Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I think it’s safe to say that Sarah J. Maas has done it again! And by “that” I mean written a stunning, sensational whirlwind of a book that is sure to grab readers from the first moment! I was so enchanted by this book and I just couldn’t put it down!

The Quick Catch-Up: In this retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Feyre is sent to live with Tamlin, a fairy residing in the realm of Prythian, after killing a wolf who turns out to be a fairy. Fairies are rumored to be cruel monsters, but as Feyre stays in Tamlin’s home and begins to befriend him, she finds that that may not be so true. But the fairy world is not just in trouble with humans. A much darker magic hangs over the land like a dark cloud. Does Feyre have what it takes to save the world she has learned to love?

So I think the real question here is how could you ponder for a single second if a new book by Sarah J. Maas wouldn’t be amazing?! This book is just such an awesome whirlwind of a ride!

I LOVE the characters in this book! They’re all rich and complex and they all have such great backstories! Maas does a perfect job of telling Feyre’s, Tamlin’s, Lucien’s, and Amarantha’s stories and tying them into the present story to build a well rounded, carefully crafted tale. The characters are also all so colorful and dynamic and they add such flavor to the world!

Maas, as always, also does a GREAT job of world building! The histories of the settings and the social settings are well built, but not at all overwhelming. Maas spreads her world building throughout the novel, using it to enhance the story, rather than info dumping. The magical atmosphere Maas builds adds an extra layer to the story, which readers can really enjoy!

The plot is excellent. The story parallels Beauty and the Beast closely enough so that readers can see hints of the tale throughout the novel, but there is also so much originality! I loved that the story went beyond just the “normal” tale of Beauty and the Beast and added a twist to the last fifth of the book! So entertaining!

The Bottom Line: This book was awesome, y’all. Buy it, get it, you won’t regret it!