Part bad-ass feminist adventure, part steamy love story, A Court of Thorns and Roses kicks off a trilogy that is engaging and un-putdownable. Although it took me a minute to get into the world of the story, once I was in, I was ALL in. Are sexy faeries exactly the thing we need to get us through 2020? I would argue that they absolutely are.

Everyone is quite familiar with Sarah J. Maas’s work, especially A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. If you haven’t read the series itself proper, you’re probably familiar with her other serieses, THRONE OF GLASS and CRESCENT CITY (just released this year, to both acclaim and criticism). A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES has spawned many a Booktuber/Bookstagrammer, endless merch to denote one’s loyalty to Night Court, and many, MANY references to Chapter 55 of the sequel, A COURT OF MIST AND FURY. (Do I hate myself for knowing the chapter? Just a tad.)

However, there’s been some push for the series as a whole due to a new release of cover designs in both hardcover and paperback. And since it’s been a bit since we sat down with. Feyre, the star of the show, we figured now would be the perfect time to talk a deep, deep look at Sarah J. Maas’s interpretation of the Tam Lin mythos.

-- Wait . . . interpretation?

Yes! If you didn’t know? The Myth of Tam Lin originates from a Scottish ballad in which a young human woman saves Tam Lin from the Queen of Faeries, who intends to sacrifice him as a tithe to Hell on All Hallows Eve. (Wow, sounds crazy, am I right?) And believe it or not, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES isn’t even the most well-known interpretation of this myth – that title goes to TAM LIN by Pamela Dean. (Do I have a copy? Yes. Am I still reading it? Yes. Will I share it? God no, it’s a first edition that I spent 3 hours at a Goodwill looking for after finding it once, putting it back, and running back to the store in hopes that no one else grabbed it. I would sooner skin myself alive than share this copy with anyone.)

(Note, someone else will point out that Holly Black’s adaption in TITHE is by far more notable; I’m sticking with adaptions that name Tam Lin by name, which TITHE in and of itself fails to do. Also, real talk, try as I might, I just can’t really vibe with Holly Black. She writes amazing things, has crafted amazing worlds, but her prose just isn’t for me. So we’ll pop back to her another time.)

Note that I say, “interpretation.” Not “adaption.” I chose that word specifically because A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES does many things right by the mythos, but it also takes a few clear routes that don’t quite stick with the mythos itself. Whether those decisions feel right or not, we’ll talk about, but that’s just a note on the terminology.

-- Where Our Story Begins

I’m not going to insult your intelligence by recapping this novel. It’s been out for five years, I feel like if you haven’t picked up the plot as least through osmosis, this may not be the post for you. (Or maybe you’re here because you want to see me dunk on this book, which may or may not happen.)

But our story here begins with our protagonist, Feyre. We love highlighting protagonists here, and for the most part she’s your standard Not Like Other Girls(c) mixed with Family Martyr(c). The youngest child of a family fallen from grace, and the only one that goes out into the wilderness to feed her older sisters and disabled father. This is what leads into our inciting incident, and it’s her non-girly attitude and willingness to put herself in danger for the sake of others that wins her Tamlin’s heart and hand in marriage.

(Another note: we will be discussing the sequels minimally, but right now we’re isolating A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES and specifically Feyre and Tamlin.)

If you think I’m being mean, I apologize because that’s not my intent. In my years since reading this series initially, I’ve gone back and reread books 2 and 3 multiple times but nothing about A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES really endears itself to me for a reread. Feyre, as a protagonist, fits her story well, and while she’s not as flat as Bella Swan (pour one out for all the MIDNIGHT SUN pre-orderers out there, I’d sooner use my own spine as a walking stick than go crawling back to Stephanie Meyer), there’s nothing that really sticks out about her in this initial book. (I will say that I love the character arcs that this book leads into, and how she changes over time with the series, but as far as initial series starters go, I could take or leave ACOTAR Feyre.)

Notably, one of the things that departs from the traditional myth is that Feyre isn’t just an ordinary girl from the village – now she knows how to hunt and track and all those fancy things that bring Katniss Everdeen to mind. And if we were taking it at face-value, it would seem like it flattens the myth somewhat. She has an advantage that previous versions of the myth’s protags didn’t have, making it feel less like a story anyone can step into and more like something to simply entertain.

And really, I felt that way too. Until I realized that we were taking the initial mythos’ message on agency and simply adapting it for a newer audience.

-- Female Agency and Female Power Fantasies

We’ve spoken before about Female Power Fantasties, and what they do for female readers, and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES has it in spades. It also leans into the mythos’ main message of female agency.

