REVIEW: A Court of Thorns and Roses (book) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses is fantasy romance. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Nineteen-year-old Feyre is her family's primary provider, hunting what few animals she can find in the woods near their home. Her father used to be wealthy, but some bad business decisions have since pushed them into poverty. Out of necessity and a vow to her dying mother, Feyre taught herself how to hunt to keep the family going, but a part of her can't help but resent that her father and sisters don't do much to help.

Feyre kills a wolf during her latest hunt, only to learn that he was a faerie - his enraged friend, Tamlin, bursts into her home and demands that she come live in his home in Prythian, one of the Faerie realms, or die. When she gets to his home, she learns that he and the rest of his court have been cursed - the animal masks they wore at a past masquerade have become their faces. As Feyre adjusts to her new home, she finds herself softening towards Tamlin. However, someone or something that Tamlin refuses to talk about is threatening him and his court, shaking the foundations of Feyre's growing sense of peace and happiness.

Although this isn't YA, I can understand why some folks might mistakenly tag it as such. Especially at the start, I was reminded of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, although Feyre's relationship with her sisters seemed to be the exact opposite of Katniss' relationship with her sister. The two main characters felt very similar to me, however.

I had some issues with the setup, although various revelations cleared that up later on. My issues and questions may have been part of why I had some trouble getting emotionally invested in Tamlin and Feyre's developing romance, though. Something about it was a bit off-putting, although the only moment that really bugged me was closer to the end, when Feyre plastered herself to Tamlin during an objectively terrible time (seriously, it was such a bad idea that I 100% expected it to be a trap).

Overall, this was a so-so read for me, but I'm curious enough to continue on. Plus, I've heard that the second book is better.