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taliahsbookshelf 's review for:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
3.5
challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

 Decent book. It was hard to get through at times, but the end picked up significantly
when Feyre started having to go through the trials
. I will say that the worldbuilding didn't make sense to me, and I often found myself having to look up certain rules that didn't make sense or weren't explained well. This is pretty common in fantasy books, but it felt a lot more prevalent in this one. It didn't take long to get into the heart of the book, but the middle of it was difficult. Definitely worth the read, though, and I'm excited for the rest of the series.

Spoilers:
Mid-level spoiler:
I had some trouble determining what Tamlin really thinks of Rhysand. Obviously the courts all have differing opinions and lands that they each govern, but it just seems weird to me that Tamlin has something against Rhysand without much of an explanation. Hoping for more details in the other books.

Mid-level spoiler:
I really don't get why SJM decided to have the three trials for Feyre. This book is obviously a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but then it felt all of a sudden like Hercules? I don't know about you, but it felt a bit weird having a different legend showing up at the end of the book like that.

High-level spoiler:
Feyre at the end!!!! What?! I was shocked. I knew something was going to happen to her (because, duh, this is a fantasy book), but that definitely wasn't it. To be honest, though, the concept of how she actually becomes High Fae seems a bit thrown in as an afterthought because the magic system doesn't seem well set up for this.


Favorite quotes:
"Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all."(414)

"You didn't need to bargain with me. You could have demanded every single week of the year. Every single week, and I would have said yes."(385)

"I love you. Thorns and all."(248)

"'I love you,' I said, and stabbed him."(397)

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