A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) in #ASeriesAMonth2018

Aug 21, 2017 Lindsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, book-girlfriends, steemy-sexy-romance, badass-heroines, badass-heros, favorites, shape-shifter-s, amazing-couples, poetry, book-boyfriends

Oh man this book is good! I wish I read it sooner! So good! Love it love it love it!

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Aug 01, 2015 samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

i just finished rereading this book after reading it last year and it's still Such a GREAT READ! SO CAPTIVATING, and I just flew thru it and now I'm going to go read acomaf again ...more

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Oct 25, 2013 Lizzie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairy-tales-or-retellings, favorites, romance, fantasy, young-adult, trilogy, i-am-so-shallow, made-me-emotional, great-main-character, great-supporting-character

For this review and more, go to my blog Big Books and Grande Lattes

When I found out that Sarah J. Maas was writing another fairy tale retelling, I was beyond excited. I thought it was so cool that she was combining elements from three different stories: Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lin, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. We all know Beauty and the Beast, especially the Disney version (That library though!), Tam Lin is a new one to me, but I was even more excited to see East of the Sun, West of For this review and more, go to my blog Big Books and Grande Lattes

When I found out that Sarah J. Maas was writing another fairy tale retelling, I was beyond excited. I thought it was so cool that she was combining elements from three different stories: Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lin, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. We all know Beauty and the Beast, especially the Disney version (That library though!), Tam Lin is a new one to me, but I was even more excited to see East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Arguably my favorite fairy tale. I'm a bit biased since it's a Norse fairy tale, but I also love it because the girl isn't a princess, and she has to save the prince. So the roles are essentially reversed! It's sad that there are so few retellings though.

Anyways... enough of my rambling.

When Feyre, a young huntress, unknowingly kills a fae, she must pay for her actions by living the rest of her life as a captive of Tamlin, a high fae. Even though there are truths to the stories she's been told about the fae, she realizes that not all of them are true, and her feelings towards fae, and Tamlin, change. And during her time with Tamlin, she realizes that the fae might need her to save them all.

Just like with ToG the writing was fantastic. The world-building was amazing. Everything was so descriptive and beautiful. There were many twists and turns in the plot, especially towards the end. Even though there were multiple things that I expected, I was surprised most of the time. The characters' actions made me want to smile, cry, strangle them, or laugh, depending on the situation, but no matter what it always made me wanting more.

I found the fae to be so interesting, but then again I do have a soft spot for them. There are multiple courts, and all of them are quite different. The courts that we see the most of are Spring, Autumn, and Night, and they are all very unique. It was interesting seeing all of them interact. I assumed that they would get along to a certain extent, but they tended to argue, especially Spring and Winter, as they have different morals and opinions of humans. Of what I've seen of the fae here and of the fae in ToG, I can tell that they're likely going to be different.

Going into the book, I expected Feyre to be more cold-hearted. It sounded like she was supposed to be a cold-blooded huntress, but that didn't seem to be the case most of the time. Sure, she didn't feel too much remorse for killing the fae, and she didn't have a very high opinion of fae at all, but she seemed to warm up to them relatively quickly. Tamlin, the high fae, was, like many other Maas men, swoon-worthy. He had a great mixture of strength and sweetness. One moment he'd be killing some other fae, and the next he'd be having a sweet moment with Feyre. His best friend, Lucien, was the funny one, and was always able to lighten up a situation when things got tense, which happened a lot. It was obvious that he cared about Feyre, since Tamlin did. And then there's Rhysand. The token bad boy. There was never a dull moment with him. And even though he wasn't exactly good, there were reasons behind his actions.

As with ToG, it's fascinating to see how Sarah J. Maas takes a classic fairy tale and spins it into her own. She took elements from these different stories: Feyre having to save Tamlin and things that go with it (I won't spoil it) come from East of the Sun, West of the Moon and Feyre having to be Tamlin's captive and save him come from Beauty and the Beast. I don't know of any elements that come from Tam Lin, other than the name, so I'll have to check the fairy tale out one day!

