Shelia R. (MamaDragon3) -
Helpful Score: 2
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was hesitant to read this book, as I was skeptical that Sarah J. Maas could write another series as good as her Throne of Glass books. I still was skeptical when starting the book and discovering it was similar to a Beauty and the Beast tale. While I'm not generally a fan of fairy tale re-tellings, Maas blew my skepticism away, and by the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down! (Note--I do say by the middle, because this book was a little harder to get into than her Throne of Glass series for me.)
There were some small problems with the book, such as the slow pacing and the explanation of Tamlin's curse to Feyre, but the story was interesting enough that I had to find out how it ended. Also, while this book is supposed to be the start of a series, this volume could almost be a stand-alone book as the story comes to a nice stopping point at the end. There are still a few unanswered questions, though, such as Feyre's deal with Rhys of the Night Court that will keep readers coming back for more. All in all, not quite as good as Throne of Glass, but definitely worth the read!
From a librarian's perspective, this book is more adult than YA. It would best be classified as New Adult, as it contains graphic violence and a very steamy night between Tamlin and Feyre as they consummate their relationship. Fans of Throne of Glass should be cautioned that this is not the same kind of novel.
I was hesitant to read this book, as I was skeptical that Sarah J. Maas could write another series as good as her Throne of Glass books. I still was skeptical when starting the book and discovering it was similar to a Beauty and the Beast tale. While I'm not generally a fan of fairy tale re-tellings, Maas blew my skepticism away, and by the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down! (Note--I do say by the middle, because this book was a little harder to get into than her Throne of Glass series for me.)
There were some small problems with the book, such as the slow pacing and the explanation of Tamlin's curse to Feyre, but the story was interesting enough that I had to find out how it ended. Also, while this book is supposed to be the start of a series, this volume could almost be a stand-alone book as the story comes to a nice stopping point at the end. There are still a few unanswered questions, though, such as Feyre's deal with Rhys of the Night Court that will keep readers coming back for more. All in all, not quite as good as Throne of Glass, but definitely worth the read!
From a librarian's perspective, this book is more adult than YA. It would best be classified as New Adult, as it contains graphic violence and a very steamy night between Tamlin and Feyre as they consummate their relationship. Fans of Throne of Glass should be cautioned that this is not the same kind of novel.
Kristin P. (inallkaps) reviewed A Court of Thorns and Roses (Court of Thorns and Roses, Bk 1) on + 2 more book reviews
Wow. Um. So, my thoughts on this book are so all over the place. I have it 3 stars.. Maybe 3.5! Because of the one character whom I loved! But other than that this writing was not Maas usual style. It was jagged and rough, hard to follow and boring at some bits. The world was very under developed and I feel like the mystery element that was put into place just made the book slightly dull and confusing.. I have hopes for Maas to grow in her ability to write new adult, but this book was a rough beginning...
Angie S. (mspoet569) reviewed A Court of Thorns and Roses (Court of Thorns and Roses, Bk 1) on + 42 more book reviews
All across the reading blogosphere, this book is being talked about. Not only this book, but also the sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury. I'm usually not one to blindly follow the masses, but between all the hype, the daily recommendation to read this book, and of course that stunning cover, I meandered to my local Barnes and Noble and bought the book. My TBR list is about 10 miles long already, so I absentmindedly put A Court of Thorns and Roses on a shelf until I could get to it. I'm currently in the middle of a LONG series, and decided to read a book in between each series book, so that I could remember all the details without getting too bored. And without needing and FURTHER recommendation, I decided to pick up the start of something amazing.
I am absolutely unfamiliar with Sarah J Maas. Although, looking into some of her info I did come to realize she's a fellow Pennsylvanian. I typically do not read the synopsis on the back of books, just so that I won't be let down. This also goes for author information. Only when am I hooked and dragged into a story to I really research the author, in hopes that there are other books for me to discover.
A Court of Thorns and Roses starts out like any typical book; laying the foundation so that you may know the main character (Feyre) and sympathize with her. Feyre is the main provider for her family. Not by choice, but for survival alone. Feyre lives with her two older sisters, and her father, all of which seem to take for granted that Feyre is the only one who allows them to survive. Her father is a melancholy man, apathetic towards the new standard of living his family has grown accustomed to. In previous years, Feyre's family was wealthier. Her father was a tradesman who would ship goods to and from. When his boats never made it to the far shores, his investors came looking for him, and disabled his leg, along with his ego. Feyre is left to manage the house and sees that everyone eats, and is well clothed for the long and hard winter.
Feyre starts every morning by going deep into the woods to hunt. She brings with her a bow and arrows, containing an arrow made of ash wood; you know, just in case she runs into a faerie. Apparently there are faeries in this book . . .shooting a faerie with an ash arrow will render it's magic useless so that you may kill it before the magic returns. Prepared for anything now, Feyre continues deeper into the woods, hoping to find a meal for her family. But what she finds in the wood, would help her family even more. While hunting a lone doe, Feyre comes across a giant wolf, one that may be a faerie. She shoots and kills the wolf, skinning it in hopes to sell it.
