A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES (A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES #1) – SARAH J. MAAS

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land, Feyre discovers 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 hostility into a passion that burns through every warning she's been told. But an ancient shadow grows over the lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Spoiler Warning! This review may contain spoilers.  I do my best to avoid spoilers so if there is anything you notice that you think gives away too much, let me know.

What can get better than a retelling of possibly my favourite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast?  What about a retelling where; the beast is a gorgeous High Fae lord with a grumpy attitude and general distaste for man kind; the world is gradually dying from a powerful curse; and the heroine is a kickass mortal with a stubborn attitude and an aptitude for sass.  
I loved absolutely everything about this book!

The story opens with Feyre, a hunter with an artists soul, struggling to feed her near starving family in the dead of winter.  After killing a large wolf for its pelt, a great beast knocks down her door and demands a reckoning.  Taken her from her home into the land of the immortals, where humans had once been no more than slaves, Feyre discovers there is more to her grisly captor.  She discovers that her beast is a devilishly handsome, astonishingly beautiful Fae High Lord.  
In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, they hate each other... But, over time, emotion begins to thaw at the two hearts that all believed to be too cold to feel again.  Little does Feyre know, the fate of the Fae world, a world of magic and beauty, and indeed that of her home in the mortal lands, rests in her decisions.  Her actions could be the difference between the end of her world and peace.

While I have found that a number of people found the start of this book dull and slow paced, I’ve got to say I completely disagree.  It got right into the action and Feyre’s smart mouth and badass nature kept me hooked throughout the whole book from start to finish.  The world is unlike anything I have ever read before, original and detailed with plenty to add to the story.  To me, every word seemed to be written with a touch of sensuality and a great deal of care that stopped me from ever wanting to put the novel down.

Huntress and painter, Feyre is a loveable character, a bit rough on the outside but loyal, caring and spirited.  While not much of a beast in the literal sense, Tamlin is a realistic figure, the development of both his attitude and his manner subtly and beautifully conveyed by Maas.  All the characters where glorious and alluring and real.  I felt their pain and their joy, I admired their selflessness and mourned their losses.  This book blew my mind and left me in a pool of tears by the end.

If you are a lover of retellings, mystical creatures, out of this world romance, danger, and a truly kickass heroine, then this is a book for you.  You will not want to miss it!


Warning: Due to some rather saucy scenes, I’d suggest that younger reads stay away from it for a bit, especially if not comfortable with sexual content, but other than that, anyone could find themselves loving this series.


Rating: 5/5



Get your hands on this book!  Seriously!  Buy it online from Amazon or Book Depository right now!!!