Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Paperback
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Pages: 416
Date Finished: 11/04/15
Rating: 5/5
Summary: 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.

This book was magnificent. For some reason my copy was delivered to me from Waterstones ahead of the release date, but there is no way that I'm going to complain about that.  I think I've began to believe in magic. Not the fantasy kind, but that there is something innate and beautiful about the world that we live in. I'm going to sound like a crazy lady, but yesterday I was feeling pretty crappy, and not even chocolate could cheer me up (I know. It's mad). The next morning I awoke to a book at my doorstep, one that shouldn't have arrived for another twenty something days. It made me smile and made me feel better, something which only books have the power to do. A book which hasn't even been released yet.

I have to admit that I was kind of nervous going into this. I've been calling Sarah J Maas my favourite author for some time now, but it would be genuinely heartbreaking to find out that I only liked the Throne of Glass series and not her other published works. Sarah, I think you've earned that title. I was swept up into the world faeries and huntresses and could not put this glorious book down.

I don't normally like faerie books. I read The Iron King (I think that's what it's called...) and found it completely meh. But this... this was divine. The world building is rich and intriguing, and from page one I instantly wanted to know more--more about the different courts and more about the characters in them. Maas has a ridiculous gift for making me care about not just her characters but the story that unfolds around them.

The character progression that Feyre went through was beautiful. She started out as bitter and cold, but as the story progressed I think she became as epic a hero as Celaena (and that's not something that I throw around lightly). And as for Tamlin...

*swoons for eternity*

I think I may be a little in love with him AND Lucien AND Rhys and just about every male that Sarah J Maas threw at me in this wonder of a book.

On the whole, I don't think this was as strong as the wonder that is Heir of Fire, but ACOTAR is definitely a better start than Throne of Glass (which I still gave 5/5 stars to, so y' know...) Whilst I think that this book could have been a standalone, I'm thrilled that I get to have TWO more books with Feyre and ma boys.

The only thing that scares me is that the last book in the ACOTAR trilogy and the Throne of Glass series is going to be released in 2017 and I don't think I'll be able to survive that year. I've also worked out that it's the year when I do my A Levels/start Uni so I'm basically screwed...

Dear god/fate/Buddha/Waterstones/Royal Mail/Sarah J Maas, THANK YOU for making a mistake and sending me this book early. I love you.