Feeling a little f(a)everish? A Court of Thorns and Roses Review.
Okay, I admit it; I have a thing for books about faeries. It started when I was little, with all the usual fairy tales and really exploded when Holly Black's Tithe series hit the shelves. When I saw that Sarah J. Maas had written a book about faeries, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!
In a Sentence: Badass hunter girl has to kick the crap out of faerie mean girl to save her (almost) boyfriend and her world.
SYNOPSYS: Feyre's life sucks. Her dad's a cripple, her sisters are pretty useless, and even though they used to be rich, now her family relies on her hunting to survive. Feyre accidentally-on-purpose kills a faerie (disguised as a wolf), and gets sucked into Prythian, the faerie kingdom, to live out her life with Tamlin, a high fae. All of Tamlin's court are stuck wearing masks due to a curse, but after some time Feyre learns to trust, and even love them. Long story short, Tamlin gets kidnapped by the evil faerie queen who put the curse on his court, and Feyre's gotta stop her!
Corresponding Song: Raven by Do As Infinity
THOUGHTS: Oh man, do I love faeries, and Sarah J. Maas knows just the right, traditional things to keep while making the fae entirely her own.
I enjoyed this book immensely, but it did take a while for me to get there. The beginning of the book moves very slowly, and had a distinct Beauty and the Beast vibe that's pretty hard to shake off. Feyre's taken to Tamlin's manor and, thought her interactions with Tamlin and Lucien, learns to love the fae and herself. There's a slight touch of stockholm syndrome here because Feyre's personality and treatment of the other characters changes very quickly; However, all of this is forgiven once you reach the second half of the book.
I really don't want to spoil this for you guys, because there are some very decent twists and turns in here, but I have to say: the second half of the book is as bloody, violent, and dark as the first half is all rainbows and moonlight. The contrast is great, and the real character development doesn't start until this point. My favorite character, Rhysand, has more depth and emotion in the last 100 pages than all the other characters combined.
I will say that Feyre is not one of my favorite female leads. She's not as whiny as Bella from Twilight but she isn't as strong as Alina from the Grisha trilogy or Tessa from The Infernal Devices. Maas really did try to set her apart and gave her lots to work with, but as mentioned above the Beauty and the Beast beginning to the store prevents Feyre's growth as a character. There is hope, though, but I don't want to spoil it :)
Also, I wouldn't recommend this book for teens at the younger end of the YA spectrum, as there are some racy scenes and sex is a subject which Maas does not dance around. A Court of Thorns and Roses isn't a Laurell K. Hamilton level paranormal romance, but it could be if Maas wanted to be a little more descriptive.
FINAL COMMENTS: If you like faerie stories, and you like YA, you should read this book. I wouldn't recommend it for readers just starting to explore the genre, but if you liked Tithe, give this a try. It's a bit lighter in the beginning, but push through to the end - it's totally worth it!.