Fantasy is such an intoxicating genre, not only because the worlds are different and the characters remain relatable, but usually because the story can always continue. Fantasy is the genre that allows for the creation of vast worlds such as the Grishaverse, the Shadow World, and Prythian. And yet even in these unfamiliar worlds with unfamiliar politics, we can still see something innately human in all of them, and recognize familiar stories. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, author Sarah J. Maas creates the world of Prythian, a divided land between mortals and faeries. We see a familiar "beauty and the beast" retelling with characters as complex as the politics they fall prey to. With a distinct fantasy world, a retelling of a classic story, and some truly interesting characters, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a novel (and series) that gives the fantasy genre credibility and honor.Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. She graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in creative writing and a minor in religious studies. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. Maas lives with her husband and dog in Pennsylvania. You can find her here, or on Instagram @therealsjmaas. If you're interested in more of my reviews of Sarah J. Maas's work, you can find them all here.
Our story begins with the huntress Feyre, who kills a wolf in the woods to provide for her poverty-stricken family. When a beast-like creature comes to their door demanding retribution, Feyre agrees to leave her family to keep them safe. Little does she know, she just fell into the hands of Tamlin, an immortal and lethal faerie. Living with Tamlin has its perks, but she soon realizes something is happening to the land of the Fae -- something is leaching faerie-kind's powers, and Feyre has the ability to save them all. And if she can't, then the entire world (Fae and mortal alike) is doomed.
This book is not exactly marketed as a "beauty and the beast" or "Cinderella" retelling, but after having studied retellings, it's impossible to ignore or deny. Feyre, our "beauty" or "Cinderella," is treated horribly by her two older sisters, with a father who doesn't care for her, and yet she still finds the compassion to help them, feed them, and pay for their welfare. Feyre is not ashamed of who she is or how she lived, even when she puts that all behind her when she agrees to live with Tamlin. At the beginning of the story, she was living day by day, hour by hour. Now, she's forced to confront this sort of endless future, surrounded by immortality she won't partake in. There's a sick irony to this, that I quite enjoyed by her perpetual thoughts surrounding it. But Feyre wasn't my favorite fantasy character, and I have trouble articulating why. I think with so many notes of "Cinderella" and "beauty and the beast," it's hard to enjoy the full complexities of her character. The princesses of those stories were docile, and Feyre has some moments of passivity that are hard to swallow. Her redeeming qualities included her fierce fights and determination to ask the hard questions. All of these characteristics put together make for a complex character, but if I hadn't pulled her apart like this, I'm not sure I would have fully appreciated her.
It's impossible to not compare the slow-burning romance between Tamlin and Feyre to that of the stockholm-syndrome-esque nature of all "beauty and the beast" retellings. But after having finished the book, the way the romance shook out, I was almost shocked. Yes, it follows the classic story's path: girl leaves home to save family and live with a beast, slowly she comes to understand the beast, she falls in love with beast, leaves beast, then comes back to save him, and find him transformed. The obstacles are the same, in that sense. There's also a household staff under the same spell, if we really want to get specific. But I was surprised by our "Gaston" character -- Rhysand. His entrance to the story changed the dynamic of the traditional romance -- but not the dynamic of a traditional love triangle. I'm not sure how I feel about meshing two cliches together, but I did appreciate the turn the story took because of it. The romance continues in A Court of Mist and Fury, and she can change her choice at any time because of it. Again, that means readers exit this novel with a heightened sense of curiosity, because, despite the happy (and a bit cheesy) note the story leaves off on, we truly don't know which of these boys she will actually chose (if either!).
Rhysand is definitely the most interesting character, in my opinion. I was determined not to like him, because I felt he was an interruption to what was happening between Feyre and Tamlin. Once the story ended, though, I could appreciate his entrance and importance to the story. In fact, I was wishing we'd been introduced to him sooner. Like I mentioned above, he is--loosely--our "Gaston" character (if we want to keep drawing these parallels). But unlike Gaston, Rhysand is clever and mysterious, with a whole history of his own we only get a couple of hints at. Other than Feyre, he is the character I'm most interested in seeing develop over the course of the series. I'm especially curious about how he plans to possibly "compete" with Tamlin, if at all. After a relatively slow build-up, we learn that Tamlin's beast personality is a facade. I'm hoping that if Rhysand has any sort of facade, it won't take half as long to uncover his true self -- especially seeing as how Rhysand was the more vulnerable of the two faerie men by the end of the novel.
Rhysand is definitely the most interesting character, in my opinion. I was determined not to like him, because I felt he was an interruption to what was happening between Feyre and Tamlin. Once the story ended, though, I could appreciate his entrance and importance to the story. In fact, I was wishing we'd been introduced to him sooner. Like I mentioned above, he is--loosely--our "Gaston" character (if we want to keep drawing these parallels). But unlike Gaston, Rhysand is clever and mysterious, with a whole history of his own we only get a couple of hints at. Other than Feyre, he is the character I'm most interested in seeing develop over the course of the series. I'm especially curious about how he plans to possibly "compete" with Tamlin, if at all. After a relatively slow build-up, we learn that Tamlin's beast personality is a facade. I'm hoping that if Rhysand has any sort of facade, it won't take half as long to uncover his true self -- especially seeing as how Rhysand was the more vulnerable of the two faerie men by the end of the novel.
The world of Prythian itself was distinctive, but sometimes difficult to grasp. The map at the beginning was helpful as Feyre was mapping her own understanding of the world. Her own gaps in the understanding of faerie politics, however, made it harder for me as a reader to grasp, too. I can certainly appreciate the mythology and history behind the Courts and Prythian, but some of the finer details were difficult to comprehend. This was because sometimes Maas glazed over them as non-important, or didn't let Feyre analyze them. Meaning, any reader would have had to slow down to comprehend the facts given before continuing with the scene (which was often a fast-paced, high-stakes dialogue). Despite all of that, I felt absorbed into the world of Prythian, the Spring Court, and the areas Under the Mountain the second I opened the book. The descriptions weren't too overwhelming, but just perfect enough where I could fill in some of the details with my own imagination (something I love doing when reading!). At the moment, the fantasy is complicated enough to add to the stakes and motivations for all characters, but I'm curious to see how the fantasy will get more complex as the series goes on.
One of the biggest complaints I've seen in the reviews for this book is related to the pacing. Some think it's too slow, and others (like myself) think it is too quick in some parts. But, overall, I wasn't to generally state that I thought the book was paced well -- yes, even despite my comments above. So much happens within the book itself that the pace was just right. Don't believe me? I tend to analyze pacing like this: if it were any faster (eliminate 50-100 pages), would I have been lost? if it were any slower (add 50-100 pages) would I have gotten bored? The answer to this question for A Court of Thorns and Roses follows. Had the book been any faster, I most certainly would have been completely disoriented in the world of Prythian. Had it been any slower, I wouldn't have noted any of the easter eggs that made the ending so enjoyable. So, after that comprehensive thought analysis, I would argue that the pacing was perfect. I enjoyed how jam-packed the book was, how I was able to see a lot of the characters and analyze them, while also not getting too lost or too bored. I'm curious to see if this will be the pacing for all the books in the series, or how Maas might change it up as the story evolves.
Like the princesses that this story is somewhat modeled after, Feyre gets her happy ending after months of heartbreaking (and bonebreaking) trials. But will that happiness prevail as the Spring Court reenters its lands? If you're curious about how Maas will continue the story, read my review of A Court of Mist and Fury here!
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