With her family fed, and new clothes bought from the wolf pelt, Feyre feels satisfied that her family will not need to eat for at least a week. Her satisfaction is cut short when a huge beast bursts through the door demanding payment must be made for the life that was taken. Feyre is given two options: to be killed on the spot, or to come to Prythnia, the land of Faeries. Having only lived nineteen years, Feyre decides to go to the dreaded land of the Faeries with her captor. She is put under a magic spell while traveling so that she may not find her way home.
Not being content with being a captive, Feyre puts up a fight as much as she can. She sets traps, she's mouthy, she's sarcastic. . . .she's amazing. What starts out with kidnapper and kidnapped turns into a more Beauty and the Beast type book. From despising all the faeries, and hating to live in a gorgeous manor, to having a vague understanding to what's going on in Prythnia. There's a "blight" that's slowly leeching magic away from the faerie folk. To a plain human, you couldn't tell the difference, except for the mask that permanently sits on their faces.
From hate to like, to understanding, and finally to love, Feyre finally accepts that she is to stay in Prythnia forever. That is until her host falls in love with her and decides to send her away for her safety. To find out what happens, I HIGHLY recommend this book, especially if you love being swept up in a story, with engaging characters that are stubborn and sarcastic, and has a heroine to die for. I look forward to not only finishing THIS series, but to buy Maas' other series too.
- 5 out of 5 stars! Really though, I'd give it 10!
I am absolutely unfamiliar with Sarah J Maas. Although, looking into some of her info I did come to realize she's a fellow Pennsylvanian. I typically do not read the synopsis on the back of books, just so that I won't be let down. This also goes for author information. Only when am I hooked and dragged into a story to I really research the author, in hopes that there are other books for me to discover.
A Court of Thorns and Roses starts out like any typical book; laying the foundation so that you may know the main character (Feyre) and sympathize with her. Feyre is the main provider for her family. Not by choice, but for survival alone. Feyre lives with her two older sisters, and her father, all of which seem to take for granted that Feyre is the only one who allows them to survive. Her father is a melancholy man, apathetic towards the new standard of living his family has grown accustomed to. In previous years, Feyre's family was wealthier. Her father was a tradesman who would ship goods to and from. When his boats never made it to the far shores, his investors came looking for him, and disabled his leg, along with his ego. Feyre is left to manage the house and sees that everyone eats, and is well clothed for the long and hard winter.
Feyre starts every morning by going deep into the woods to hunt. She brings with her a bow and arrows, containing an arrow made of ash wood; you know, just in case she runs into a faerie. Apparently there are faeries in this book . . .shooting a faerie with an ash arrow will render it's magic useless so that you may kill it before the magic returns. Prepared for anything now, Feyre continues deeper into the woods, hoping to find a meal for her family. But what she finds in the wood, would help her family even more. While hunting a lone doe, Feyre comes across a giant wolf, one that may be a faerie. She shoots and kills the wolf, skinning it in hopes to sell it.
With her family fed, and new clothes bought from the wolf pelt, Feyre feels satisfied that her family will not need to eat for at least a week. Her satisfaction is cut short when a huge beast bursts through the door demanding payment must be made for the life that was taken. Feyre is given two options: to be killed on the spot, or to come to Prythnia, the land of Faeries. Having only lived nineteen years, Feyre decides to go to the dreaded land of the Faeries with her captor. She is put under a magic spell while traveling so that she may not find her way home.
Not being content with being a captive, Feyre puts up a fight as much as she can. She sets traps, she's mouthy, she's sarcastic. . . .she's amazing. What starts out with kidnapper and kidnapped turns into a more Beauty and the Beast type book. From despising all the faeries, and hating to live in a gorgeous manor, to having a vague understanding to what's going on in Prythnia. There's a "blight" that's slowly leeching magic away from the faerie folk. To a plain human, you couldn't tell the difference, except for the mask that permanently sits on their faces.
From hate to like, to understanding, and finally to love, Feyre finally accepts that she is to stay in Prythnia forever. That is until her host falls in love with her and decides to send her away for her safety. To find out what happens, I HIGHLY recommend this book, especially if you love being swept up in a story, with engaging characters that are stubborn and sarcastic, and has a heroine to die for. I look forward to not only finishing THIS series, but to buy Maas' other series too.
- 5 out of 5 stars! Really though, I'd give it 10!
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed A Court of Thorns and Roses (Court of Thorns and Roses, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
I enjoyed this well done fantasy novel but not quite as much as Maas's Glass Throne series. This series isn't really YA, it's more new adult or just plain adult...mostly because of the somewhat explicit sex scenes and torture throughout.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. The narrator does a great job distinguishing between character voices and conveying emotion. My only complaint is that sometimes Feyre sounds a bit too whiny and dramatic at times and I had trouble telling whether that was the narration or the writing.
This story is a blending of Beauty and the Beast and TamLin fairy tales. The beginning of the book reminds me a lot of Disney's Beauty and the Beast; there are just a lot of scenes in the book that seem to pull from that movie. However, this is not a Disney story...it is much darker than that with a lot of death, torture, and cruelty throughout.
