A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is the first book in a 5-book series following the story of Feyre, a human girl who was taken to the land of the Fae and faeries, called Prythian. Feyre is taken to Prythian after she unknowingly kills a faerie disguised as a wolf to feed her family. As a consequence, a beast comes to her family’s cottage and gives Feyre a choice: to either be killed right there, or to live the rest of her life in the lands of the Fae. She chooses to leave her family and go with the beast, who she soon learns is named Tamlin, and is the High Lord of one of the seven courts. Over the course of the book, Feyre overcomes her fear and repulsion of Tamlin and his court, and learns to enjoy her new life as a free girl, before she learns that there is an evil woman named Amarantha that wants to destroy the peaceful lives of those in Prythian. 

When I started reading the book, I came into it with high expectations. Every book I’ve read by Sarah J. Maas has been absolutely amazing. They are all so well written, and each story and plot is extremely well developed and thought out. This book is no exception. I love Maas’ writing style; the way she makes a story flow together and feel complete. Following the description of Feyre’s life with her family, I was immediately hooked into the story and the characters. The book seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I had finished the book and desperately wanted to read the next one. 

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, the author does such a good job of conveying the emotions of all the characters, even though the story is only told from the perspective of Feyre. She is described as a fiercely loyal individual who would do anything to protect those she loves from harm. She is also conveyed as sweet and gentle, but independent and motivated when need be. At the beginning of the book, Feyre is extremely apprehensive of her new home in the Spring Court and remains withdrawn and vengeful towards Tamlin. However, as they get to know each other better, the ice begins to thaw, and Feyre finds herself falling for him. I loved reading about the development of their relationship and how Feyre’s mortal enemy turned out to be someone she cared about. Although she grows to care for him, Feyre remains independent. Feyre says in the book, “I was definitely walking a dangerous line, but I didn’t care. Even if he’d offered me sanctuary, I didn’t have to fall to his feet.”

Continuing with the characters, Tamlin is one of the most complex male characters I have read about. Within a heartbeat, he can switch between being sweet and gentle with Feyre to being a harsh, restricting leader. Although his intention to protect Feyre seems good, he quickly becomes a very demanding character who doesn’t treat her as his equal. This characteristic, albeit not a positive one, made him all the more interesting to read about.  In the beginning of the book, the Spring Court that Tamlin rules seems like the most peaceful and happiest place to live. It is full of flowers, kind people, and is in a perpetual state of spring. However, later, it is clear that there are many people that would like nothing more than to see the Court fall, and that the territory is very dangerous beyond the manor’s walls. Throughout the book, I found myself to be changing the original opinions that I had made about each character in the beginning. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses has received many awards and nominations such as the GoodReads Choice Awards and has been a New York Times best seller. A quote about Sarah J. Maas’ writing style by The Guardian says, “The way she writes is so delicate; perhaps the only way I could describe it would be as a piece of lace, so beautiful that it appears so fragile that you daren’t touch it.” In addition, this book has sold over 13 million copies and has been translated into 37 languages. To anyone who enjoys a fantasy thriller, I would definitely recommend A Court of Thorns and Roses.