A Court Of Thorns And Roses

by Sarah J. Maas

Published By Bloomsbury

For this week’s review I’m looking back into a genre that I haven’t read or reviewed on this column for a while, and one that is common in the world of young adult fiction, but often fails to capture me, due to the occasional predictability of its plots and characters. The fantasy genre is one of those that I have a love/hate relationship with, but A Court Of Thorns and Roses has been recommended to me by friends so many times that I figured it was time to delve

back in.

The book begins with Feyre, a young and determined human girl with a struggling family in a world where the Fae are seen as gods, and killing one, even accidentally, is a crime that no mortal would ever dare commit. When Feyre kills a Fae who appears to be a wolf in the woods she and her family must face punishment. As the law speaks of a “Life For A Life”, Feyre is taken as prisoner to live with High Lord Of the Spring Court Tamlin, but things are a lot different to what she expected. Feyre is welcomed as a guest rather than as a prisoner and though she misses her family she finds herself settling into a life at the Spring Court.

Though she is treated well there is, of course an exciting and twisted darkness lying just beneath the surface of her new life. Things start to become increasingly complicated as Feyre tries to navigate

the politics of her new home, falling in love and the plot reveals that tie it all together.

It is clear from the very beginning that A Court Of Thorns And Roses has roots in the classic tale of Beauty and The Beast, something that I was naturally excited about, as I love to hear of people taking something I thought I knew and making it their own. Sarah J. Maas met my expectations and then took them to a new level which I could never have expected, filling her story with cleverly built romance, mystery and shocking twists that kept me captive from the first page to the last.

As my first book re-entering the genre of young adult fantasy, A Court Of Thorns And Roses was I think the best book I could have possibly chosen to get me interested again. I was delighted to hear that Sarah J. Maas has written many other books, which I of course can’t wait to read.

I recommend this book to anyone who has recently become disillusioned with fantasy and wants to find something that will surprise, intrigue and hold them in the way that I have, and most importantly for those who want to fall in love with Young Adult novels all over again.