BookTok's sweetheart - 'A Court of Thorn and Roses'
Whether or not you would consider yourself a reader, there is no doubt that you have probably heard of “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” a series of fantasy romance novels by Sarah J. Maas.
This series has become quite the phenomenon, in no small part thanks to the effort of BookTok, where dark romance of this sort has become quite prevalent.
Of course, with any book with a modicum of popularity, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is, at times, quite controversial. In the way that I found similar to the “Twilight” series, though there is no doubt that ACOTAR (as it is often shortened) is of much higher quality.
The book follows Feyre (pronounced “fay-ruh,” as the protagonist kindly explains), a human huntress who kills a faerie that has taken the form of a wolf.
When the murder is discovered, another faerie named Tamlin comes to her in demand of retribution; he takes her to live with him beyond the wall into the treacherous faerie territory of Prythian, where an ensuing “Beauty and the Beast” retelling commences.
I was surprised by how much I found myself enjoying this book, but I suppose it is only reasonable considering my intense love of “Twilight.” I am unsure if Maas was directly inspired by the vampire love story, but I felt as though she took very similar conventions and improved upon them, though there are still some plot holes and creepy romance scenes that might make some readers question the quality and morality of the universe.
Nevertheless, my main problem is the main character. Feyre feels like a Wattpad author insert; she has too much personality for the reader to imagine themselves in her, but she does not have enough of a personality to stand out as an actual character. She is essentially a combination of both Bella from “Twilight” and Katniss from “The Hunger Games,” yet she is somehow worse than both of them in every way.
There are moments where she makes, frankly, idiotic decisions, as well, but I found those instances to be worthy of a laugh rather than a complaint. Other readers, I know, will not feel the same.
There are many other complaints I could make regarding the book’s quality, such as the romance being rather rushed, but I felt like, ultimately, it was a rather wholesome and fun read. I remain fascinated by just how much Maas managed to subvert my expectations.
If you are not a picky reader, I would recommend giving ACOTAR a try – you’ll be better off for it than reading “Twilight” or, God forbid, a Colleen Hoover novel.
Rating: 7/10
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