In August, alwaysanswerb posted a review of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The review also covers the other two books in the trilogy of the same name. It starts with over all impressions before moving into spoiler territory. I stopped at the spoilers because I had been convinced to read this book and didn’t want to know! Having finished A Court of Thorns and Roses, I’m wishing I had put the whole series on hold at the library instead of just the first one.
In the beginning, Maas states a rule about this world setting.
But I’d sworn it to her, and then she died, and in our miserable human world – shielded only by the promise made by the High Fae five centuries ago – in our world where we’d forgotten the names of our gods, a promise was law; a promise was currency; a promise was your bond.
This is important because it is the base for many actions of the heroine, Feyre, a human thrust into the world of the Fae. The very beings she hates with all of her heart for their previous enslavement of the human race. Feyre, is taken captive for a crime committed, by the High Fae, Tamlin. As an enraged beast he burst into her home and delivered the ultimatum, immediate execution or life imprisonment in the faery realm, Prythian (Side note: It took me a while to settle into the name ‘Prythian’, my mind kept wanting to twist it into Prydain. I eventually overcame this hurdle).
And here is where the bones of “Beauty and the Beast” first emerge. A young woman imprisoned by a beast. Though in this version the beast shape shifts, however there is a twist in hiding his appearance when in man form. There are beats where Feyre medically tends to Tamlin and Tamlin surprises Feyre with his study (which is actually more like a library). And there is a curse. At first, Feyre utterly loathes Tamlin, hating him on instinct due to being a High Fae. But over time those feelings change, and along with the change is the burn of romance. Maas knows how to bring the sexy and build tension. While there seemed to be inspiration from “Beauty and the Beast”, this is wholly Maas’s creation. I enjoyed the rollercoaster of a ride as the story moved through action and excitement, intermixed with down tempo interludes, it has good pacing.
I completely agree with alwaysanswerb’s assessment about the faeries and world-building:
Sarah J Maas has a real talent for world-building and concepts. Her depictions of the fae in this book and in her other series are rooted in just enough common fae lore that she doesn’t have to get bogged down filling in lots of backward detail, but she of course contributes enough of her own unique features that they aren’t interchangeable across stories.
This was a fun read and I’m glad to have checked it out. Books two and three are being added to my hold list once I hit the publish button.
