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

Sarah J. Maas

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What Members Thought

May 01, 2023 Chloe rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I mean it wasn't *good* but I kind of liked it? ...more

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Feb 03, 2015 Becca rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-i-read

My review will appear on my site on 4/21/2015 at this link here.

I began reading this one right after reading Karen Marie Moning's Fever series (I HIGHLY recommend reading this), which is also about the fae in our world, but it's very action-packed and is a breeze to read. Perhaps that is why this book was slow for me during the first 70% of the story. While slow, I still liked the premise and the writing. It was as if I was watching a movie with beautiful scenes where the colors are vivid and po My review will appear on my site on 4/21/2015 at this link here.

I began reading this one right after reading Karen Marie Moning's Fever series (I HIGHLY recommend reading this), which is also about the fae in our world, but it's very action-packed and is a breeze to read. Perhaps that is why this book was slow for me during the first 70% of the story. While slow, I still liked the premise and the writing. It was as if I was watching a movie with beautiful scenes where the colors are vivid and pop out of the screen.

The writing style reminded me of Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter. Part of that could be because of the mention of various "beasts" and the fact that many of the fae wear animal-faced masquerade masks, so they resemble the characters in TMD in a way. The writing also reminded me of Moning's, because there were many similarities between this book and the Fever series, which perhaps could be chalked up to the folklore surrounding fae, which I don't know much about. I honestly did wonder if Maas was influenced by Moning though. Also, both authors tend to say what will happen right before it happens, they both provide visual descriptions of things occurring in the book after the scene has started (bad for those who visualize everything in their head as they read), and they tell instead of show sometimes. This is really just nitpicking, because I liked the book and the Fever series.

One key to good writing is to provide good character development via quotations. In too many books, I wonder why the male lead is so quickly attracted to the protagonist, when she's either boring or average. This time, we're given a very good answer,

"Because your human joy fascinates me-the way you experience things, in your life span, so wildly and deeply and all at once, is... entrancing. I'm drawn to it, even when I know I shouldn't be, even when I try not to be."

The last part of the book really caught my attention. The characters introduced at that point were the most developed and interesting, like the queen. I adored the anti-hero Rhys, and it's because of him that I simply must read the next book in the series. I wish I could explain why I love him so much, but I don't want to provide spoilers. Most reviewers are Team Tamlin, but I'm Team Rhys. Honestly, I think that for me, he made this book a winner. So much so that I want to read the second book NOW.
...more

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Nov 03, 2014 Melissapalmer404 rated it it was amazing

Book #34 Read in 2015
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (YA)

This is the first book in a new series by this author. Feyre kills a wolf who is really a fairy and must uphold the treaty terms and give up her life for that whom she killed. Tamlin, instead of taking her life, allows her to live out the rest of her life on his lands in the fairy world. He ends up treating her like a dear guest instead of the killer of her friend. I am usually not a fan of books with fairies in this them but ...more

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Apr 16, 2022 Karina | KooksBookNook rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 22, 2024 Anne S rated it liked it · review of another edition

Pros: An easy read, a memorable world with enough mystery to keep it interesting, some interesting characters with hinted layers, and I thought the action sequences were stronger writing wise than other parts of the book. And lastly, a lot of people who don’t like to read have read these, and I hope that gets them to read more (better?) books.

Cons: I found Feyre and Tamlin to be really boring characters and their romance to be even more boring/cheesy. Everything surrounding them (characters, se ...more

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