A Court of Thorns and Roses

by Sarah J. Maas
Published: Bloomsbury Children's, 2015
pages: 416

Feyre is the only reason her family has survived their recent years of poverty.  However, when she accidentally kills a Faerie while out hunting, she must face the consequences of her actions.  She is dragged to a mysterious land she knows only from stories and nightmares.  Feyre discovers that her captor isn't an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries.  As her feelings for him begin to change, the looming threat against the faerie world grows.  It's up to Feyre to stop it, or lose Tamlin and the others forever.

I love Beauty and the Beast, but before this, I had never read a retelling of this fairytale.  Man, I chose the perfect book to read for retelling.  I loved reading this book, knowing a little bit about what was going to happen, but not how it was going to happen.  One of my favorite things about retellings is the incredible way in which authors take a familiar story and make it their own.  Right from the beginning this book exuded originality.  I loved the discord between the mortal and faerie realms.  The history between those two world was a perfect spring board for this story.

I loved that the "beast" part of the curse involved ornate masquerade masks rather than a true beast transformation.  It was a nice nod to that aspect of the story. The subtlety of the curse in this book was brilliant.  Because the story is told from the point of view of Feyre, the reader is just as blind to any hints Tamlin and his court might be dropping about the curse, which makes for a great revelation when Feyre starts putting clues together.

The characters in this book are so fascinating.  I absolutely love Lucein, for his charm and humor and his undying loyalty to Tamlin.  I love his snarkiness and his quick wit of exchange with almost everyone he meets. Feyre's character development is probably the most intense because the story unfolds through her eyes.  We get to watch her go from blindly hating the faeries to slowly falling in love with one of the strongest Fae.  It's entertaining when the narrator gets confused about their emotions.  Tamlin and Feyre's relationship is beautiful.  I love how their interactions slowly change over the course of the book.  It's a beautiful thing to watch people fall in love and be stubborn about it at the same time.

This was a great beginning to a new series that I will follow to the end!  Amazing story telling by Sarah J. Maas. (P.S. there's a map and it's cool!)

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"A gorgeously written tale as lush and romantic as it is ferocious.  Absolutely spellbinding."
     --Alexandra Bracken, New York Times bestselling author

"Simply dazzles...the clamor for a sequel will be deafening... Maas' Throne of Glass series has been a smash hit...this new series is primed to follow in its footsteps.
     --starred review

"A dazzling world, complex characters and sizzling romance.  Feyre is a charming heroine with a perfect amount of flaws and strengths, and her chemistry with Tamlin is wonderfully tangible."
     --Top Pick

An Eclectic Reader 2015 Challenge book.
A Full House Reading Challenge book.
An Alphabet Soup Challenge book.