From the Bookshelf of Bookworm Bitches …

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

Sarah J. Maas

Start date: January 1, 2018

Finish date: January 31, 2018

Discussion: ~2018 Monthly Book Discussions~

Why we're reading this: January 2018: Bitchin' Series Selection…more
[close] January 2018: Bitchin' Series Selection

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~2018 Monthly Book Discussions~

May 2018: 84, Charing Cross Road
By Megan · 6 posts · 90 views

last updated Feb 12, 2023 06:50AM

Dec 2018: Children of Blood and Bone
By Megan · 8 posts · 155 views

last updated Jun 15, 2022 08:27AM

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What Members Thought

Oct 02, 2024 Esther rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-loved-or-to-continue, author-female, e-book, zz-2024, __mine-and-i-m-keeping-it, fantasy

I normally avoid books with so much hype but several friends and acquaintances have recommended this book to me.
Then my daughter told me she really loves this series and wanted me to try it so I picked up a sample on NetGalley.
And enjoyed the first chapters enough that I couldn't wait to get hold of the paperback and bought the Kindle version.

My full review:
OK so this was bit of a weird one for me. Although I really enjoyed it and it easily earned 4 stars I definitely got the impression it was w I normally avoid books with so much hype but several friends and acquaintances have recommended this book to me.
Then my daughter told me she really loves this series and wanted me to try it so I picked up a sample on NetGalley.
And enjoyed the first chapters enough that I couldn't wait to get hold of the paperback and bought the Kindle version.

My full review:
OK so this was bit of a weird one for me. Although I really enjoyed it and it easily earned 4 stars I definitely got the impression it was written for a different generation.
The overall tone of the story didn't make me angry or annoyed but I also didn't quite identify with the characters. It didn't play to my opinions or emotions because it wasn't really interested in them - I am not the target audience. That would be my children (and their generation ) so I can completely understand why my daughter loves this series so much.

I felt this phenomenon most markedly in my attitude to the main character. I found her weak, naïve and disappointing. She seemed to stumble from one crisis to another with no inner core of beliefs, principles or emotions to guide her. Her only insights were for aesthetic considerations connected to her painting and nearly all her agency was derived from outside forces.
Heroes surviving impossible situations due to a stroke of luck or unexpected assistance is a perfectly acceptable plot twist but in this case it really did feeling like cheating or that our MC was simply a tool towards a greater end such that her identity was almost irrelevant.

Having just written that I am sure some people are wondering why I felt this was a 4 star book. And the answer is the world and character building.
The fairyland and its in habitants were brought alive for me. I was concerned about the fate of our protagonists and intrigued about the true nature of what was happening.
I may not have liked our main protagonist but her character development stirred my emotions enough for me to write the above paragraph on the subject.

Tamlin is the strong, silent type so I feel I barely know him yet and I love Lucien's loyalty and humour. But I have a taste for the bad boys (with a heart of gold) so I will definitely be rooting for Rhysand to play a greater role in the next books.

And yes, I will be continuing the series.

ETA I was warned this was 'spicy', even 'very spicy'.
It fact it was medium spice, with some background spice suggested and only one quite spicy scene that fit in perfectly with the plot development. ...more

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