A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015) by Sarah J. Maas 

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy 

Pages: 432 

Summary: A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first novel of a rich and intricate fantasy series. I find myself falling more and more into this genre than I ever expected. The creativity and concentration that it takes to create complete new worlds is always mesmerizing to me, especially one that fits together so perfectly without overwhelming the reader in details. 

Sarah J. Maas excels at this in this series. Feyre, a human, finds herself in the faerie world of Prythian, a place that she has only heard whispers about and knows that the beings that live across the wall that separates the human world from the faerie world are incredibly stronger and wield magical power that humans are seemingly powerless to stop. 

Feyre (pronounced fey-ra) is a young woman who is attempting to support her now destitute family from starvation. In her hunting, she kills a faerie who was in a giant wolf form with a special arrow meant to kill faeries specifically. 

Because of this decision, Feyre is taken by a mysterious faerie named Tamlin. While fearful that she must live in Prythian forever as a prisoner, Feyre learns that while not a prisoner in this world, its best to stay close to Tamlin and his emissary Lucian. Prythian is experiencing a mysterious blight that is causing violence and for deadly creatures to roam into the “Spring Court” land that Feyre is now living in. 

Feyre is soon forced to fight for her life and her love when war threatens to break out. 

Technical Summary: Maas creates a rich but digestible world for readers. Her writing is smooth and I read this book in almost a day. Feyre’s conflict did not seem forced however there were times I find myself a bit annoyed with her decision-making but she ultimately was a heroine I could relate to. 

Author: Sarah J. Maas is the author of two other novels in this series, with the fourth installment, A  Court of Silver Flames, being released in February 2021. Maas is also the author of the Throne of Glass series and her new Crescent City series: House of Earth and Blood. 

Buy a copy at Amazon or The Raven Book Store.

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