I think that for this book, Sarah J. Maas wanted to be a bit more adult, or at least that's the vibe I got from this book. However, I felt that it was still young adult. The only differences were that the characters in this book were older than those from ToG and that the topic of sex was a bit more open. Even though the characters were more open with sex, whether it be actually having or just talking about it, it was still relatively tame. Nothing was that explicit. Especially compared to other books that I've read, and I've read a YA book that was more explicit when two characters were having sex. It'll be interesting to see if this is any different in the sequel.

Overall, Sarah J. Maas took another fairy tale (or three) and spun it into her own gorgeous, unique story of her own yet again! She's created yet another fantastic world full of interesting characters. There were so many twists and turns that kept me wanting more. While everything ended nicely, there are still plenty of loose ends that need to be tied, and I can't wait to see how they end in the sequel! ...more

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Sep 07, 2015 I'mogén rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: series-need-to-finish

Okay... Where do I begin?

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a twist of farie (I much prefer this spelling ^^ ) fantasy, however, seeing as I only vaguely remember watching that film in my early days, I won't be referring back too much to it, as my knowledge is limited. Also, bear in mind that I'll be doing a video review for this with a section where I'll be talking in more depth, with spoilers... So stay tuned for that (I'll link it in the comments or somet Okay... Where do I begin?

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a twist of farie (I much prefer this spelling ^^ ) fantasy, however, seeing as I only vaguely remember watching that film in my early days, I won't be referring back too much to it, as my knowledge is limited. Also, bear in mind that I'll be doing a video review for this with a section where I'll be talking in more depth, with spoilers... So stay tuned for that (I'll link it in the comments or something).

The reason for the lower than average rating (2.5/5 stars) is that I found, specifically, the first 200/250 pages to be so slow, dull, tedious (even though I could read big chunks at a time) and it took me a long while to get into the world and what was happening. Even when the faster paced scenes occurred they rarely kept my attention for as long as they intended to and I found myself having to scan over whole passages more than once.

Bizarrely enough, I found that the sentence structure was very confusing with sentences feeling unfinished and jumpy, almost as if it were jumping from one trail of thought to another, so as you can imagine, it made my reading experience rather frustrating. I say this was bizarre as I've not had a problem with Maas's writing in the past and loved the way she told the story in all of the Throne of Glass books so far, so you may be able to see why this more ''unpleasant'' reading experience was rather disappointing, as a fan of her works so far. :(

I mean, the idea, generally, has some good credibility, the characters were okay (even though I think they could have been described better) but I think that maybe it could have been that the Disney retelling ALONG SIDE the mix of farie fantasy just didn't mesh that well in my opinion? I don't know....

I'm glad I pronounced a lot of the names right though, even if I was saying a lot of them in two different ways! :P

With all that being said, I do think I will continue with this trilogy, just because it should only be three books (so it's short enough to invest in) and I think this could have potential and I'm hoping the next books in the series will change my mind... I mean, it's Sarah J. Maas... She's gotta be able to change my mind right? xD

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! ^^
Gén ...more

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May 03, 2015 Dani (Dani Reviews Things) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books, paperback, read-2015, own-to-read, house-move-2021

QUICK REVIEW
A Court of Thorns and Roses is not just a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is an incredible, rich story about the lengths a person will go to for love. Sarah J. Maas brings to life interesting and detailed characters in a vivid world filled with humans and faeries, doomed unless Feyre, the main character, can break the curse placed on the ‘beast’, Tamlin. The book is filled with unexpected twists and characters you can’t help but grow attached to (or hate). It gave me one of the ...more

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Oct 29, 2016 Kim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in the series written by Sarah J. Maas and it follows Feyre who is a human huntress who hunts in the woods near her cottage in order to feed her family. One day she kills a wolf, only to find out that it was a faerie in disguise. Because she kills him, she is forced to live in the world of the creatures that she has been taught to hate but things begin to change, and her life, along with the rest of the realm are in her hands.

I loved every moment of A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in the series written by Sarah J. Maas and it follows Feyre who is a human huntress who hunts in the woods near her cottage in order to feed her family. One day she kills a wolf, only to find out that it was a faerie in disguise. Because she kills him, she is forced to live in the world of the creatures that she has been taught to hate but things begin to change, and her life, along with the rest of the realm are in her hands.

