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

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre:  Fantasy, YA
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Publisher:  Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages:  448

My Star Review: 4 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin--one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever.

Review:

After reading Throne of Glass, earlier this year, I knew I would be keeping author Maas on my radar. She has an easy, enjoyable writing style, and though her books have a home on the "Teen" shelf in my local library, they are not childish. I would not necessarily recommend A Court of Thorns and Roses to teenagers, however, because of the violence and sex. Call me a prude, but I won't let my daughter read it until she's 20 and married.

That being said, I do recommend this book to more mature readers. I was surprised that the story has elements of a Beauty and the Beast re-write, but it is different enough from the original. The plot twists that reveal themselves are original and captivating. This was a book that I didn't want to put down.

I like the main character Feyre. She tries to do the right thing without being too much a martyr. And while Tamlin is written less well, he does show some personal growth. I hope to see his character improve in the sequel. Their romance is a bit too instantaneous, and it's obvious from the get-to that they will end up together. But I'm a sucker for happy endings, so I'm okay with that. Then there are the villains, who were the right mix of beautiful and evil. They made my skin crawl. Well done, Maas.