A Court of Thorns and Roses—Review/Book Club Meeting Notes

Hello Everyone!

My friend, Mairyn, and I now host a virtual book club once a month where we read a book and have a relaxed and casual conversation about said book via FaceTime/Zoom. Our first month’s read was A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas. 

To begin with, this review and my notes are only on the first book, not the series. I will delve deeper into the series as a whole once I get further into it!

Now, I want to start off by saying that the book was pretty well written. I enjoyed the writing style and how descriptive it was. Maas gives a very clear and detailed image of what the characters and setting look like, and I appreciate that about the novel. As well, I listened to the book as an audiobook, and having it read to me made the descriptions that much more impressive. 

I found this first book to be a bit cheesy, giving a Beauty and the Beast vibe, especially at the beginning when Tamlin comes to bring Feyre to the fae realm as a way of paying for her actions against the fae wolf, later introduced as one of Tamlin’s sentries. Though the book was cheesy, I found it entertaining, and the plot ended up giving more than I had originally thought it would. 

The first 65-70% of the book was a bit slow. I found myself wondering what is the point of all these small events and things that we’re being shown as the reader. Then, in the last 30-35% of the book, it really picks up. It’s fast paced and captured me until the very end of the book. 

The ending was also very good, in my opinion. It was wholesome and cheesy and tied everything together nicely. It could have been a crazy stand alone novel, if the author wanted it to be, but I’m excited that there is a whole series to unpack. There is so much about this world and story that I’d like to get to know better.

Spoilers ahead, so be warned. 

I found it both so satisfying and also very convenient that Feyre becomes High Fae at the end of the novel. Her plot armour is very strong, as she literally dies, but is brought back to life by all the High Lords because she saves Prythian. I wonder to myself, what does this mean for her life and the rest of the story? How is her becoming High Fae going to change the course of the series? As well, I wonder how her relationship with Tamlin is going to progress as she learns more and becomes further immersed into the world of the Fae. 

One of the characters that I found very compelling and interesting was Rhysand. I don’t believe that his role in this series is done yet, especially after striking the bargain with Feyre to heal her/save her life under the mountain. He really helps her along under the mountain and I wonder was that for his own gain? Or was it to bring down Amarantha and a power/threat greater than them? Or does he just have some sort of attachment to Feyre? I can’t wait to see where his character goes throughout the series. 

And now a couple notes from our Virtual Book Club Meeting:

~Sarah J. Maas knows does not know how to start a book, but certainly knows how to finish one. 

~Lucien is the fan favourite for the first book, though not sure where his character/his role goes from here. 

~As the story is told only from Feyre’s POV, I wonder, is she a reliable narrator

~How would the story have changed if there were more POV’s throughout the novel? The dramatic irony of the curse that Amarantha places on Tamlin would have been so interesting to read!

Overall Rating from Book Club: 3.5/5 Stars

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the book! I found that the story was just the right amount of cheese and spice and fantasy that I needed. I liked the characters and the premise of the book, and can’t wait to read further into the series!

You can find this book anywhere you get your reading materials!

Read and Enjoy!