In the original myth, the message was very much about the protagonist’s agency. Each time the protag goes into the forest to meet Tam Lin, she’s doing so of her own free will and her desires. In the myths where she ends up pregnant, she is given the option and assistance to abort. And the saving of Tam Lin rests on her desire to hold onto him as he changes into bigger and scarier beasts. It rests on her choices, and if she hadn’t made the choices out of her own desires, the story wouldn’t exist.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES really does its best to stick with the throughline of female agency, and pulls in from the female power fantasy as well. Feyre, despite being the youngest, is the breadwinner for her family and bears the weight of that responsibility. When she has to go live in the Spring Court with Tamlin, she now has the agency and power to do as she liked, knowing full well that her family was safe and didn’t need to rely on her to survive.

-- Bad Romance

Listen. Listen. I know that there’s a good reason that Feyre/Tamlin shippers are like, nonexistent, and that everyone feels sort of dirty shipping them in the first place after reading book 2. But of all the things I wish A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES would’ve done better on, it was the romance.

Which, really, is why books 2 and 3 go down like they do. But I digress.

Maybe this is because I’m a Big Gay(c), but I just didn’t give a fuck about Tamlin. In letting Feyre play out her female power fantasy in saving him, he really played second fiddle to everyone interest-wise. Like, his best friend Lucian felt like a more likable and interesting character, and I think it’s funny that throughout book Tamlin’s getting on his case for being fun and interesting.

Like, “Lucian, stop being cooler than me or she’s going to fall in love with you instead of me.” LMAO, I know that it’s for a good reason, and I def know the feeling of wanting someone to like me so I make sure they don’t meet some of my friends. But in that I just didn’t really care of Tamlin in the first place, it hits a different chord that makes it funny.

I will take this moment to dip into the other books. Feyre herself says in A COURT OF MIST AND FURY that she fell for Tamlin because he 1) got her out of her family’s house and let her come into her own a bit, and 2) was one of the first nice people she met who treated her like a person with wants and desires and not just the breadwinner. So it’s easy to see why Feyre actually felt like she loved him when he’s clearly not suited for her. (I mean, he was, until she fucking dies and he gets PTSD and neither of them know how to handle each other’s trauma and instead of talking about it, he starts abusing Feyre.)

-- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

So now, because this is a LITCAST OF DOOM review, we need to break it down into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good: It very much highlights the above agency and power fantasies for women, and in that aspect tries to stick as close to the myth as possible. Feyre, despite being the teensiest bit flat, works well within her story and has quite a few great moments. And if I’m honest, I love the fact that her initial motivation is to save her family – this motivation comes through more heavily the later books, and fleshes out her sisters better, but they lay some good brickwork here for that.

The Bad: I just don’t like Tamlin in this. Are we even supposed to root for any version of Tam Lin for a reason beyond him being someone the protag cares for? Honestly.

The Ugly: I haven’t mentioned this yet simply because there’s no great way to talk about it, but here it is. Sarah J. Maas looooooooves writing gratuitous sex scenes. While it’s not like an erotica novel, she’s very into her characters’ sexual freedoms. I’m not saying that they’re BAD, I’m saying that like . . . I’m very much not here for it. And the quantity (and gratuitousness) only increases with each installment. They don’t do anything for the book, save for giving people the chance to create cheeky fan merch about “””iconic””” moments. There have been some criticisms of these scenes because her books are listed as “young adult” and sitting next to the shelf next to less explicit books, and I’m often on the fence about it. We clearly don’t need the detail that Maas is giving us (dear God, I beg of you, please keep this level of detail in fanfiction where people put tags so I know what fic to skip), but like . . . teens are going to learn about sex. They’re going to look for it, and having an intimate moment or two in a YA book isn’t a bad thing. But like I said, please not at the level of detail Maas is giving.

-- Where Do We Go From Here?

At the end of the day, it’s an alright series. I appreciate it for what it is and what it offers in terms of creating a character who’s living her best life. Has it impacted my life beyond a few book boxes? Not really. Am I going to judge people for basing their entire lives and Bookstagram accounts around it? Only a little, and less than I do the Harry Potter fans, believe me 🙂

(On that note, I do wish that Sarah J. Maas had made a better effort to include more LGBT characters in this series. We get a passing mention and one “””reveal””” in A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN that basically goes nowhere, making it feel a little shoehorned in for the sake of being able to say “Oh, but I do have gay characters!” But that’s just me.)

Overall? 7/10, might not pass to family members but the books are on my shelf and safe from being donated . . . for now, anyways.

