A Court of Thorns and Roses book review

 A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2015

New Adult, Fantasy

After my experience reading TOG last year, I was initially hesitant to read another SJM novel. But after hearing a lot of good things about A Court of Thorns and Roses from reviewers I trust, I decided to give the series a chance. Though I don’t think I’m ever going to be a SJM superfan, I can happily say I had a (mostly) fun time reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and look forward to what the following books will bring next. Due to the popularity of the series, rather than write a full review for every book, I’m going to write a mini review and wait to gather my thoughts on the series as a whole until later.

Character-wise, I didn’t love protagonist Feyre, but this book seems like it’s just an introduction to the world. I personally found her to scream YA protagonist in all of her actions, but I also can see how she will grow as the series goes on. I will also say I didn’t overly ship anyone in ACOTAR, but I think it was a personal taste thing. If you’re into kidnapping tropes and possessive love interests, then ACOTAR is for you. Like, how does everyone love Rhysand? I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts and if he changes as the series goes on. 

Plot and action-wise, SJM knows how to move a story along. I was hooked from beginning to end and counted down when I could start reading again every time I had to put the book down. 

My biggest complaint was the antagonist, who really missed any nuance. Amarantha was almost cartoonish in the way she seemed to have no reason to act the way she did. Since this is the first book of the series, I hope this lackluster villain is building up to more.

Rating 3/5: Maas’s ACOTAR makes for a good introduction into her vast worldbuilding capabilities, and I’m sure fans of YA and New Adult fantasy will love this one. While I don’t think I’m deep enough into the series to recommend any of the books yet, I am trying to have a more open mind about the books

Lastly, I highly recommend @cindiee’s videos about ACOTAR. I only watched the first of her ongoing ACOTAR series because #spoilers, but her commentary and criticism of the series is incredibly fair and hilarious!