May 6, 2015

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

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling 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!


And so begins the insidious task of reviewing a the most incredible book ever! What can I say that hasn't already been said by Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses? I deliberately avoided reviews all these months because I wanted to go in unhindered, I wanted no opinion whatsoever to have an effect on me. And now...now I am left struggling to put to words how truly amazing and awing this book was!

As some of you might know, I couldn't get into Throne of Glass, try as I might. The writing was good, but the story never grabbed me. But that was so not the case here. I was grabbed from the first chapter, from the description alone. A retelling of sorts of one of my most favorite fairy tales? And add in actual faeries to boot this definitely made the read all the more intriguing.

Now note, when we say Beauty and the Beast, we're talking the actual fairy tale and not the incredible awesome Disney version! LOL. But in small ways, Disney did get the story right and in a way, we see those same traits in Feyre, but they are not as clear as Belle or Beauty. (Seriously though, how vain is it to be called Beauty? And yet Beauty was anything buy vain. Weird.)

I wrote down all sorts of notes for this review, and yet I am hardly referring to them. I wanted to try to review this book a bit differently than my norm. But it's still hard. When a book with so much hype about it is finally yours and you've read it, it can be hard to put into words your thoughts and feelings. I truly loved this book. This book was one of the most perfect retellings of Beauty and the Beast I've ever read. And it's moreso that it's not a straight up retelling, it's a twist of sorts but it's still so amazing.

I liked that Feyre isn't the most loveable heroine to start with. There's a lot of hate between faeries and humans. And when Feyre kills one she is taken to live with Tamlin, a High Fae Lord and basically be his guest at the castle for the rest of her life. And right away we're seeing the makings of the beloved Disney tale. We know without knowing, that something is up but we don't know the details at all, because who's to say how much Sarah went with that! That's the always the most thrilling part about a retelling. You never know how much of the original tale will remain true to the new one. And I must say, I was still surprised with the turn of events.

Another surprising aspect, to me, was the romance and how deep it was. I was expecting a more ear grinning YA romance, but this was more of a toe curling New Adult one. I say New Adult because Feyre is 19, so she's sort of past the YA age, in my opinion at least. But it's not a graphic romance either, but definitely spine tingling all the same and I was eating it up! And yes, there was still a grin at my face, amidst fanning myself! LOL!

So basically what I have to say about this fantastical, mesmerizing, and stunning read was that it was purely magical and totally worth the wait! (Though I wouldn't have said no to reading it early either! Heehee!) Sarah has finally found a fan in me with this amazing read and I will be waiting with bated breath for word of the second book and then for the book itself too, naturally! If fairy tales are your kind of read that I wouldn't hesitate a second in recommending this one to you or hurriedly placing it in your hands and urging you to read it now!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars





20 comments:

  1. I finished this book yesterday and OMGTHISBOOK! I loved Feyre and because she wasn't the most loveable that made her so realistic and I loved this book so much ah!

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  2. I can't express how much I love a retelling. It isn't often that I find one that lives up to my expectations, but this sounds promising. Maybe I will order it after all. Thank you for the informative review.
    Suzi Q., The Book Dame

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  3. Great review! I still haven't read any book written by this author, but I hope to read this one soon-ish.

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  4. I can't wait to read this! Mine just came in the mail today. I heard it was New Adult-esque, which makes me want to drop the two books I'm reading and just breeze right through it.

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  5. I made the mistake of preordering this book from Amazon and that means that, of course, there has to be a delay of some sort in the midst. So my package has been delayed and is not going to be delivered until next week, along with some other cool shelves that I ordered. Jessica, I'm dying to read this book. And your awesome-filled review just made me fall in love even more. Remind me to come back more often lmfao! Glad u enjoyed this one and btw (I'm a super fan of the Throne of Glass series).

    Alex @ The Book's Buzz

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  6. I just read Throne of Glass, and I loved it a lot. I'm sorry that was one you couldn't get into. I love anything fae and adding fairy tale retelling to that just makes it so much better. I have this one on my to-read list. I'm very much looking forward to reading it. So glad you loved it!!

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  7. I have not seen one bad review of this book yet. Now that is promising. Happy you loved it so much.

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  8. I cannot wait till my copy finally arrives home, I'm beyond EXCITED!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

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  9. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Now I can't wait to read it either! Great review!

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  10. Aww man I want this book so badly!

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  11. Done with the book! I enjoy this so much. Happy were on the same page.

    --Dannielle

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  12. I didn't know this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling until recently! I loveeee Beauty and the Beast! It's my fave Disney movie! I am so intrigued because I LOVED Throne of Glass, but your review says you couldn't get into it, yet you loved ACOTAR! I feel like I'm going to love it!!


    Pearl @ AsteriskPearl's Book Blog

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  13. Bingo on what you said about Feyre not being the most lovable character in the beginning. I'm not sure when I started liking her but it wasn't right at the start, I'm afraid. Maybe when we meet Tamlin ;) I'm excite for book two! There better not be a love triangle -_-

    Excellent review, Jessica!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  14. I've been eagerly awaiting this, and have been avoiding reviews too - but I'm glad to see you gave it 5/5. That makes me excited :)

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  15. I think I've seen only good reviews for this book! I can't wait to get this books in my hands and devour it! I'm so excited!

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  16. I also wrote a lot of notes for this one and when I had to write my review. It was really long that I had no idea what to cut because I had lots of things to say!!

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  17. I was able to get it from my library and it was amazing!!

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  18. That is so interesting that you couldn't read Throne of Glass, but you loved this one! Was there anything that set this one drastically apart in the first chapter? Was it the writing style?

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  19. What a great overview of this book. You sound like you really connected with this story versus her other books. I'm curious to see how others will react because I've been running into a lot of people lately who didn't get into the Throne of Glass who have liked A Court of Thrones and Roses. Its cool to see her gain followers.

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  20. I have this book in Spanish, I'm waiting for my copy of ACOMAF in English... ACOWAR is just around the corner. And for some reason, I haven't started this series yet! *SHAME ON ME* I hear/read nothing but amazing reviews, and since it's from one of my favorite genres, I'm pretty sure I'll adore it. I love your passion while describing this book. Besides the 5/5 rating, I can totally tell you absolutely enjoy the book. So great!!

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