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This na novel is a beautiful retelling of the classic 'The Beauty and The Beast'. Feyre was a very strong female protagonist whom I absolutely adored and Tamlin was the strong but helpless beast in the story. I also liked Lucien and Rhysand because even though he has dark undertones to his character some good is still there buried deep inside. This was a very gripping paranormal faerie tale and I can't wait to read the next installment in the series.

I absolutely COULD NOT put this one down. I'll be honest... when I started it, I was bracing myself for a Beauty & The Beast remake filled with Stockholm Syndrome. But man, was I wrong. A Court of Thorns and Roses is sensational. It's imaginative and unique. It has a powerful female lead, a cast of amazing characters, and a setting you'll ache to live in.

4.5/5 Stars

Court of Thorns and Roses had been on my to-be-read shelf for ages, and I’m so thrilled I finally delved into the series. The novel follows Feyre, a 19-year-old huntress, kills a wolf while hunting to feed her family. When she discovers that the wolf is indeed a Fae, she is forced to exchange her life for his life by returning with Tamlin to Prythian.

Maas has a skill for writing strong female characters, for writing steamy love scenes, and blood-pounding action and danger.

I would have loved to see more action - other than the beginning and the end pages, the novel felt a bit slow. While I really loved the men in the story, the story feels a bit off balance with Feyre and three High Fae men helping her. More badass women, please! I’m hopeful this will change in the coming novels.

Sarah J. Maas has woven a fantastical retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I cannot wait to finish the rest of the series!

Many Thanks to Net Galley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Sarah J Mass for the copy of this book.

#ACourtofThornsandRoses #NetGalley

I feel like having woken up from a dream or an enchanted sleep after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. It is supposedly a re-telling of the classic Beauty and The Beast and of course it is relatable but so much of the basics have been changed that I felt there’s no comparison at all. The most glaring one is that Fayre is illiterate and is prone to see the world in colors which she tried to capture as paintings.
Prythian is a land of faeries, attors, monsters, beasts, shape-shifters and what not but it is also a land cursed. When Fayre is forced to live forever in the Spring Court under Tamlin the High Lord of the place, little does she expect that love will shine thru for the masked beast who forced her away from her family.
The first part of the book was slow-paced with Fayre’s feelings undergoing a massive change as she grapples with being away from her father and sisters and the love that grows for Tamlin. It is the second part of the book however that hooks a reader in completely with the action shifting to Amarantha’s court, the evil villainess who wants Tamlin for herself and take revenge on the entire human race for destroying her sister’s life.
This is a fascinating tale of love as Fayre tries to save Tamlin and his lands from the dreaded curse. I would have preferred more action from Tamlin as hero especially in Amarantha’s court where he becomes a passive observer to all the pain endured by Fayre. It is Lucien and even Rhysand who captures more interest as supporting characters. The first and the third task that Fayre had to face raises the tempo but the second task was a big letdown, I thought.
I am probably the only one out there who would be happy with no series in this enticing story but as Rhysand’s story is yet to evolve with Fayre, looking forward to continuing it.

Magically captivating!

"We need hope, or else we cannot endure."

Poor and starving, Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, throwing the events of "A Court of Thorns and Roses" in motion. She is soon whisked away to a magical kingdom far from home, trapped in a palace surrounded by haunted woods and deadly creatures. Feyre quickly learns more about the court, its magical beings and the dark curse looming above them all. The entire book is fun, but it really finds its footing near the 70% point where it almost becomes another action novel entirely.

The world building is remarkable and Sarah J. Maas does a great job with such an extensive setting filled with lore and magical creatures. The details are slowly revealed to us, resulting in a number of twists as we learn more. But with such an ambitious novel, there is so much left unsaid - I'd love to know more about Feyre's sisters and Lucien's backstory in the sequel.

With the handsome and mysterious "creature" Tamlin and his house of servants keeping Feyre captive, it's easy to compare it to "Beauty and the Beast" as an action-fantasy retelling of the fairy tale. But I saw hints of "Cinderella" as well, with Feyre left to care for her evil step sisters after their mother dies.

I also found "A Court of Thorns and Roses" refreshing in how it handled the romance, acting as bridge between YA and adult fiction.

However, for as much as I liked "A Court of Thorns and Roses," I didn't love Feyre. She disregarded any advice given to her and immediately dropped her family (despite all the claims she made about being their primary caregiver). But my feelings toward Feyre didn't impede how I felt about the book and I'm interested to see how she develops in the subsequent novels.

It's a great start to a popular series and I'm off to read the second book.

