A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

When nineteen-year-old hunter 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.

Review:
A Court of Thorns and Roses is gruesome, gritty, thrilling and utterly insatiable. This is Sarah's New Adult Fantasy retelling of Beauty and The Beast and, oh boy, can you tell. With every sexy moment there's double the blood waiting to be spilled and with every action-packed scene you can be sure there's a heated one to come and I loved every minute of it.

Sarah J Maas has a knack for writing books that are unrelenting. If you've read any of the Throne of Glass books (especially The Assassin's Blade and Heir of Fire) you will know that she is an author who will not hesitate to tear you to shreds - or your favourite characters - for one second. ACOTAR, as it's being called, is a book that will continulously throw you through loops. You think you know what's coming and then it's headed in a completely different direction. You never know who to trust. It's like sitting in a room with five people, four of them want to kill you but you have no idea who your saviour is.

I must admit, for a while after finishing this book I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I constantly wondered if I should change my rating and, honestly, I didn't remember a lot of it. I was so sucked into the whirlwind of Feyre's badassery (or idiocy) that I didn't have a chance to take in a lot of the details. The first half of the book was a little slow. I didn't mind this because, of course, with a new Fantasy series comes a lot of world building and it's a complicated world to learn but then after the second half the book picks up, and boy does it lift off. So, if you're having trouble getting through it at first and you find yourself wanting to put it down, do yourself a favour and don't. Believe me, it's worth it for the second half - and Rhysand - alone.

Rhysand. This wouldn't be an ACOTAR review without me talking about Rhysand. The first shirtless guy we're introduced to is Tamlin. Tamlin is 'The Beast' in this retelling and at first I fell head over heels in love. Yes, it is true, I was Team Tamlin for a while. But then Rhysand came along. If anyone is going to make you question yourself, it's Rhysand. He could confuse a nun. Let me tell you about Rhysand, my sweet cinnamon roll Rhysand, to good, too pure for this world. He's hilarious. He could charm the socks off Tamlin himself if he tried - which he probably has. He's badass. He's willing to fight for himself and whoever he believes in. He might seem like a hard shell on the outside, but on the inside he just wants to be loved. He just wants to be cared for. This is making me sad. I love you Rhys.

For those who are wondering, A Court of Thorns and Roses doesn't miss out on the same humorous flair that we see in Throne of Glass and YES, Feyre is a kick-ass woman. Actually, if I remember correctly, every woman in this book is kick-ass in one way or another. I'm definitely going to have to re-read this book at some point because like I said I missed out on a few of the details and I'll admit that I just miss Rhysand. Sorry, not sorry.

"Don't feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy"