Goodreads Synopsis:
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
Review:
Sarah Maas was recommended to me by the very first person I became friends with on Goodreads and I have to say I was not disappointed! I’ve seen ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ on the shelves but for some reason have never really been interested in picking it up…. I can now say that was a mistake.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is a refreshing new twist on a world where faeries, mankind and magic all overlap. The faerie world, Prythian, is beautifully painted through the eyes of the main character Feyre, a human girl. Maas keeps you well distracted in this novel as you learn about the faerie culture. Some aspects of their nature are not a surprise. They are sneaky, clever things that like to make bargains (which typically don’t end up well for the person needing to make the bargain…all very typical faerie behavior). But Maas also describes a different side of their nature, one that is personal and empathetic.
It is a simple story where love must conquer all to set everyone free. A very familiar theme that is done over and over again and yet, the depth of the characters and the novelty of the setting are more than enough to keep the reader flipping pages to find out what happens next. The true villain in the book is not introduced until close to the end, which makes this book more of a mystery novel and adds to the reader’s curiosity, hence page flipping.
Towards the end of the book you start to get a sense that there is a lot more history behind the character’s and events than was disclosed at the beginning of the book. Personally, I would like to have learned more about the past, which seems to be an integral part of the present (remember faeries live forever!). Of course, not any detail that would spoil the end of the story. But what about myths or legends of their gods? Or maybe a bit more detail about the history of the rivalries between courts.
The only part in the book that really snapped me back to reality was the level of detail behind what had to be done to get rid of the blight on Prythian. It was so detailed and specific that it just felt forced but I’ll leave it at that so as to not give anything away.
On the whole I loved the book and can’t wait to read the next one in the series!!!