Review: A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

Summary: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf int he woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that 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 icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it...or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever. 

Why I read it: Sarah J. Maas. DUH. I actually got to meet her the week of its release! (As you probably already know. I still haven't shut up about it.) So I decided to read it to start off the Bout of Books 13 read-a-thon!

Thoughts: HOLY COW. NEW FAVORITE.

First of all, the characters. Feyre is such a great protagonist, because she is NOT perfect. She makes mistakes and she's quick to judge everyone around her. But she's only human, and I love the flaws in her character. Every relationship she has with the other characters develops throughout the book; there is nothing stagnant here. Dynamics shift and perspectives change, so how she sees Tamlin, Rhysand, and even her sisters, is different from the beginning to the end.

Speaking of Tamlin and Rhys, and adding in Lucien, how delightful are these High Fae? Between the Throne of Glass series and now this series, Sarah J. Maas really is excellent at giving us swoon-worthy male characters. Tamlin is all golden sunshine and fierce loyalty, and Rhys is all mystery and darkness, and Lucien is all sarcasm and protectiveness. I love all three of them for very different reasons. Tamlin is the obvious love interest, Rhys is the dark horse, and Lucien is the male best friend (the role of which I'm very fond of, as you know).

Once you've read this book, let the shipping wars commence! I know what side I'm on already. I love Tamlin, but I'm Team Rhys all the way!

Do I even need to mention the writing? This is a Sarah J. Maas book, of course I loved the writing. That's silly.

This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it's also woven in with elements from Tam-Lin and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Beauty and the Beast is a very well-known fairy tale, so that is the one everyone mentions when talking about this book, but I've heard very few people talk about the other aspects. It's easy to tell how Beauty is reimagined for the story. There certain scenes pulled directly from the tale and slightly reworked to fit, and other things are simply alluded to. But what I love the most is how well the elements from the other two fairy tales are used to fill out the story. It's incredibly well done.

The last quarter of the book is where things start to shift away from Beauty and the Beast and into other territories, and it is one hell of a ride. Once again, I'm amazed by how Sarah J. Maas managed to pull me in from page one and keep me there until the very last page.

PLUS, it's technically a new adult series, which makes it my official first new adult book! Feyre is nineteen, and there are some steamy times. Part of the reason I've stayed away from new adult is that most of them sound the same. They're all contemporary books with a girl and a guy getting into a relationship with a lot of a sex, and often the girl is a shy virgin and the guy is aggressive and I just don't like to read about those kinds of relationships very often.

ACOTAR, on the other hand, avoids those tropes entirely. And I hope that this represents a shift in the way we can view new adult. Hopefully it ushers in a new era of new adult that includes fantasy and paranormal and real, meaty plots. Because some of us want the steamy times without the relationship drama and dark pasts!

Whoa, went on mini-rant there. Rant over!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of fantasy and steamy romance.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read ACOTAR yet? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Waiting on Wednesday (11): QUEEN OF SHADOWS

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine! 

Title: Queen of Shadows 

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #4

Thoughts: AHHHHH. This title was seriously JUST announced last week, and I couldn't be more excited. We still don't have a cover, but that's definitely something I'm looking forward to in the coming months. We DO, however, have a short synopsis, so click on the title link above if you want to read it, but BEWARE SPOILERS if you have NOT read the rest of the series, yet! This is my favorite fantasy series, and this installment is one of my most anticipated books of 2015, so definitely check out the series if you have not yet started it! 

Tell me: what are YOU waiting on this Wednesday? Let me know in the comments down below! 

Waiting on Wednesday (9): A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

Release date: May 5, 2015

Summary: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to  treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that 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 icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it...or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever. 

Thoughts: Sarah J. Maas. A new fantasy series. Say no more. I would follow Sarah to the ends of the Earth for more fantasy books. She is fabulous, and I would read anything she writes. Also, in her own words, ACOTAR is a "New Adult fantasy retelling/blending of "Beauty and the Beast," "Tam Lin," and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon."" So, yes. EXCITING. SO MUCH. 

Tell me: what are YOU waiting on this Wednesday? Let me know in the comments down below! 

Review: HEIR OF FIRE by Sarah J. Maas

*WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS for books 1 and 2* 

Proceed at your own peril. 

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Summary: Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien's only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan's Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King's Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan's biggest threat--and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love? 

Why I read it: Are you kidding me? You're joking, right? IT'S A THRONE OF GLASS NOVEL. Of course, I'm going to read it. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.

My thoughts: OH MY GOD. Seriously, it's really hard for me to put my feelings for this series into words. It is the sole reason I really got into YA epic fantasy. I've always loved dystopian, sci-fi, paranormal stories, but for some reason, I had never really read much high fantasy before Throne of Glass. And it was a total awakening.

Now remember, this review is going to be TOTALLY spoiler-y for the first two books in the series. There's really no other way. But I will not be spoiling HoF for you. Onward!

As usual, I just adored this book. Sarah J. Maas may not have the most lyrical of prose, but she weaves the most intriguing and emotionally complex stories I've ever read. Her characters are so well-developed, and the plot lines are complex and layered. I am never bored reading a Sarah J. Maas book.

We find Celaena in Wendlyn, where she is still grieving over Nehemia's death (and Chaol's role in it.) She journeys to meet with her Fae aunt Maeve, whom she believes has the answers to the problem of the wyrdkeys. Her journey in this book is all about finding herself again, and reconnecting to the Fae part of her that she has long suppressed since she was Aelin, a child and princess of Terrasen. And she has a new acquaintance to help her do it.

Rowan, a Fae warrior who is distant cousins with Celaena, is tasked with training Celaena. Rowan is all growls and bared teeth, and I absolutely love him. He matches Celaena like no one else, and the dynamic between them is a palpable chemistry, albeit not a romantic one. I SUPER appreciate the fact that Rowan is not presented as a new love interest for Celaena.

Back in Adarlan, we are also following two more plotlines. First, the story taking place in Rifthold is told by Chaol, Dorian and two new POV characters, Sorscha and Aedion. Sorscha is a young healer in the castle who is in love with Dorian, and Aedion is Aelin's cousin who is now a general in the King's army.

Sorscha was the one POV I really didn't care much for. Honestly, she never seemed that important to the plot and the few times we were in her head were not all that interesting. I'm hoping, with the events that happened at the end of the book, that we will see her significance more in the next book, but she is still one of my least favorite characters in the series.

Aedion, on the other hand, is deliciously complex. I can't say too much without giving things away, but suffice it to say that I loved his character development throughout the novel.

I obviously still love Chaol and Dorian. (And I still totally ship Chaolena. Just sayin'.) Chaol must decide where his true loyalties lie, and Dorian must come to terms with his understanding and control over his newfound magic.

And finally, we have the last storyline, and my absolute favorite new character. Manon Blackbeak is an Ironteeth Witch of the Blackbeak clan, and she is FABULOUS. The Ironteeth Witches are called to the Ferian Gap to train to become a new army for the King, by taking to the sky on wyverns. After Celaena, Manon may be my favorite character of the whole series. If you've read the book, you know exactly how fantastic she really is.

It's really hard to do reviews for middle books in series. But if you take anything away from this review, just know that this book is amazing. The series just gets better and better as it goes, and if it continues this way, then the sixth and last book may just be the death of me.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (if I could give it more, I would.)

Tell me: have YOU read Heir of Fire yet? If so, let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are and who your favorite new character is!