Sarah Mass wrote it! She is the queen of fantasy and world building. This story has everything...love, fighting, magic, and smexy parts. I can't wait for the sequel!
LibraryThing member amandacb
My first immersive experience into the worlds-building by Maas is equal parts thrilling and intriguing. A Court of Thorns and Roses was the June 2015 pick for a book club I’m in, and I was one of the very few who had never delved into this type of fantasy before.
And fantasy, indeed, it is—to
Feeding her family is her priority but Feyre is not entirely surprised when a monstrous beast barges into their cottage one night to collect his prize—Feyre: a life for a life. Feyre wakes up in one of the faerie lands, the Spring Court, over which Tamlin, a High Fae, presides. Undeniably rich and sophisticated, Tamlin and his friend Lucien defy any expectations Feyre had about the fae. She is kept, essentially, a prisoner in these lush lands, albeit a well-fed, well-clothed, and well-entertained prisoner.
As the days tick by, Feyre becomes close to both Tamlin and Lucien—although she feels a pull towards Tamlin, confusing and enthralling her. Around the Spring Court the fae battle various forms of unfriendly faeries as the entire realm of Prythian begins to degrade towards a civil war. The queen of Prythian, Amarantha, is evil and malicious; she captures Tamlin as her prisoner until he agrees to be her lover.
When Feyre goes on a mission to rescue him, she is imprisoned herself “Under the Mountain,” a dank system of caves replete with viscous faeries and other nightmarish beasts. To gain her freedom, and that of Tamlin, Feyre must complete either a riddle or three tasks. These tasks are nowhere close to easy; the first involves a large maze sunken into the ground complete with a “giant worm…with ring after ring of razor-sharp teeth.”
Without spoiling the ending, suffice it to say Maas has successfully set up the beginning of a series, especially after Feyre begins to notice another High Fae named Rhysand.
And fantasy, indeed, it is—to
Show More
fully enjoy Maas’s worlds, you have to suspend any conceptions about reality. Feyre is her family’s hope and salvation; as they trudge through life in the Mortal Lands, they are under constant threat of savage faeries who attack, maim, and kill. When Feyre kills a wolf “the size of a pony” in the snowy forest one day, she realizes the wolf may actually be a faerie—and the repercussions dire. Feeding her family is her priority but Feyre is not entirely surprised when a monstrous beast barges into their cottage one night to collect his prize—Feyre: a life for a life. Feyre wakes up in one of the faerie lands, the Spring Court, over which Tamlin, a High Fae, presides. Undeniably rich and sophisticated, Tamlin and his friend Lucien defy any expectations Feyre had about the fae. She is kept, essentially, a prisoner in these lush lands, albeit a well-fed, well-clothed, and well-entertained prisoner.
As the days tick by, Feyre becomes close to both Tamlin and Lucien—although she feels a pull towards Tamlin, confusing and enthralling her. Around the Spring Court the fae battle various forms of unfriendly faeries as the entire realm of Prythian begins to degrade towards a civil war. The queen of Prythian, Amarantha, is evil and malicious; she captures Tamlin as her prisoner until he agrees to be her lover.
When Feyre goes on a mission to rescue him, she is imprisoned herself “Under the Mountain,” a dank system of caves replete with viscous faeries and other nightmarish beasts. To gain her freedom, and that of Tamlin, Feyre must complete either a riddle or three tasks. These tasks are nowhere close to easy; the first involves a large maze sunken into the ground complete with a “giant worm…with ring after ring of razor-sharp teeth.”
Without spoiling the ending, suffice it to say Maas has successfully set up the beginning of a series, especially after Feyre begins to notice another High Fae named Rhysand.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This was a very interesting story that took several stories from legend and made them it's own, mostly it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling. When Feyre kills a wolf to capture it's prey little does she know that she's set off a series of events that are going to change her life forever, the wolf
I liked it, I liked it a lot. Feyre is a good character, the end was a bit of a cheat but overall it was a good read. I liked how the romance built and how things weren't always as they seemed. I would recommend it and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Show More
is a magical creature and she has to give her life to the fey to pay. She is getting caught up in complicated politics and has to learn to survive in this alien world.I liked it, I liked it a lot. Feyre is a good character, the end was a bit of a cheat but overall it was a good read. I liked how the romance built and how things weren't always as they seemed. I would recommend it and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Maybe Feyre knew the wolf was a faerie. Maybe she didn't care. But she didn't know that killing it would break the Treaty and that her own life would be forfeit. When a faerie lord comes to avenge the death of one of his kind, Feyre faces him boldly, but rather than killing her, he takes her with
I've read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings, and I generally like them to some extent. But this one, I loved. The author incorporated so many lovely little twists to make the story her own, while still remaining true to the heart of the original tale (or tales, because there's just a faint strain of a second fairy tale woven through it). I particularly like the way things unfold after Feyre returns to the estate, because it doesn't end there -- oh, no, indeed. But I'd hate to give anything away and spoil your enjoyment of this book that I found to be both velvety as a rose petal and sharp as a thorn.
Show More
him, across the wall to the faerie lands, to his own estate. Feyre's life is forfeit, and she will spend the rest of that life with him. She is treated with a sort of cold kindness in her new home, and she even begins to see some of the beauty of it -- and some of the darkness. A blight creeps across the faerie realm, and her host's once powerful magic is greatly reduced. Feyre finds herself interested in the plight of her captors, and then more than interested in her host, specifically. But she promised on her mother's deathbed to take care of the family, to keep them together -- and if the faerie blight threatens the mortal realms as well, she must return to her father and sisters. It's only when she is home once again that she realizes she may have made a terrible, costly mistake. Can she find a way to make things right?I've read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings, and I generally like them to some extent. But this one, I loved. The author incorporated so many lovely little twists to make the story her own, while still remaining true to the heart of the original tale (or tales, because there's just a faint strain of a second fairy tale woven through it). I particularly like the way things unfold after Feyre returns to the estate, because it doesn't end there -- oh, no, indeed. But I'd hate to give anything away and spoil your enjoyment of this book that I found to be both velvety as a rose petal and sharp as a thorn.
Show Less
Awards
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2018)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2017)
Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2016)
Kids' Book Choice Awards (Finalist — 2016)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2016)
Nerdy Book Award (Young Adult Literature — 2015)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-05-05
Physical description
7.83 inches
ISBN
1408857863 / 9781408857861