This is an extremely well-liked book that is the first in a series. I’m told that you must continue the series to understand how great this book is, so that is the plan! I listened to this fantasy, although I have previously sworn off fantasies, and it did keep me interested throughout most of the book. There were some exciting parts to this book but a lot of it revolved around Feyre’s attachment to her captor, which bothered me a bit. Because I have seen so many reviews on this series, I know there is more to some of the characters that were only just introduced in this book, so I will have to hold off my feelings until I continue with the second book!

This is not the typical book I often find myself reading, but I know many friends and family who have enjoyed this series so I thought I would give it a try. The beginning started off very slow for me, but that tends to be the case when I’m introduced to a plethora of characters in a short amount of time. It wasn’t until I was about halfway through that I found myself actually enjoying the book! I could see the underlying Beauty and the Beast comparison, which may have helped keep me intrigued long enough in the beginning to hoist me to the exciting second half. I enjoyed Feyre’s courageous journey through the entire book and I cannot wait to see where her story takes her in the other two books in the series!

Roses by Sarah j Maas
A fairytale retelling with a twisted end. Feyre took over the role of parent in her family. With two needy sisters and a depressed father it's what she had to do. When a hunting trip to the woods goes wrong her life will never be the same. She killed a Fae and now his High Lord wants har life as payment. Taking her with him to his Court. At first all Feyre wants to do is leave. She hated Fae and everything they stand for. But when she spends more time with Tamlin, she starts to understand them more. Even Lucian, who doesn't seem to like her much starts to open up. When she learns the truth about an awful curse she wants to help. But in Tamlin's eyes it's to dangerous. So he send Feyre home. Will Feyre find a way to free the Fae? Or will everyone be lost?

An intriguing and complex start to a fantasy series!

This started out rather slow and confusing, but once you become acquainted with the world its hard to put down! Based on the pace of the first half of this book, I really didn't expect the gruesome action featured in the latter half of the story. I'm officially addicted though and can't wait to read the second installment to the series!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This is my first real fantasy read and I was not disappointed!

I loved Feyre's journey from being the primary care taker of her family to having all the time in the world to do what she'd like. Feyre is a fighter and goes hard.

My unpopular opinion while reading this book was I didn't like Tamlin. He was okay. I felt like he was a flat character. And the ending made me like him even less.

This first book was a good foundation to the rest of the series.

Sarah J. Mass will not be stopped and I am excited about that! Once again, Mass has created a lovely world full of complicated characters coming to terms with an ever evolving world. Love, both lost and found, brings this story to life in a unique way that builds off of standard fantasy tropes and fairytales. I found myself blazing through this one.

Our lead, Feyre, is a young woman who finds herself at the whims of the Fae in a land that is divided in two: those with magic and those without. What happens when the magic-less Feyre is thrown into the world of the Fae? You just need to read it to find out. The twists and turns in this one make sure that this isn't your standard fantasy/paranormal romance.

5 Stars from me!

I was SO thrilled to receive a copy of this title thanks to Netgalley & Bloomsbury Childrens USA. Sarah Maas is just incredible and I had yet to dive into this series, and this was the perfect excuse to try a fantasy series which isn't my typical genre.

The characters and world created in this book kept me completely captivated and I know I will enjoy being a fan of ACOTAR, and have already ordered the next title to read!

Feyre was courageous, strong and stubborn - a fantastic female character I could definitely get behind. Add in a little bit of romance and adventure, written with great detail and how can you not be hooked?

4.5 stars, looking forward to what's next!

How would I say this.

I really love the story. First book I've read written by SJM and I am hooked all over. But there are things that made me give this a 3 star rating:

1. I am almost at the height of excitement and all my emotions are all over the place but suddenly the peak slows down. I almost slept in some parts of it. But thanks to the upward regain of that hiatus.

2. I am the only thinking on how illiterate Feyre is? No offense to her background. Riches to rags and she haven't learned reading or writing. No offense. But how in the world. (Yeah I should stop this).

3. I am so annoyed with her sisters. (Don't need to elaborate with it).

4. The epic riddle is so predictable. SOOOOOOOOO PREDICTABLEEEEEE.

5. That 3 trials is so unique in way (sarcastically). I will accept the first and last trial but the second one? Really? Just to pushed her emotions because of her illiteracy? SJM you can do more than this.

6. I expected a lot with Amarantha. So much. She is the evil queen you can ship. But what happened to you girl? One riddle, you run and scream like a baby girl. The fact that you hold the High Lords for years and you didn't planned anything if ever the riddle was solved? So what now? Na-ah.

