A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world."
I have been experimenting a lot with the New-Adult genre since the past year in search of some good books. The New-Adult just like the Young-Adult is a fascinating genre dealing with people who have grown up physically and socially but in their minds they do not know the differences between acting as a child or a grown-up. These years are very crucial to one's life. So my search has been mostly futile but I have also found a few books that have touched my heart. One among them is the Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. Now recently I have been reading the Fantasy genre and and I am glad that I found a book like A Court of Thorns and Roses written by the talented Sarah J. Maas, who is famous to us as the creator of the Throne of Glass series.
This book is the modern retelling of the Beauty and the Beast.
Now there is a certain charm to the Beauty and the Beast that none can deny. A handsome prince cursed to be a beast for eternity by an evil enchantress unless broken by a woman who declares her true love for him. A Court of Thorns and Roses follows quite a same plot just that the setting and the characters have been changed. A nineteen year old girl named Feyre is dragged into the world of the faerys known as the Prythian by the High-Lord of the Spring Court, a handsome gallant high-fae named Tamlin who can shape shift into a beast. Feyre is told that she has to spend her entire life in the manor of Tamlin as a punishment for killing one of his own people as a part of the Treaty signed between the faerys and the humans many years ago. Feyre agrees reluctantly because she is the only food-provider of her family who are being crushed by appalling poverty. But when assured by Tamlin that everything has been taken care of she agrees to stay as a prisoner.
Feyre is definitely an avatar of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. But who cares right? Feyre is definitely unique in her own sense. The nineteen year old Feyre has to provide for her older sisters and handicapped father after suffering a huge business loss which brought them crumbling down to the streets. Unlike her middle sister Elain who is a dreamer, Feyre had to face reality at a tender age and take charge as the head. I loved Feyre and definitely appreciate her for her strength. How often do we get where the heroines have a dominant role and are not shadowed by a male lead? I loved Feyre from the starting to the end.
Now the male protagonist Tamlin can make any woman flushed and breathless. His very existence is enough for that. As he is a fae he is definitely handsome, dead sexy and a gentleman. (Oh God!) He is the beast in the story not just because he can shape shift into one but because he is under a curse that is a sickness caused by magic. Only Feyre can save him. What I liked mostly about him was that unlike the initial beast in the Beuty and the Beast who abused Belle, Tamlin is not like that. He is well-behaved and sweet to Feyre and takes care of her. How sweet is that! I am in love with Tamlin. I definitely am. How could I not be after reading the whole story? I love Feyre and Tamlin's relationship and hope they stay together in the future books.
The side characters of the book be it the good ones or the bad ones are also one of a kind. I loved Lucien. He is evil, sarcastic and at the same time he cares for Feyre. It is very much visible in the book that he has a back-story and I am definitely interested in knowing more about him. He could be a potential strong character in the next books.
I am not sure of my feelings about Rhysand. He is so much like Damon from The Vampire Diaries Tv Show. I might have just imagined Ian Somerholder as Rhys. He helped Feyre in the tasks and at the same time taunted her. There is a side to him which is unknown to us at the moment and we will definitely know about it in the next books. I am interested to see how his character grows in the trilogy. I can totally see a love triangle forming in the next books but I don't actually want that to happen but I know that it will.
The plot of the book was amazing and gripping. I read the book in twenty four hours unable to move myself even for the bare necessities. I have heard people often complain that the first half of the book is very slow while the real action begins in the next half. But I prefer to disagree. It was necessary for the first half of the book to be slow or to move in a smooth pace otherwise building the plot would have been difficult. Feyre's journey into the world of the faerys, gaining accomplices, finding love, learning her heart's desire could only lead to the set of events that happens in the next half. I enjoyed each and every page of the book.
My most favourite scene in the book is the part where Tamlin saves a faery of the Summer court who has been stripped off his wings by Amarantha's accomplices. I could have just cried by the way in which Feyre helped the perishing faery. The way she held his hand and Tamlin helped him to pass on from this world to the next. It was beautiful. I think from there Tamlin and Feyre's relationship took a turn.
Even without Googling it I know that the story has not finished because there are definitely some questions I need the answers to. Looking forward to read A Court of Mist and Fury which releases on the 3rd of May, 2016. I have already pre-ordered the book and can't wait for it to arrive. 5/5 stars to this incredible story.
Buy it on :
Amazon (India)
Amazon (US)
Pre-order A Court of Mist and Fury (Amazon India).
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