I really enjoyed some of the male characters in the book. Tamlin, Lucien, and Rhysand are wonderful characters. You don't meet them until quite a bit into the story but they have a lot of depth to them and interesting backgrounds. Tamlin is the main male lead and, although you see a lot of him in the beginning of the book, he kind of fades to the background as the story continues. My favorite character of the book was Rhysand; he is so cruel and kind and smart and conniving. He's just such a contradiction of things and I want to get to know and understand him better.
My main complaint with this book is the heroine, Feyre. At the beginning of the story I admired her strength in providing for her family and her courage. However, as the story continued she was just so stupid about everything. She was stupid about Tamlin's curse, she was stupid about the deals she made with the fey queen, she was stupid about the riddle she was supposed to solve, and she was stupid about how she treated Rhysand.
I understand that not every heroine can be smart...but come on...does she have to be as dumb as rocks about everything? I seriously wanted to throttle Feyre at many points in the story. Rather than being upset at her situation I was constantly thinking...you dumb girl if only you had used that brain of yours a teeny bit you wouldn't be in this awful situation. She is dumb and by the end of the book I despised her. I think she is completely unworthy of the surrounding characters and wish she had died. Okay...yeah...so I felt kind of strongly about that and that is the only reason this isn't a 5 star book in my opinion.....deep calming breath....
The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable but I still enjoyed it. It's full of adventure and magic and romance. The story is a bit more romancy than I expected; I didn't realize this was an adult fantasy romance when I picked this book up. There are some fairly explicit sex scenes in here but despite the surrounding violence the sex scenes are never violent. It's actually a bit odd how easily Feyre escapes any sexual violence given the violence around her.
The story wraps up nicely with a larger overall plot thread that will be carried into the next book. You could definitely stop with this book and feel fairly satisfied with the story.
Overall this was a well done fantasy fairy tale retelling. I enjoyed the story (although it was fairly predictable) and most of the characters. I was incredibly put off by how stupid and dense our main heroine, Feyre, was...that bothered me a lot. Despite Feyre I will most likely read the next book in this series and hope beyond hope that she gets an IQ boost. I would recommend to new adult/adult readers who enjoy fantasy romance with fairy tale elements.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. The narrator does a great job distinguishing between character voices and conveying emotion. My only complaint is that sometimes Feyre sounds a bit too whiny and dramatic at times and I had trouble telling whether that was the narration or the writing.
This story is a blending of Beauty and the Beast and TamLin fairy tales. The beginning of the book reminds me a lot of Disney's Beauty and the Beast; there are just a lot of scenes in the book that seem to pull from that movie. However, this is not a Disney story...it is much darker than that with a lot of death, torture, and cruelty throughout.
I really enjoyed some of the male characters in the book. Tamlin, Lucien, and Rhysand are wonderful characters. You don't meet them until quite a bit into the story but they have a lot of depth to them and interesting backgrounds. Tamlin is the main male lead and, although you see a lot of him in the beginning of the book, he kind of fades to the background as the story continues. My favorite character of the book was Rhysand; he is so cruel and kind and smart and conniving. He's just such a contradiction of things and I want to get to know and understand him better.
My main complaint with this book is the heroine, Feyre. At the beginning of the story I admired her strength in providing for her family and her courage. However, as the story continued she was just so stupid about everything. She was stupid about Tamlin's curse, she was stupid about the deals she made with the fey queen, she was stupid about the riddle she was supposed to solve, and she was stupid about how she treated Rhysand.
I understand that not every heroine can be smart...but come on...does she have to be as dumb as rocks about everything? I seriously wanted to throttle Feyre at many points in the story. Rather than being upset at her situation I was constantly thinking...you dumb girl if only you had used that brain of yours a teeny bit you wouldn't be in this awful situation. She is dumb and by the end of the book I despised her. I think she is completely unworthy of the surrounding characters and wish she had died. Okay...yeah...so I felt kind of strongly about that and that is the only reason this isn't a 5 star book in my opinion.....deep calming breath....
The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable but I still enjoyed it. It's full of adventure and magic and romance. The story is a bit more romancy than I expected; I didn't realize this was an adult fantasy romance when I picked this book up. There are some fairly explicit sex scenes in here but despite the surrounding violence the sex scenes are never violent. It's actually a bit odd how easily Feyre escapes any sexual violence given the violence around her.
The story wraps up nicely with a larger overall plot thread that will be carried into the next book. You could definitely stop with this book and feel fairly satisfied with the story.
Overall this was a well done fantasy fairy tale retelling. I enjoyed the story (although it was fairly predictable) and most of the characters. I was incredibly put off by how stupid and dense our main heroine, Feyre, was...that bothered me a lot. Despite Feyre I will most likely read the next book in this series and hope beyond hope that she gets an IQ boost. I would recommend to new adult/adult readers who enjoy fantasy romance with fairy tale elements.
Tabatha L. (tabathalantz) reviewed A Court of Thorns and Roses (Court of Thorns and Roses, Bk 1) on + 114 more book reviews
I loved this book! Can't wait to read A Court of Mist and Fury!
