a review: a court of thorns and roses by sarah j. maas

*All reviews are spoiler-free, unless otherwise specified.*

Can I just say... this is my new favorite series.

Seriously, it's AMAZING.

I'm going to keep this review to only the first book (the others to come very soon ;) ), as hard as it will be not to fangirl over the rest of the series. But here we go...

First off, I have to ask, why is this series in the YA section of bookstores? Um, cause it definitely shouldn't be. Now, I'm not complaining. As a 22 year old who still reads a LOT of YA fiction, I really appreciate the greater adult detail in this book. It was a little concerning, however, cause I wouldn't be too happy if I was a parent and my young teen picked up this series. Just saying.

But, as an adult reading this series, the more mature scenes only made it that much better. I didn't feel like I was reading a "kids" book like I felt when reading The Dark Prophecy (no offense to Rick Riordan at all -- I love him). It just strikes me as odd that the two can be placed next to each other in bookstores.

That being said, the themes, relationships, and characters in this novel are darker, more intense, and incredibly interesting. While I was hooked from page one, it did seem to get off to a bit of a slow start, with many elements of the story seeming too "fairytale-esc" for my liking. However, once finishing the book and especially after reading the next two in the series, I take back all of those initial judgements. I'll just say, everything happens for a reason. Some things may seem too perfect at first, but just give it time. Maas knows how to up the ante.

Pros:

The world of Prythian is amazing. As this is the first book in a trilogy, there is, expectedly, a lot of world building to get out of the way. But honestly, this was one of my favorite parts of the book, as Maas does an amazing job depicting her unique and magical world.

Maas keeps you guessing. I didn't see the end of this book coming. As I mentioned, it gets off to a bit of a slow start, but by the end you realize it was all intentional. We are provided with a false sense of understanding and security that only makes the end revelations all the more surprising.

The villains are truly evil. I LOVED this. Maybe it's a weird thing to love, but I'm tired of the villains that are idiotic--the ones that like to spill all of their plans and give the characters time to escape. It's just ridiculous and not realistic at all. That is not the case in this book. The characters are thrown into the nitty gritty situations immediately when they present themselves.

Feyre is an independent bada**. Feyre is an amazing character. I loved how she willingly took on full responsibility to take care of her family, always spoke her mind and stood up for herself, and how she takes initiative to fight for love at the end of the novel. She doesn't need anyone's protection to take care of herself, and isn't afraid to show it. It's awesome.

Cons:

I was not on board this ship. I can't say a lot about this so as to avoid spoilers, but I wasn't shipping Feyre with Tamlin all that much. It just seemed like something was missing--like they were mismatched.

It pales in comparison to the second and third book. This isn't really a con, but after finishing the rest of the series, the first book ended up being my least favorite (but I definitely still loved it).

Maas' introduction to the world of Prythian has you on the edge of your seat from the very start. ACOTAR is a gripping thrill ride with characters you instantly grow attached to. If you're a fan of fantasy, long novels, and intriguing characters you will love this series. 10/10 recommend.

Rating: 4/5 stars Series rating: 5/5 stars