Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
So, I’m gonna preface this by saying that I would not put this book ANYWHERE near a teen shelf. This is solidly New Adult, which is 17 / 18+ – basically a heavy duty (HEAVY DUTY) PG-13, more likely soft R rating.
But here’s the thing – Sarah Maas writes one of my all time favorite young adult series (Throne of Glass), so when I saw she wrote something for an older crowd, I was intrigued.
As a reviewer (and author) you should know two things about me: I’m a character Nazi AND I’m not into high fantasy . . . with the major exception of Ms. Maas and Leigh Bardugo. And the only reason I’m a mad fan of both ladies is because their prose rides the line with poetry, their world building is flawless and dark, but (most critically) their characters MAKE SENSE.
In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Maas builds spectacular, fall-off-the-page characters, with fully drawn motivations, personalities, voice, and quirks and then drops them into a high fantasy world of warring faeries who would feel more at home in The Walking Dead than Pixie Hollow.
Summed up quickly, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a terrifying R-rated re-twisting of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST meets GAME OF THRONES and it is spectacular.
Set against a brutal, festering war between Fae kingdoms, Maas weaves a delicate, tenuous chemistry between huntress Feyre and the beast, Tamlin, who demands she lives in his stunning land known as The Spring Court – payment, as it were, for her murdering a comrade of his when she was hunting in the human world.
Lucien, best friend and comrade to Tamlin, also lives in the Summer Court and the three form a slow friendship, with Lucien’s sharp tongue and snide remarks making him a true scene-stealer.
Then there is a host of truly nightmare worthy creatures who are slipping into Tamlin’s kingdom from a dark, hateful place ruled by an iron Queen with a lethal agenda. She dwells Under the Mountain alongside her morally questionable boy toy – a High Fae named Rhysand who is self-centered, but darkly funny and flawed.
I dare you to go Under the Mountain with Feyre to save the life of a beast.
I dare you to put this one down.
Cape Cod Scribe 