A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses
- by Sarah J Maas

5.0/5.0 stars

I was so sure that I'd be rating this 3 stars or less because a) it's fantasy and b) there was A LOT of hype surrounding its release that held my expectations high. I did however, cave on a whim, ignoring the little voices telling me that I would be bitterly disappointed, and relented to the opinions of those singing its praises. As it turns out, the first 30% of it tempted me with every page to put down the damn book without caring to know what happens next. The next 40% piqued my interest enough to keep going. The last 30% had my heart pounding and blew my mind.

"In saving Tamlin, I was to damn myself" ~ Feyre

ACOTAR is a fantasy re-telling of Beauty and the Beast that is set in a world split into two kingdoms; the Mortal Land, and the magical faerie kingdom of Prythian that is divided into seven courts, each ruled by a High Fae. The faeries are immeasurably powerful, immortal, and have condemned human life to one of poverty and weakness. Feyre is a mortal, fighting harsh winters and a bleak life to simply provide for her family. But she depends on her ability to hunt and kill which proves to be the catalyst for her undoing as she unknowingly kills a faerie, a crime deemed to be punishable by death, or submission to life in one of the seven faerie courts. Dragged to the kingdom of myths and mystery, she is forced to live a life under the watchful eye of her captor who is bound to life behind a jewelled mask.

Putting up a resistance, Feyre uncovers the truth of the faerie lands that is hidden from the human eye and ear, and as she begins to understand the life that she is now a part of, she begins to fall in love with the guy whose mask reveals only his piercing green eyes. After all, aren't the eyes the window to the soul? But his mask hides more than just a face. As secrets unravel, they raise more questions than they answer, and Feyre finds herself in a race against time to break an ancient curse that has condemned mortals and faeries alike to a dangerous fate.

One of my favourite things of ACOTAR is its world-building. World-building is the make or break of a book for me; I have to be able to imagine a vivid world that transports me to an alternate universe in which a stunning story evolves that makes me feel a part of it. Whilst admittedly slow in doing so, ACOTAR refreshingly creates a world that captures the imagination and it's as fantastical and magical as one would expect such a story to be. The pace with which the story unfolds is superbly done. The levels of frustration balance with the emotionally charged periods as we shift between action-packed moments and scenes that are constructed to move the story along. The characters are strong, each in their own right, yet flawed and it is their character development and relationships that flow with the plot that are probably what shines the most with the author's story-telling. The romance is sweet but powerful and carries this book from strength to strength through to its heart-stopping conclusion.

Ultimately, this book is strong in so many ways; the writing, the characters, and its multi-dimensional nature as it incorporates romance, action and politics. An infamous fairy tale creates the premise of this story, yet the air of suspense and mystery that enshrouds it to then build up to a sucker-punch climax, is testimony in itself to the originality of its take on Beauty and the Beast. And holy crap the twist with that explosive ending left me gob-smacked.

Credit given where credit's due. The fact that Sarah J Maas took me from entirely disinterested to running out to Waterstones to buy the book, mulling over the pool of emotions I was left to handle and counting down the days to when the sequel will be released, deserves to be applauded. It speaks volumes of her writing craft. Suffice to say, the aforementioned expectations were met.