A Court of Thorns and Roses

After finishing the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, which was my first exposure to her work, I decided to dive into A Court of Thorns and Roses. In the last Crescent City book there was a crossover between two worlds, and at first I didn’t realize how important it was until readers explained that it connected with ACOTAR. Since so many people considered that moment a big deal, and because I had overall enjoyed the Crescent City series, I felt like I had to give this one a try to see what the hype was about.

Thus, my expectations for this series were high. I was quickly disappointed to realize that the book is written in first-person perspective, which has always been a huge turn-off for me. I have never truly enjoyed books written this way. Still, I decided to keep going and I am glad I did.

The backstory of our main protagonist felt surprisingly grimdark, which I enjoyed a lot. It gave the sense that this would be a story about rising from the very bottom to new heights, and that kind of journey always appeals to me. But as I kept reading, I slowly realized that the tone was closer to a fairy tale than the darker, grittier story I had expected.

The worldbuilding, as always with Sarah J. Maas, was masterful and never weighed down by info-dumps. If you have read my previous reviews, you know I am very critical of how authors handle exposition. I only bring up info-dumps because, when done badly, they throw the reader out of the story. Nobody picks up a fantasy book hoping to slog through a history textbook. Thankfully, Maas never makes that mistake. Her exposition flows naturally, woven seamlessly into the story, and that is what makes her worldbuilding so immersive and enjoyable.

My main problems came with the characters and how the story evolved. Feyre begins as the sole provider for her family, living in a world where humans despise the fae for good reason. Her actions at the start are gritty and believable, and I appreciated that. But what really annoyed me was how quickly she shifted from hating the fae to falling in love with one of them. Yes, Tamlin was kind to her, but the transition from hatred to romance happened far too fast. For me, the romance felt forced. I knew this was a romantasy going in, but I kept asking myself: was Tamlin really the right choice, and can someone truly fall in love so quickly after a lifetime of fear and resentment? The relationship never fully convinced me.

We are constantly told that the land of the fae is full of dangers for a human, yet Feyre overcomes these challenges with little difficulty. She is malnourished, self-taught in hunting and survival, and has no professional training, yet she manages to accomplish things many fae cannot. Clearly, this was written to present her as extraordinary, but it did not land the way the author intended. We do see Feyre struggle internally, but those struggles rarely translate into her external actions. She may doubt herself, but she triumphs too easily. At no point in the book did I truly feel like Feyre was in danger. This was one of my issues with the Crescent City series as well. There are problems, and the protagonist struggles on the surface, but somehow they always manage to triumph rather easily.

The side characters also felt weak, though I will say Lucien’s relationship with Feyre was written better than her romance with Tamlin. Their dynamic had more tension and nuance, and I often found their interactions more engaging than the supposed central romance.

Another problem for me was the antagonist. Amarantha felt exaggerated in her cruelty, more like a caricature of evil than a believable villain. Instead of fearing her, I often found myself rolling my eyes. The fairy-tale prophecy aspect also didn’t work for me. It felt forced and out of place, more like a convenient plot device than an organic part of the story. And I have to admit, I found it almost laughable that someone as evil as Amarantha could ultimately be defeated by a riddle with the answer “love.” Even more unbelievable was that hundreds of fae, many of them centuries old, could not solve it, while a nineteen-year-old human girl somehow could. For me, this was not a satisfying resolution and left the ending feeling weak.

On the positive side, the pacing overall was good. The start was a little slow, but nowhere near as heavy as in House of Earth and Blood. Once the story picked up, it was easy to get into, and Maas knows how to craft a story that pulls you in and makes it hard to put the book down. And despite my issues with Feyre’s believability, the “Under the Mountain” scenes were genuinely fun to read. For once, her shortcomings truly mattered, and her inability to read almost cost her life. Watching her struggle in those trials gave the story some much-needed tension and was one of the few moments where her flaws actually impacted the action.

Overall, A Court of Thorns and Roses was a mixed experience for me. I admired the worldbuilding and enjoyed certain parts of the story, especially Under the Mountain, but the rushed romance, unbelievable villain, and weak resolution held it back. I do see why so many readers are captivated by this world, but for me, this first book didn’t live up to the hype. Still, I will continue the series because I am intrigued to see where the story goes and how the world expands. I would recommend this book, especially if you are into romantasy and enjoy romance-heavy fantasy stories. But if you are expecting a dark and gritty tale, you will probably be disappointed.