I loved every moment of this book! I couldn't put it down, and cursed when I had to in order to go to work (annoying, I know) but I was determined to finish it tonight so I sat and did just that. My heart was in my mouth for 98% of the story as I had no idea what was going to happen to Feyre in the challenges set by the faerie queen.

Feyre as a character was a little annoying in the beginning, she was so focused on getting back to her family as she needed to keep her promise to her late mother to look after them. It wasn't until Tamlin swore that they were cared for that she started to calm down a bit and I really liked her from then on.
Tamlin. Where do I start? I just wanted to eat him up. Once he came out of his shell he was so beautiful and sweet and dreamy! I loved him! Feyre is a lucky girl.
Lucien was a pain in the beginning but as the story began to unravel and we learned of certain things, I began to like him more and more. Towards the end he was almost lovable.
Then there is Rhys. Beautiful Rhys. I really wanted to hate him, and for a while I did. But then his reasons for doing what he did was revealed and he became that character that you hate to like, but you can't help it. At the end I really did like him, and I am interested to see how he is in the next book.
Overall I adored this book. I think I chose pretty good books that allowed me to fall in love with the genre that is fantasy. I am super excited to get onto the next book, A Court of Mist and Fury to see what happens to all of the characters. ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Fiona rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, ya-novels, 2017-read, all-time-favourites, 2025-read

Re-read 2025: I never reviewed it when I read it last, but it reminded me why I loved it before. Some suspension of disbelief required, though not enough to distract me from the story. This world just sucks you in ~ I know it's been polarizing since it's popularity in the last couple years but it just not irritate me as it irritated some of you!

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To be reviewed; amazing! ...more

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Jan 07, 2016 Albea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This review is super late, but I just wanna share my feelings for this book here.

When I read this, I didn't know that is a New Adult book. So I was a bit surprised with the sexy scene, just a little.

What I really liked in this story is Feyre. The lead female. She has this great love for her family where she'll do anything for them no matter what. Through out the book, she realizes some things about herself, and I like that (I'm really big on charater developments).

And Tamlin, of course. The guy ...more

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Dec 13, 2016 Leah Blacklock rated it it was amazing

This book gets better every time you read it.
3rd re-read I agree with my past self.

What an amazing book I read this book as fast as I could after hearing all about it everywhere I was late to reading it and thought it might just be another hyped up the book but after reading it I have definitely been hooked I had already started the second book as I am writing this review.

Feyre is not your typical damsel in distress. She is the leader of her family and a hunter. She does know how to fight but sh ...more

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Mar 29, 2015 Karen (A Simple Cup of Tea) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Full review at http://www.karenbultiauw.com/blog/201...

Sarah J Maas' newest series starts off with a bang for me. From the intricate politics of the different Fae Courts to the wonderful characters, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a lot of edge. I started reading yesterday morning and finished at 2 am that same night.

This first book feels more mature both in the way of story as in the characters. Nothing is truly black and white and every single character has flaws, no matter how ...more

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Apr 02, 2016 Clark rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This book was so hard to put down! The characters were so alive and the story was so fast-paced. I can't believe I haven't picked this up sooner.

I was totally able to relate with Feyre. Although at first, I was a bit reserved towards her character because she was a bit of a tomboy and I felt absolute shock when I read that she was not a virgin. I have this thing that I want the female protagonist to be pure and virginal and only have one lover, which would be no other than the male protagonist. ...more

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Jul 16, 2015 Tiffany Heywood rated it it was amazing

one of my favourite books! cant wait for the sequel! my very first sarah j mass book and its made me want to read them all.

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Mar 07, 2018 Christina Reid rated it really liked it

Feel like I'm the last person on the planet to have read this...
RTC! ...more

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Dec 01, 2015 Kris Ivy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sterlington, high-fantasy, political, books-owned, fairy-tale-spin

A great read that sucks the reader in through sheer force of its lead character. we once again have a strong female from Maas. This time, she is strong without being arrogant or vain. She is strong from nature and necessity and underestimates herself constantly.

re-read: This book only gets better each time it is read. The detail which seemed so beautiful before now means something beyond that external beauty. This series is perfect for starting over after each book because of the extreme foresha ...more

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