Review : A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title : A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1)
Author : Sarah J. Maas
Genre : YA fantasy, retelling
Release Date : May 5th, 2015
Publisher : Bloomsbury

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A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

My first thought after I read this was, why didn't I read this sooner? It's been a long time since I read a fantasy novel, and ACOTAR is a great book to "bring" back my love for fantasy.

At first, Feyre was an okay character for me. I didn't like her, but didn't dislike her either. But the more I read, the more I seem to like Feyre. She's a hardworker and willing to make a sacrifices for the one she love. Also, she's witty too, especially when she talks to Lucien. On the other hand, I like Tamlin since the first time. He's basically a gentleman with this mysterious aura around him, but he could be funny too sometimes. Not to mention, his first proper interactions with Feyre was so awkward that it made me laugh

"You look...better than before"
Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Lucien gave Tamlin an encouraging nod.
"And your hair is...clean"

Talk about meet-a-human-after-a-long-time awkward

There are other characters too, like Lucien. He's my favorite from this book. On the outside, he's witty, funny, smart-mouthed, sassy with the devil-may-care attitude. But on the inside, he actually cares about other people, especially Tamlin, and--throughout the book--Feyre. Beside Lucien, there's also Rhysand. He only show up, like, the second half of the book, and like Tamlin, has this mysterious aura around him. But unlike Tamlin--who's not-so-mysterious anymore at the end of the book--Rhysand is still mysterious and it made me curious.

Eventhough it's fantasy book, this book is actually based on romance (since it's Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I didn't know until I finished it). I'm a bit skeptical at first, but Sarah didn't disappoint. I ship Feyre and Tamlin since the beginning. There's no insta-love, and they have some adorable beautiful moments. It's good to see their relationship grow from nothing to something. Also, eventhough I dislike love triangle, there's a little tiny teeny part of me that ship Feyre and Rhysand (I don't know how, it just happen!). They have some chemistry between them that's hard to ignore.

Overall, A Court of Thorns and Roses was a really great book. The only reason that I give this 4.5 stars was because I feel like the characters "distribution" isn't even. Basically, on the first half of the book, there's only Feyre, Tamlin, and Lucien, while on the second half of the book, Tamlin and Lucien are mostly absent (for a reason I can't spoil) and replaced by Rhysand and Amarantha. It seems weird for me, but other than that, I really recommend this book, especially if you like retelling!