A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) in Buddy Read with Elisabeth Paige

May 31, 2015 Basically Britt rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

In the beginning I was like: damn this book is pretty cool! But in the end I was like: HOLYMOLY this book is freaking amazing! I enjoyed this book sooo much and when I reached the final 10 or so chapters I just couldn't put the book down. Feyre is such a great character and I loved the way this story was told. GO READ IT NOW! ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Antonia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-books, i-own

I must admit that "A Court of Thorns and Roses" was one more book that I picked up because of the hype and its gorgeous cover (let's admit it -this cover is spectacular).

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" is the first book that I read by the acclaimed author Sarah J. Maas, and I'm so happy I did. I started reading this book while trying to keep some distance from it and not becoming overly excited due to the hype I've swallowed all the previous months. And yes, oh my God, this book was a great journe I must admit that "A Court of Thorns and Roses" was one more book that I picked up because of the hype and its gorgeous cover (let's admit it -this cover is spectacular).

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" is the first book that I read by the acclaimed author Sarah J. Maas, and I'm so happy I did. I started reading this book while trying to keep some distance from it and not becoming overly excited due to the hype I've swallowed all the previous months. And yes, oh my God, this book was a great journey. And you might wonder why I didn't give it 5 out of 5 stars but I'll come to it when the time is right.
First and foremost: Sarah J. Maas's writing. What an author! What a brilliant talent of describing the fantastical landscapes, the thoughts and the feelings of her protagonists and the raw, mesmerizing plot that kept me on my toes from the first page to the last. Throughout the book I felt incredibly inspired by Sarah J. Maas's writing style. She certainly knows how to write fully action-packed chapters and how to balance the plot by equally distributing love and adventure into it. I particularly enjoyed both the action/mystery aspect of the book and the romantic one.
As for the characters, I fell irreversibly in love with Tamlin and I also loved Feyre to a great extent. They both were strong leading characters with multilayered inner worlds, with an intertwined web of emotions and thoughts that will make every reader understand, appreciate, analyze and respect the decisions behind each character's actions. All the secondary characters were amazing as well and the villain of the story, Amarantha, was as cruel and intimitading as a villain can ever be. Because I've had a soft spot for villains since I can remember myself (as Sabaa Tahir quoted: "Most people don’t know: I’m in love with all of my characters. Even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones."), I enjoyed reading about Amarantha and I wished I had a chance to explore more of her past and the domino of actions that led her to become as evil as she was. I also fangirled hard over Lucien and his witty and funny remarks kept me smiling many more lines after he'd disappeared from the chapter I was reading at that time. I've got a tiny theory about Rhysand as well, as to why he didn't betray everyone (even though he did betray someone but not the one we'd expect from the beginning) and remained slightly moral until the very end of book. I think he's "interested" -and maybe even in love with?- in someone who is out of his league. Hint: this someone liked the cold, dark painting that Feyre painted. I hope the ones who've read the book just understood what I'm talking about. I didn't really liked the characters of Nesta, Elain and Feyre's father, but I hope we'll get the chance to learn more about them in the upcoming books of the series.
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. I was seriously sceptical over how I'd rate this book. The exact moment I reached the last page, I wanted to give it 5 stars, but then I thought about some stuff and couldn't really stick to this decision. First, the story was a bit predictable to me, but maybe this isn't a real flaw of the book as the story is supposed to be a retelling of the "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale. Second, I wanted more detailed sex scenes, no matter how shallow this may seem to some of you. The sexual tension that was hovering over Feyre and Tamlin during the first half the book was almost tangible and I wanted them to be together so badly that when the time for them to make love came, I felt... incomplete. Like Sarah J. Maas kept something away from me on purpose. Maybe she just wanted to walk on the borders of the NA genre, that's why she didn't dive into explicit sex scenes. But yes, I wasn't satisfied with it. Apart from these two things, though, this book was spectacular. A thrilling mixture of action, romance, horror and mystery, this book kept my interest and made me devour it in less than two days. Consider me invested in the series. I'll certainly pick up the sequel when it gets published.
I recommend this book to readers who love reading books in the Romance/NA/High Fantasy genres and to those who are in love with modern retellings of classic fairytales. The writing of the book was definitely worth 5 out of 5 stars and many quotes were beautiful and inspiring. Read this book, I'm sure you'll find many parts of it interesting and unique. ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Aya Serry rated it really liked it

WOW. this was even better the second time around.

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Mar 09, 2017 Samantha Clysdale rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tales

Review here https://beautifulfreeandwonderful.wor... ...more

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Aug 24, 2015 Leah rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-books

took me forever but loved it!!!!!

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Apr 22, 2015 Maria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2015

SOOOO GOOOD!!!

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May 22, 2015 Amber-louise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the first book I've read by Sarah but will be starting the Throne of Glass series VERY soon!
Until Fayre arrived Under The Mountain, I would have given this book only two or three stars because I felt there was a lot of repetition and not enough action for a fantasy book, I found Fayre to be a bit annoying having to rely on others when she got herself into her own messes (despite being portrayed as a huntress and self dependent) and I didn't really believe in the chemistry between Fayre a This is the first book I've read by Sarah but will be starting the Throne of Glass series VERY soon!
Until Fayre arrived Under The Mountain, I would have given this book only two or three stars because I felt there was a lot of repetition and not enough action for a fantasy book, I found Fayre to be a bit annoying having to rely on others when she got herself into her own messes (despite being portrayed as a huntress and self dependent) and I didn't really believe in the chemistry between Fayre and Tamlin as it just seemed to come out of nowhere and actually felt there was more natural chemistry between her and Lucian (who is my favourite character hands down). However, the last quarter of the book was action packed, fast-paced and gripping and won it back for me. I loved the development and backgrounds of all the characters and the relationships between each. Liked the trials and tribulations that linked everything together and stayed consistent. The world building was fantastic and created such vivid imagery in my head that I really delved into it. The writing is beautiful and very well thought out but I do feel like some moments were skipped that could have been explored further, especially the relationship between Fayre and Tamlin. It just fell a bit flat for me and I didn't really believe in it and for a beauty and the beast retelling, I didn't really think Tamlin really filled the "Beast" role enough as he was pretty kind-hearted throughout. Rhysand or Lucians attitudes and personalities worked better for this role as there would have been more challenges to overcome in their relationship and it would have needed more input from both sides, more development that would have been more enticing and believable.

Overall, this was an entertaining and quick read that captured me and kept my glued to the book and i've been left wanting more. I would have preferred more action throughout rather than shoved at the end but that's what the rest of the series is for and I'm excited to see how this develops. Plus I need more of my Lucian and Rhysand :P

Definitely worth the read but a bit slow in places. ...more

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Oct 03, 2015 DeShea added it

Shelves: 2024-reads

This is my first Sarah J Maas book and whoa! The beginning was little tough for me, just due to world and character building. I went at a slower pace during that, but once the main character, Feyre, is introduced to the faerie world it certainly picked up and didn't slow down until the very end! I mean very end! I was addicted! The plot was engrossing and the characters were a mixture of emotions. I enjoy Feyre's sense of adventure, Tamlin is a tortured soul, Lucien is the comedic relief, but wi ...more

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