Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Genre: Fantasy
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses # 1
Publication: May 5, 2015 by Bloomsbury
Source: Personal Library
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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.
My Thoughts
The two camps of SJM is real; half the people worship her writing while the other half won’t have anything to do with her. This polarity has made me extremely hesitant to pick up any of her novels. I received an arc of Throne of Glass from ALA 2012 and still it remains on my shelf unread. Over the years whenever Maas releases a novel there’s an uproar in the blogosphere. But instead of grabbing my attention it makes me reluctant to read anything of Maas. And finally after many suggestions to read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I took the plunge. After all, I do adore faeries and a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
The similarities between A Court of Thorns and Roses and Beauty and the Beast were minimal to say the least. Which in my opinion is a good thing. I don’t like it when an authors does a play by play and swap certain things out. I look for familiar originality. The only similarities between the two story is that Feyre is taken as an non-consented prisoner and of course, Stockholm Syndrome, falls for her captor. The book is centered around Feyre’s life in the Spring Court and her interactions with the fair folks.
I thought the world building was interesting but not well developed. The hatred between the faeries and the human was barely explained. It left more questions than answers. The big bad, whose name every faerie lord was afraid to utter was ridiculous. I still don’t understand why everyone was afraid of her. She was just a lackey who went on a power trip. How is it possible that 7 lords couldn’t take her on and why didn’t her ‘master’ do anything about it? It didn’t make sense. In my opinion a very weak villain.
I thought Feyre was an annoying character. Outwardly she made it seem like she was in the worst predicament and that she despised the fair folk with every ounce of her being. While of course, daydreaming and lusting after Tamlin. If she was trying to convince herself and the readers…she sure did a poor job. I also thought the 3 task trial at the end was silly…it was neither interesting or challenging. I’m sure readers figured out the riddle before Feyre did. Beside Feyre, I didn’t find myself liking or connecting with any of the side characters. As the story progressed I started to lose interest in the characters and the plot. Sadly, everyone was two-dimensional.
I had high hopes for A Court of Thorns and Roses but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations. I honestly don’t understand the hype with this series. The world, characters and plot were all mediocre and the writing basic at best. If you’re looking for depth, a compelling plot, and multifaceted characters/character driven novel; look elsewhere because you won’t find it in A Court of Thorns and Roses.
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