A Court of Thorns and Roses

PerFiction_ist Rating:

8 out of 10

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Sarah J. Maas's modern fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast lives up to its hype, delivering on romance, action, and excitement to create a truly engrossing read.

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These days I don't read many Young Adult books, given that I am now just a Regular Adult in my mid-twenties, with responsibilities and a husband, but this book took me back to my roots in the greatest way. Back in the day, I was at the perfect age to fully experience the Twilight and Hunger Games fevers when they took the world by storm and reading A Court of Thorns and Roses brought back that feeling of breathless excitement. However, it is definitely not a book for children or young teens, falling solidly at the mature end of the YA spectrum due to some violence and goriness (not overt or excessive though). I can remember seeing this series in book shops since 2015, but for some reason, I was never really interested. Until I joined #Bookstagram a few weeks before the release of the latest installment of the series, A Court of Silver Flames, and the hype blew me away! I decided that I had to get on the Maas train and see what this is all about. I am happy to report that I was both surprised and impressed by what I found.

The book is set in a realm where humans and faeries have had a long and violent history, with humans usually coming up on the losing side. Our protagonist, Feyre, is a 19-year-old human who spends her time hunting and trying to provide for her impoverished family. However, everything changes one day when she kills, what she believes to be, a wolf. As it turns out, the wolf was a faerie and Feyre is taken captive and must spend the rest of her days in the Fae lands as penance for her crime. Sarah J. Maas makes use of a common trope in YA fantasy here, where a "normal" girl, who hasn't been dealt a great hand in life, is thrust into the world of supernatural creatures and becomes irresistible to, at least, two very attractive supernatural men. Common though it may be, this trope works because it is wildly exciting and engrossing. I enjoyed Feyre as a protagonist and I found the other characters to be well-rounded and believable as well. While it might be advertised as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the author does not stick closely to the original storyline, rather using it as inspiration to create a unique plot and characters, with excellent results.

Something that I enjoyed seeing was how Feyre goes through a process of healing from the wounds of her past and is given an opportunity to experience beauty and brightness again, after the crushing weight and bleakness of poverty. I also loved Sarah J. Maas's style of writing and the beautiful, descriptive language and imagery she uses. There were a few times when I had to reread a sentence or paragraph over and over because of how beautifully it was written.

"It wasn't simply that it was the most beautiful place I'd ever been to, or that it filled me with both longing and mirth, but it just seemed...right. As if the colours and lights and patterns of the world had come together to form one perfect place - one true bit of beauty."

While the romance in the book played a big role, it wasn't constantly at the forefront. Feyre has her own mind and own motives aside from her love interest. I was surprised by how action-packed, unpredictable and dark the book was. It's gripping because it's about survival, not just love, and there were times when I was truly afraid for the characters. I was also delighted to find a male protagonist whose behaviour did not border on toxic, especially in his romantic relationship. A healthy relationship is almost unheard of in the YA fantasy genre. The author does throw a curveball at us later on in this regard, but that's all part of the fun.

"But I lived in that moment - my life became beautiful again for those few seconds when our hands grazed."

I must admit that in the beginning, the book was a bit slow, but things really picked up in the second half and I had a hard time tearing myself away. The ending came as a complete surprise to me, and it was so enjoyable that I barely want to say anything about the plot to avoid spoiling any part. What I can say though, is that A Court of Thorns and Roses is some high-quality fantasy and I can't wait to continue reading the series.

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First published in 2015 by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 978-1-5266-0539-9

Pages: 419