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

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Pages: 416

Release date: 5^th May 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales so to learn that the wonderfully talented Sarah J Mass had written a retelling instantly made it one of my most anticipated books of the year and in true SJM fashion, it didn’t fail to disappoint. A Court of Thorns and Roses introduces us to an enthralling world where humans and fae reside. An epic fantasy that had me entertained from the very first page.

Feyre was a wonderful MC, the huntress of her family she is the one forced to look after her father and two sisters, she had strength and determination; the sort of character you’d need on your side. When she is out hunting food, she comes across a wolf and kills it but the repercussion is a beast-like creature arriving on her doorstep to demand retribution for it; her punishment rather than death is to live out her life in the fae world of Pyrithian.

The wolf-like creature is Tamlin, not an animal but a masked, lethal, and immortal faerie who once ruled their world. Tamlin {swoon} was amazing, he’ll totally steal your heart; he could be lethal but he was kind-hearted, especially when it came to Feyre and his people.

We have a wonderful romance, it started off as hostile but ever so slowly turned into sizzling passion; it’s the type of romance I loved – their chemistry was smouldering off the charts when it happened.

The setting is wonderfully detailed and vivid, the descriptive tidbits we are given draws you in, you can envision the fine points in your mind. We also have mystery, I kept trying to guess what was going to happen or what the explanation would be but I was clueless, it was never predictable. I also enjoyed the action scenes; some parts were particularly graphic but written extremely well.

The plot was solid, the pacing perfection and the promise of more to come utterly intriguing! I was riveted by Ms. Maas beautiful writing and can’t wait to read more in this series. The world-building was strong and takes us from the human world to Pyrithian, it was filled with history, legends, magic and mystery. The characterizations were spot on and each play a crucial role in the overall story; the villains and creatures we encounter were evil and flawlessly written and I came to adore Rhysand and his cocky charm.

I couldn’t fault A Court of Thorns and Roses, my only gripe now is the wait for the next book!

About the author: Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). Starting in Spring 2015, her New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well. 

Sarah lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the California coastline with her husband.