EARLY REVIEW: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beastwith 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!

Release Date: 7th May 2015
Source: ARC from Bloomsbury Australia (THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!)
432 pages

My Rating

Sarah J Maas never ceases to amaze me!!! Of course, I had high expectations for this book because the Throne of Glass series was nothing but perfection. And of course, she never let me down. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! It was action-packed, wonderfully written and the characters; man, the characters were nothing but amazing and awesome. And another bout of good news!!!! Thank you so much to Gina @ Behind the Pages for letting me know that Sarah J Maas IS COMING TO AUSTRALIA. Okay guys, time to fangirl, hyperventilate and celebrate all at the same time.

Okay, I will try my best to calm down and talk about this book properly.
Let’s start with Feyre. The world is literally split in half; humans and Fae and they both hate each other. Feyre lives in poverty with her useless and spoilt, older sisters and her lame father. As the only logical one, she is the one to support her family, hunting and selling what she can in order to fulfill the promise she made to her mother on her death bed. Like always, Maas’ heroines are independent, sassy and kick-ass. They don’t take no for an answer they do everything they can to protect the ones they love. They’re not stupid or naive but calculating and intelligent. Already, Feyre was on my top 10 list of favourite heroines. Doing the most she can to hunt meat for her starving family, she comes across a large wolf which she kills. Soon, she is captured by a Fae and realises that it will cost her whole life, living in the Fae lands to retribute for the murder of the wolf (Fae) she killed. Her captor, Tamlin takes her to his castle/palace/amazing home and it is there where secrets are kept, virtues are discovered and where romance blossoms.

There are no words to explain the fantastic world-building that Maas manages to do. At the beginning of the book, we are able to see how this world maps out but not only that, we are able to feel it. It feels like we are really there. I could feel the fear the humans had for the Fae. I could feel how important the Wall was to separate the two. I could feel the difference in the different courts of the Fae Kingdom. In ACoTaR, she has managed to create this deep fantasy world where Fae politics is as complicated and ruthless as it can get. Everything was very real. In many fantasy books, we know how fantastical the world is but we are still aware of reality. In Maas’ novel, it is actually like we are right there. As in all of Maas’ books, I had immersed myself way into this book with too many feels. Coming back to reality was a hardship for me. I was literally in a crappy mood during school.

Tamlin is such a complicated character which I loved. I really loved how Maas used the permanent mask on him so that Feyre could fall in love with him instead of face. This book breaks the stereotype of insta-love and physical attraction in the YA genre which was refreshing. He isn’t a typical love interest (hot and shallow) but he has so much sides to him. He’s protective but his smart. Especially, in the later half in the book when it seems he isn’t do anything to fight, you still know that he knows what he’s doing. The romance was well-done and Maas does a great job, illustrating how far love can go.

I love how Maas structures the book with her unique writing skill. She sets up Feyre’s character and then her life and her world before delving into the Fae situation that completely changes the course of the book. It seems like a relatively easy thing that all books do but this one is done exceptionally well. Maas’ writing is so significant and special and her characters and stories always have a special place. Her originality is out of this world. What she can come up with blow my mind and takes my breath away as I just read and read.

In conclusion, this book was AMAZING and FANTASTIC! There is no reason why you shouldn’t read it when it comes out! It’s definitely a 2015 highlight!!!