Hello there, bibliophiles! Long time, no see! My apologies! My latest read was a new series and each book is pretty gigantic. Between a mass of pages, and… well… life, it took me a bit to get to the review portion of the program. I just finished, literally, minutes ago, and I scrambled to a computer to post what’s going on in my brain. Tonight, the topic of discussion are the books from the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. This is a popular series I seemed to be seeing all over the place, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about, and man, what a time!
**This review contains a few spoilers. If you have not read these books, or don’t enjoy sneak peaks into plot synopsis, stop reading right now!**
I had several of my book friends all but hassle me into reading book one, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and all I can say is THANK YOU!
I bought this series about a month ago but hadn’t touched it after having read some iffy reviews. People seemed to either love it or hate it. I figured I’d get to it at some point, but wasn’t in a rush. I saw it popping up in my Instagram feed constantly, and the more people I saw reading and raving about it, the more I knew I had to push it to the front of my TBR.
I knew it was fantasy, knew it was YA, and I knew it was romance. What I encountered is not what I expected. I loved the creativity behind the concept of this story. The world of faeries and mythical creatures existing in some way with humans was pure magic.
What I adored most is what Tamlin and Feyre learned from one another. Their hatred for those not like their kind was able to bloom into love, kindness, and generosity. Together, they take that love and allow it to overcome the evil that faces to destroy the new world they’ve been building for a brighter future.
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
I don’t even know what to think when it comes to A Court of Mist and Fury or this entire series. I love the story and the imaginative mind Maas has with these characters. I kept turning pages because I had to know what would happen next. I even grew to love Rysand. I’m just of the unpopular opinion that Feyre is awful, and it’s really one event that ruined her for me, and here’s why. It’s mini-rant time.
I didn’t see any reason for her and Tamlin to give up on what they had together. I thought their lack of attempt to salvage their relationship was ridiculous. Based on other reviewers opinions, they hated Tamlin from the beginning (ACOTAR) but I genuinely want to know why. I’m with Lucien on this one, because Tamlin made a mistake. So did Feyre. Things were rocky for them after they escape from under the mountain, but they push forward to look for the good in their future. Yes, they both changed, but to me, Tamlin was just paranoid and trying to protect her from future danger. He asked for patience, he asked for time, which Feyre swore she’d give, but the very next time he attempts to protect her, she breaks free and leaves him with no discussion (never mind the fact that she never spoke a word to him about the nightmares she was having for three months prior to this event). I absolutely agree he should not have caged her into his Manor, but I borderline hated her for the fact that she left him without even trying to fight for this love she supposedly had for him this whole time. She died to save him, and for 400+ pages in book one, she could only go on about what he meant to her. And if that were the case, I don’t think she would’ve left the way she did. Tamlin never did anything to her that endangered her to the point of fleeing a life with him (i.e. mistreatment by him towards her of any kind). Also, later in the book when Lucien and Feyre cross paths, she’s so filled with hatred and ice, when Lucien just wants her and Tamlin to talk things out. Ugh, my blood just boiled. Instead of talking and having some closure to grow up and start this next chapter of her life, she threatens death and destruction to the very people who welcomed her into the land of Fae in the first place. Keep in mind, that even when Feyre found out Tamlin was working (in his own way) with Jurian, he still did what he could to defend and protect her by pleading with Jurian to stop his attack on both her and Rhysand’s clan.
I did, however, grow to adore Rhysand. He was such a complex and wonderful character to get to know. To peel back his layers was quite an experience. Once I read about his love and mate fate with Feyre, I understood the connection and how deep it ran for them, but from beginning to end, I just could not get on board with her hatred for Tamlin. She could be something wonderful with Rhysand without feeling such horrible things about her past relationship. For a wise, new, badass faerie, she sure was a juvenile.
I can’t help it, I love both Rhys and Tamlin and I won’t apologize for those feelings. I am excited to see where this story goes, and I’m sad I’ll have to wait so long to find out (publication on book #3 is 2017). Whether I hate Feyre or not, at least there are two lovely Fae boys for me to enjoy.
I’m interested to see how you guys feel about the love triangle of sorts. Am I alone in my dislike of our heroine? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
