A Court of Thorns and Roses - S.J. Maas [Review]

Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Published: 5th May 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars 

From the author of the Throne of Glass series, A Court of Thorns and Roses had a fair deal of hype surrounding it before its release. This can either set up the book for great success, or ultimately secure its failure by promoting unrealistic expectations concerning the book's content. In the case of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the book truly did live up to the hype. 

The book focuses on the story of 19 year old Feyre (pronounced Fey-ruh, as the pronunciation guide at the back tells you). Feyre's life has taken a turn for the worst since the death of her mother, and pretty much her entire remaining family members (2 sisters and father) do absolutely nothing to help her when it comes to, essentially, surviving. They do not simply refuse to help her forage for food, it never even occurs to them to actually ask if Feyre needed any assistance (which she could definitely do with). Basically, they need to get a clue.

Things go from worse to god-damn-dreadful when she must pay for killing a wolf in the forest whilst hunting - with her life, as it turns out. 

So she is hauled away by Tamlin, a faerie, whose kind Feyre despises since they ruled her human world a time ago, wreaking havoc and enslaving and killing her kind, the usual. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses initially follows the framework of the  Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, (similar to Cruel Beauty), however, the narrative develops into so much more than that. At the core it is a tale of romance, but doesn't fall into the trap of *insta-love*, unlike so many novels. There are also strong elements of action, horror and violence, which drive the story along, making it impossible to put down. 

The characters are interesting and complex; Feyre is strong-willed and determined (even if she is slighly dense at times, but not enough to make her unlikable), Tamlin is mysterious and brave, and Tamlin's emissary, Lucien, is quick-witted, multi-faceted, but also guarded. Additionally, across the narrative, characters develop, they adapt and change, the writing stops them from remaining completely static, predictable and boring; Feyre grows as a person as she interacts with her new acquaintances and explores her new surroundings. At most importantly, no single character is *perfect* - they all have individual flaws, which makes the writing far more believable, and the narrative far more human, even if the story does center around faeries. 

Ultimately, if you've been toying with reading this book, I'd thoroughly recommend you do. The story is gripping, exciting and climactic, and the main characters likable and complex, therefore making this book far more than just a fairy-tale adaptation.