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A review by maudalorian
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I thought it was time to see what all the fuss is about, and at first I kind of got it! The writing style was a lot better than I thought it would be, and I enjoyed Feyre's time getting her bearings in the Spring Court. I could shrug off some of the more eye-roll-inducing romantasy things, like the post-Rape Rite neck biting and the ludicrous mask situation. (Did SJM really do all that just so Feyre could say Rhysand was "the most beautiful man I'd ever seen"?) Feyre was all right as a POV character and I rather liked Lucien, even if I NEVER want to have to read about either his russet or his metal eye ever again.
But then we got a mind-numbingly boring intermezzo in the mortal realm; a twelve-page (I counted) info dump going "by the way, everything you've learned so far was wrong!" which felt like "oh, okay, sure, whatever, I guess?" rather than a mind-blowing reveal; and a hard pivot to a fucked-up venture Under the Mountain. And at some point during all this, Feyre decided she fucking loved Tamlin and would put herself through harrowing—and, frankly, random—ordeals for him, which, like... girl, you barely know him? You've had a couple conversations? Can you tell me anything about him aside from that he reminds you of an animal?
By the end, it felt like this book was mostly just SJM spinning her wheels, and this is where we're actually getting started. And, hey, I'm in! I'm enjoying the world and its characters. Feyre, congrats on achieving in one book what took Bella four books to achieve. Good luck choosing between your cardboard cutout of a man whose only personality traits are "half-feral" and "socially awkward" and the guy who spent three months drugging, mind controlling, and sexually degrading you in public!
But then we got a mind-numbingly boring intermezzo in the mortal realm; a twelve-page (I counted) info dump going "by the way, everything you've learned so far was wrong!" which felt like "oh, okay, sure, whatever, I guess?" rather than a mind-blowing reveal; and a hard pivot to a fucked-up venture Under the Mountain. And at some point during all this, Feyre decided she fucking loved Tamlin and would put herself through harrowing—and, frankly, random—ordeals for him, which, like... girl, you barely know him? You've had a couple conversations? Can you tell me anything about him aside from that he reminds you of an animal?
By the end, it felt like this book was mostly just SJM spinning her wheels, and this is where we're actually getting started. And, hey, I'm in! I'm enjoying the world and its characters. Feyre, congrats on achieving in one book what took Bella four books to achieve. Good luck choosing between your cardboard cutout of a man whose only personality traits are "half-feral" and "socially awkward" and the guy who spent three months drugging, mind controlling, and sexually degrading you in public!