A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – book review

‘A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)’ is the first book in Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling fantasy series. The series incorporates elements of classic fairy tales, romance and high fantasy, creating a diverse Universe filled with fae, magic and complex characters.

Summary:

The story is about the Archeron’s younger daughter, Feyre. Feyre is a 19 year-old hunter that struggles to provide for her 2 sisters and father.

The Archeron family lives near the border between the human land and fae land. Our little girl goes hunting one day and kills what she thought to be a simple wolf but it is soon to discover that she actually killed a fae and now has to pay.

High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin, is asking for Feyre to move to his court as payment for killing his friend, the wolf. Feyre discovers that the fae are not monsters as humans believe and she gets to enjoy her time at the Spring Court.

During her stay at the Spring Court, Feyre gets to know Tamlin better and falls in love with him. She has soon to discover that an ancient curse threatens the entire fae realm and puts her in dangerous situations.

Characters:

Feyre: main female character. She is a brave, strong and independent woman. Her character is determine to survive and her hunting skills will help her surpass any challenge that comes her way.

Tamlin: main male character. He is described as protective and strong. He develops romantic feeling for Feyre and the connection between these 2 is deep and complex.

Lucien: secondary male character. He is Tamlin’s loyal and witty emissary.

Rhysand: The Lord of the Night Court. He is introduced later in the book as an enigmatic character who’s charm and intentions add layers to the story.

Themes:

Love and Sacrifice: the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin explores thems of love, loyalty and shows how far they are willing to go to protect the other.

Freedom and Power: The novel delves into the dynamics of power and control, both in personal relationships and within the political structures of the fae courts.

Courage and Transformation: Feyre’s evolution from a fearful human to a brave and resourceful heroine underscores the theme of personal growth and transformation.

Conclusions:

ACOTAR is the first book of a complex world with captivating characters that will transpose the reader into a magical world full of adventures due to the descriptive and vivid writing style of Sarah J. Maas. The story has strong female characters, a dark twist and romantic plots.

If you are new to the Sarah J. Maas universe, ACOTAR is the perfect book to start.

As I liked the series so much, I plan to do a series of articles about my personal impression of the characters, relationships and theories about them. Those articles will contain spoilers so I am inviting you to read the books first and then we can chat about them on Threads or Instagram 🙂