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A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

Sarah J. Maas

Start date: June 22, 2015

Finish date: June 30, 2015

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What Members Thought

Mar 06, 2017 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, kindle, 200in2017

Feyre works hard to keep her disabled father and two older sisters fed and taken care of. She sets snares and uses her archery skills to get animals they can eat. She sells the skins in town, for what meager coins she can get. And she tries to hide the money from the sister that is most likely to spend it on new clothes she doesn't need. While Feyre doesn't long for the days when the family lived in their mansion, she does fondly remember painting throughout the cottage. Feyre has had to grow up Feyre works hard to keep her disabled father and two older sisters fed and taken care of. She sets snares and uses her archery skills to get animals they can eat. She sells the skins in town, for what meager coins she can get. And she tries to hide the money from the sister that is most likely to spend it on new clothes she doesn't need. While Feyre doesn't long for the days when the family lived in their mansion, she does fondly remember painting throughout the cottage. Feyre has had to grow up and do what's best for her family, based on a promise she made to her mother on her mother's deathbed.

One day, she's in the forest and fights a large wolf for a deer. She gets the deer and also ends up bagging the wolf. Unfortunately for Feyre, the wolf is from the faerie world. And when the master of the wolf comes tearing into her cottage, Feyre must make a decision--either go with the master and live in the dangerous fey world or sacrifice her family. She leaves the cottage with the master and ends up in a large manor house. She isn't exactly a prisoner, but she isn't exactly free, and while rules have been set in place for her protection, Feyre has never been great at following the rules...

I loved this partial retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I'm not normally a fae/fantasy reader, but this book completely drew me in and made me interested in seeing what was going to happen every time I turned the page. Feyre is a sympathetic character to those who have had to grow up quickly, or people who have to be resourceful out of necessity. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series--it's already in my Overdrive hold list.

Who would read this: ya fans, those who like fairy tales or retellings, fantasy/sci fi readers or people who like strong female main characters.
Time to Read: 4 hours
Rating: 4/5 stars
Funny Story: I have the paperback, but it wasn't until i borrowed the ebook from my library that I was able to get into it and read it.
Final thoughts: I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated--I cannot wait to read #2. ...more

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Dec 06, 2023 Rachel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-some-via-audiobook, read-some-via-ebook

I finally broke down with all the hype and read this book and .. it's definitely giving Twilight vibes.

Not a lot happens in the first half and I found the character of Feyre so whiny and insufferable. I had a really hard time caring what happened to her, which is the point of the whole book.

After reading ACOMAF, I'd almost say you could just skip this one and just read a recap. Yes, the books get "better", but you shouldn't have to suffer through a first book just for the series to "really get g ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Ketutar Jensen rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf, it-should-have-been-good

Might be spoilers ahead. Now, I didn't finish this book, so I'm not spoiling any end, but there might be some information here that spoils the story for you. Read on on your own risk.

I HATE Sarah Maas' heroines!

Feyre kills somebody and is to pay a life for a life.
She gets to choose whether she dies in front of her family, or goes to the fairyland and never sees her family again, giving her life to the fairies as compensation for the life she took.
She chooses to live.
And starts immediately to Might be spoilers ahead. Now, I didn't finish this book, so I'm not spoiling any end, but there might be some information here that spoils the story for you. Read on on your own risk.

I HATE Sarah Maas' heroines!

Feyre kills somebody and is to pay a life for a life.
She gets to choose whether she dies in front of her family, or goes to the fairyland and never sees her family again, giving her life to the fairies as compensation for the life she took.
She chooses to live.
And starts immediately to whine about it.

The fairy is doing his best to give her as nice a life in the fairyland as he can, and does a good job, but she is whining and moping and trying to get away from the deal. He does nothing but nice things to her, and she complains. He tells her to do things for her own safety and wellbeing, and she disobeys, and when the shit hits the fan, she blames him for it.
I mean, she says she worries about her family, that they can't survive without her, and the fairy tells her they are being provided for, but only for as long as she stays put in the fairyland. He tells her that there's a reasonable cover story in place, and that the people aren't worried about her.
What she does is start whining because her sisters who despised and bullied her, don't care about her, and her father who was too weak to do anything to defend her, save her, protect her, didn't defend and protect her (from the consequences of her own actions) and doesn't come to save her. HOW, miss Feyre, HOW COULD HE?! He's an old, crippled, poor man with no friends or influence in the world, HOW COULD HE COME AND RESCUE YOU? HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU ARE! And all that is the fairy's fault. He's being mean for keeping her away from her family, it's his fault that the people who didn't care about her before, don't care about her now. Geesh!

She's 19 and basically grown in a barrel, but she is smarter than the fairies and everyone falls in love with her, because she's... what ever. I suppose it's because she's a marysue, and smells irresistible or something. I don't know. We are supposed to believe she's all that, and when in Throne of Glass Sarah told us her heroine is all that, here she tries at least to make her heroine do some stuff to explain her amazingness. Fails, though, because some staged shows of how smart and kind and noble she is, can't outweigh how she behaves and reasons the rest of the time.

And the constant "I'm not as pretty as...", "i'm not as good a painter as..." Stop comparing yourself to others and learn to take a compliment!

The writing is OK in my mind, the story is interesting, but Feyre is just too much. Life is too short to read books you don't like, and there's enough books you like in the world to DNF books that irk you. ...more

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Jun 08, 2024 Tonia rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars but rated 3, If Feyre would have been a bit more likeable as a character, this would maybe even be a 5 star read, The world and story is very interesting. I just found myself almost stopping reading due to the things Feyre would say and do. I do want to read the next book and hope her character has "settled down a bit" with the attitude. lol ...more

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Apr 27, 2023 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a delightful escape read

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Feb 05, 2021 Kat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021

It has been a long drought for me and YA fantasies... but this was a phenomenal reintroduction!

Sarah Maas’ writing style is go, go, go. There was never a dull moment in the whole book. Even when there wasn’t anything really happening! Great story, great writing. Loved it and cant wait to start book 2!!!

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