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In some respects, I feel like this review might be a bit... preaching to the choir? Because, yes -- I, too, will be singing the praises of Sarah J. Maas and the first book in her new fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. Yes, you've probably heard this song before.
BUT WAIT, DON'T LEAVE, I HAVE *THINGS* TO SAY, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY PREORDERED OR BOUGHT OR READ THIS BOOK YET, YOU NEED TO LISTEN.
*ahem* Sorry, I'll try to rein in the capslock for the remainder of this review. I make no promises, though.
Anyway -- yes, this book is fantastic. And what's so perfect about it is that it exemplifies exactly what I adore about Maas's books (the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses): her characters and worldbuilding and plot all work together to form a whole that blows you away. What does this mean? I mean, it's not a matter of "her characters were good, but the world was lacking," or "the worldbuilding was great but the plot was so-so," or "the plot was awesome but the characters were meh" -- no. The characters are amazing because the world is amazing because the plot is amazing because the characters are amazing. (Am I even making sense??) It's all one thing. As all the best books are.
Maas builds worlds they way they need to be built -- along with the story, not separate from it. She weaves so many details into the story itself that you don't even realize the world is taking shape around these amazingly-developed characters -- they all just exist together. All of her books do this, and it makes for a fantastic reading experience.
But unlike Maas's Throne of Glass series, A Court of Thorns and Roses draws heavily on other fairy tales -- and I loved this about it. Maas took those fairy tales and twisted them around and made them her own. It's mostly Beauty and the Beast, but there's also a pinch of Cinderella -- with Feyre being mainly responsible for taking care of her two less-work-inclined sisters. But while they may be petty and a little bit vindictive, they're not unrealistic. Feyre's family is, on the whole, very easy to feel sorry for -- not caricatures designed to be disliked. Maas paints a bleak picture of a family stricken with poverty, and who have lost most of their hope. They're desperate, barely making ends meet. And though Feyre doesn't have much patience for them, especially her father, she loves them and works so hard to protect them. She throws her whole self into working to provide for them, abandoning her other interests, like painting, and only allowing herself time for things that will help her and her family survive.
But when she's out hunting, trying to find food for their next meal, she ends up killing a wolf.
His remaining golden eye now stared at the snow-heavy sky, and for a moment, I wished I had it in me to feel remorse for the dead thing.
But this was the forest, and it was winter.ARC, pg 8
Unfortunately for her, the wolf turns out to be Fae, and she's forced to leave her family behind.
I seriously loved everything about this twist on Beauty and the Beast. A treaty between the Fae and the mortals demands that a mortal who takes a faerie's life has to give their own life up in return -- so Feyre is taken to Tamlin's estate in the Spring Court, to remain there forever. And after so long being wholly focused on providing for her family, this sudden lack of purpose leaves her reeling. But there's a lot more going on in Tamlin's world than she expected, and her sudden lack of a family to care for is the least of her troubles.
There are SO many amazing characters in this book. Feyre is one of them, obviously. I loved that she's not some all-powerful ass-kicking heroine who triumphs over every obstacle in her path. She's scared and broken and often incapable of overcoming challenges without help. But she does it. She perseveres. Her strength isn't in her ability to constantly win on her own, it's to keep pushing on. No matter what.
Tamlin is also fantastic. He constantly reminded me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast -- except, super attractive. ;) At first, he's super awkward with his words around Feyre, which I often found pretty charming; but there was also a hardness and protectiveness to him that I loved. In the beginning, Feyre is (understandably) at odds with Tamlin and the rest of his household. Not only is she essentially a prisoner there, but she doesn't know what to do with her life now that she doesn't have to protect and provide for her family anymore. But it's Feyre's understanding of this responsibility -- to protect, to be responsible for people's well-being -- that lays the foundation for her and Tamlin to finally see each other in a more favorable light. Their relationship was so well-done.
Lucien was another of my favorite characters -- a High Fae courtier and emissary, and Tamlin's best friend. He's incredibly loyal, often super snarky, and his and Feyre's relationship is seriously great to watch develop. There's no romance there, but... well, spoilers. I loved them. Which goes to show how Maas is a pro at character and relationship-development, of both the romantic and platonic varieties.
Something that has always struck me about Maas's characters is her ability to make almost every single one surprise you -- even the "minor” characters. You get introductory first impressions, which make you think you know the type of character they are -- but every single time, there's a moment when something happens and you're like, "Holy crap, I understand this character on a whole other level now, and I don't think my feels were prepared for this."
There were a couple things that happened in A Court of Thorns and Roses that bothered me -- both spoilers, and both having to do with personal pet-peeves about commonly-used fantasy- or relationship-tropes -- but they didn't bother me enough to knock off any stars or half-stars. The rest of the book was amazing and I adored it.
In conclusion...
I think I could literally talk about this book all day. Just writing this review has made me want to re-read it -- to re-live the story and be with these characters again, ugh, they are so good. *sigh* This is absolutely going to be a book I end up re-reading again and again, because it has so much to offer. All the tension and banter, romance and adventure, the world, the FEELS... it added up to an almost perfect read for me, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
If you haven't already bought this book, or made plans to... what are you doing sitting there?! Go!
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There were books involved...