Who doesn't love a Sarah J. Maas book?
Not me.
If you don't then I don't know what you are doing here...
You should have already read this book, and possibly the rest of the series, because I am behind.
Sarah J. Maas, widely known for her other YA fantasy series Throne of Glass, I would have to say, is one of my favourite YA authors. I have read almost all of her works and greatly loved what she has published.
I know I may be a little late upon reading and reviewing this book. I didn't read it when I first got my hands on a copy of it because I didn't want to start reading the series and then have to wait such a long time for the next book to be published... and so I waited, until now.
Upon the publication of A Court of Frost and Starlight, a novella, I figured that it was probably time that I read this series. I knew when buying the books that I would absolutely love and fall in love with all the characters, just like I did with the Throne of Glass series, and boy was I right. There is something about Maas's writing that engages me so well into the story, enabling me from putting her books down.
For those of you who don't know what A Court of Thorns and Roses is about then here is the synopsis:
Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking a life of a magical creature comes at a high price.
Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she has been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows.
My experience while reading
As I mentioned before, going into this book I knew I was going to love everything about it. And I really wasn't wrong. I loved all the characters and even hated the ones that Maas made you hate. From chapter 1 I fell in love with Feyre, seeing how different she was to her family and seeing her grow as a character was something I enjoyed reading about. I loved seeing Feyre's interaction with all the characters she encounters.
I was often finding myself wanting to know more, wanting to see what happens next, wanting for things to be explained. I would read this while on the train to university and almost miss my stop because I was so engaged. This is something Maas does exceptionally. She knows how to engage her readers to the point where they don't want to put her book down. I can say that I was highly engage and struggled to put the book down when I had to.
Characters
Something I enjoy seeing is character development along side a well developed and thought out plot. While I enjoy reading books that focus more on plot that the characters, I do want to see the characters grow throughout the book, I don't want them to be in the same place as they were in the beginning. There should always be room of character development, even when it's not a huge focus.
Maas does that very well. All the characters, and even the side characters, were well developed as I kept reading. You get to see a different side to them all and when finishing the book you see them as different people compared to where they were at at the beginning.
Plot
Before I talk about plot I want to talk about the world that Maas has created.
You can tell that the world this book is set in has been well thought out and well developed. I didn't see anything that didn't make sense, everything was explained when an explanation was needed. You always have the thought of wanting to know exactly what the world is like, but not everything was explained at once and I think this was a good way of engaging readers.
Most people know that I am a reader who likes to read for the plot. I will enjoy a book more if it is more plot focused than a book that is more character based with little plot. A Court of Thorns and Roses, I feel, is a little more plot focused than character based, but both are a huge part of the story. I really enjoyed the plot and can't wait to see what happens in A Court of Mist and Fury.
The story did take a turn that I was not expecting at all. The events that occurred in the last 100 or so pages were something I did not expect and didn't even see coming. If you have read this book then you will hopefully know what I mean.
Some people may not know this, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I didn't know this going in, but there were so many resemblances between the two that I picked that up, and then upon further research I found that I was right.
Writing
I love Maas's writing. Her writing is beautiful and it's not something that require a lot of effort to read. Her writing, no matter how huge her books can get, make it easy for readers to fly through, some finishing a 600 page book in 2 days.
I don't have any problems with her writing. She doesn't go off on tangents like some authors do, she knows how to stay on point.
So this is the end of my review.
I don't know if you can tell but I really loved this book!
Rated it 5 out of 5 stars and cannot wait to read the next book.
Happy reading!
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