7. FEYRE is likable but all you do girl is to fantasize Tamlin and almost with Rhysand. Really? ALL OVER THE PLACE.

I love the story line and its background.

After reading the book I told myself, "What problem could arise in ACOMAF?". But I got to see and read it for myself. I hope it gets nastier and more thriller

This was the Beauty and the Beast retelling I didnt know I needed!

One thing I love about retellings is that the story is already something you recognize, know, and love. I always liked Belle as a Disnet princess because she liked to read, and she was a bit of an outsider but still had a kind heart. The main character, Feyre, is definitely a darker version of that.

This story follows Feyre, the youngest of three sisters who is literally just trying to survive. Her family lost their fortune, her mother passed away, and her father was beaten so bad that he can hardly walk. Feyre's sisters are kind of good for nothing, so the survival of the family is left in Feyre's hands.

When she was out on a hunt, Feyre killed a wolf, not realizing that it was actually a fairy. Because of a treaty created between humans and fairies, Feyre is forced to give her life for taking one of theirs, and she's forced to go live in the fairy realm. I was not a fan of Feyre's family at all. They all lived off of what Feyre could bring to the table, and she was only begrudgingly helped when they could get money out of it. It was frustrating to learn about her family life, and I was actually excited for her to go to the land of the fairies.

The world-building in this book was so incredible! I found myself loving the parts where Feyre got to discover the lovely things about the fairy realm and a the little elements that made the place so magical.

I had so much fun seeing the parallels between this story and Beauty and the Beast. The entire fairy land is under a curse, and they are forced to wear masquerade masks, similar to the Disney version where they are all cursed to be inanimate objects. Instead of a love for books, Feyre has a love for painting. Speaking of books, Feyre can't read, and it was frustrating to me that she had all this free time in her new life that she didn't take the time to learn.

One thing that I enjoyed about this book was that Feyre was 19! I thought this book would have the feel of a typical YA, but having Feyre be an older character really set the tone. It made sense that she was old enough to want to and be able to provide for her family instead of relying on her older family members. There were also some steamy bits that made me really fall in love with her relationship with Tamlin, her captor and the High Lord of the Fae. Some of her decision-making was definitely reminiscent of typical YA books with younger main characters, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book too much.

I'm glad I finally got a chance to read this book, and I'm excited to continue with the series.

Sarah J Maas, the Q U E E N!!
This is a beauty and the beast retelling and man does it hit me right in the feels.
Feyre is a bad ass. I loved watching her grow into a powerful female lead in this book.
This is a series I lost sleep over while reading. I would wake up in the middle of the night needing to read just a couple more pages (read chapters) because i just needed to know where it was going.
My favourite scene is for sure her first challenge.
if you havent read this book yet, you need to.
you will wonder where it has been your whole life.
Move over JKR and Cassandra Clare, Sarah J Maas has arrived and she is taking us by storm.

I will admit, I had some trouble getting off the ground with A Court of Thorns and Roses.

The story is a retelling and I felt that much of the beginning was unoriginal. Granted there was the introduction of the Fae to give it a spin, but the basics were all there and predictable. The cursed Beast who is running out of time. The curse that keeps a masquerade mask in place on the face of every Spring Court Fae (instead of turning them all into animate inanimate objects). The Beast who is trying too hard to court the Beauty but doesn't quite know how to impress her. The right-hand man that's trying to give the Beast tips about how to impress her. The gift that gives the Beauty a way to spend her new-found free time. All the classic strings of Beauty and the Beast.

But, midway through, things changed. We meet some new characters, go to a new place, and start to grasp the layers that this story is built on. The Fae courts of Prythian are caught in a dangerous game of politics, diplomacy, and backstabbing and the fate of everything that they are is in the hands of one human girl. It's enough to make me want to go back and read through certain passages to pick out the bits of conversations that were definitely meant for foreshadowing.

I am super intrigued by one of the new characters that will have big role in the second book, and the reviews for it are stellar - so I'll definitely be continuing with the series.

Such a good story teller. The author does not disappoint in this tale and her flair for telling Feyre story just had me on edge throughout. I am certainly looking forward to what other secrets and charms will unfold in the next book.

This new edition is everything!

This story is serving some major ‘Beauty and the Beast’ meets ‘Twilight’ realness - and I had no idea that was something I needed in my life until now. I completely understand all the hype surrounding this book - the world building, the writing, the pacing and, of course, ALL the Tamlin. Brilliance!

It is safe to say that I am now a proud owner of a first class ticket on the SJM bandwagon. The woman is a queen.