Sunday, June 21, 2015

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

Sunday, June 21, 2015
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!


22 comments:

  1. Pretty much everyone has read ACOTAR . . . except for me. I'm glad to hear it was worth the read! Now I definitely have to get my own copy. Loved the review and love the blog, Tiffany. :)

    Julia Anne @ Peach Print

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    1. You should, especially if you like retelling book! Thanks, Julia <33

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  2. I didn't love this book, actually, but I did enjoy it a lot more once Rhysand was introduced! If I could get a series about him alone, I'd be all for that :D And I will more than gladly ship Feyre and Rhys together for you lol

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    1. I think the second book would be mostly about him, since we only have a little of him here :) Feyre and Rhys does have a chemistry together!

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  3. I feel like this book could be a Beauty and the Beast x East of the moon, West of the Sun retelling, especially with the latter and Tamlin's thingo (I was cursed and if you only did this [which she didn;t but was close to doing] it would have undone everything, but we were not allowed to tell you bit). In any case, this was a really good read to me, too! I love the romance, the setting, and the writing in general. I do dislike the fact that she was turned into what she turned into in the ending, though... it would have been fun to see a human x fae interaction since there would have been challenges :/

    Faye at The Social Potato

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    1. I haven't read that book, but I'm guessing that the idea of the curse is pretty cliche (I also think that it's silly lol). I didn't like it too! I feel like Maas was trying to solve the human x fae problem using the easiest way out. And the process of it was too simple too for me :| At least we both still like this book :)

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  4. I seriously need to start reading Sarah J. Maas. ACOTAR sounds like it has wonderful side characters. I'm a bit confused, though. Would this book be classified as New Adult or Young Adult? Goodreads groups it as both!

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    1. Yess it is! I really like the side characters. I'm not sure either :/ Some people say it's NA while the other says YA. In my opinion, I think it could still considered as YA since it's not that mature.

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  5. GIRL I loved this book to death! Feyre was my girl from the very beginning, and oh Tamlin was just the cutest thing! Lucien was def a fave because of his banter, but the person that stole the show for me was Rhysand. I love villains, and he was absolutely perfect! He was aggressive, but deep down I KNOW he cares for Feyre, which is why my fingers are crossed so hard they're red, that Maas gives me the most epic love-triangle in the sequel! Great review Tiff!

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    1. Yes many people seems to like Rhys too! I like his cocky attitude, it always make me laugh :D And yes, the chemistry between Rhys and Feyre is hard to ignore too. Hope we get them more in the next book!

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  6. I just got this book the other day and I have to like seriously read it soon! I haven't read a fantasy book in a long time either, so I really hope this one will prove to be worth the wait, lol. Great review Tiffany!

    Anatea at Anatea's Bookshelf

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    1. I think it'll worth the wait :) Happy reading, Anatea!

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  7. Ahh, I definitely adored the awkward moments between Fayre and Tamlin, too! They were just the best parts of this book, seriously. <3 AND Lucien's also my favorite character. I just love his sass and snark. ;D I'm honestly not curious about Rhysand, though. I would probably push him out of the book if I could, but that's just me. :P Awesome review, Tiffany!

    Aimee @ Deadly Darlings

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    1. Agree! It make me grinning and ship them harder! I think Lucien's everyone's favorite :D Well, Rhys is a mysterious character. I suppose not everyone like mystery xD

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  8. YAY!! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this one too. :D Tamlin & Feyre have so many awkward encounters and it's just adorable. I'm ecstatic that this book doesn't have insta-love. I'd be so upset if it did, because insta-love RUINS books. The romance was slowly developed and sincere and lovely. It makes me dreamily sigh. Lucien is one of my favorites too! Beautiful review <3

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    1. I know! I didn't like insta-love either. It's unrealistic for me. I'm glad too that this book didn't have an insta-love! I probably DNF it if there's insta-love.

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  9. Yeah! I'm so glad to hear you liked this one Tiffany! I didn't like it quite as much as you, but I can completely see why you loved it so much. The writing and the romance were just absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ♥

    ~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage

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    1. Well, at least there's something that you like from this book :D Thanks, Zoe!

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  10. There's so much love for this book and unfortunately I still can't find it in local bookstores.. I'm not a huge fantasy reader but this really grabbed my attention. It's nice to know that it brought you back to reading fantasy. Great review! :)

    czai @ the Blacksheep Project

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    1. My local bookstore didn't sell this either! I bought an ebook of it. Our local bookstore is in serious need of improvement xD I used to read many fantasy, but I've been reading a lot of contemporary since last year. Maybe this book can make you like fantasy :D

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  11. Feyre totally got better for me as the book went on, too. Also: YAY FOR LOVING FANTASY AGAIN. It's sooo my favorite genre and I'm a little afraid of it dying out like dystopians have, haha.

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  12. I'm dying to read this book! Great review :)

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