ARC Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses (#1) by Sarah J. Maas (May 5, 2015)

432 pages

Genre: New Adult

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Source: I was lucky enough to get a free ARC at ALA Midwinter. My review is still 100% honest. Thanks Bloomsbury!!

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the 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.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

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MY REVIEW

My Initial Reaction: Are we really doing the whole hungry girl hunting to survive bit? I hope this gets better... (Don't worry friends, it does. It gets so much better.)

I almost died when I got my hands on an ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses at ALA Midwinter. I have been dying to read this book before I even knew what it was about simply because Maas wrote it and Throne of Glass is my new all time favorite series. I was so nervous when I first started reading ACOTAR. It wasn't grabbing me at first. I wasn't really caring about anything. Luckily it took only about 50 pages in before I finally said "Okay, Here we go." and I was finally hooked. I wanted to know anything and everything about the fearie world and its inhabitants. I warmed up to the book rather quickly.

I had no idea A Court of Thorns and Roses was going to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it just made the story that much more awesome. I guess sometimes it pays off not to pay close attention to the synopsis.

I was instantly drawn to Tamlin and had a strong feeling that he was going to become my new book boyfriend. I wasn't disappointed. Every character was complex. Every character piqued my interest. Every character pulled me deeper and deeper into the story, giving me an escape from the real world. Feyre especially is a strong woman who has flaws, making her human but still completely bad ass. I loved her. More importantly, I freaking love Tamlin and Feyre together. I don't think there is necessarily as many steamy scenes as everyone says there are, but there is some good tension and what not between the two.

ACOTAR was so very good, frustratingly good. It continued to get better and better as the story went on and became more intense with each page that I read. It's pretty dark and does get a little crazy. The story tugged on my heart and made me laugh. I'm not sure there wasn't a single emotion I didn't feel while reading it.

The Bottom Line: I'm ready for round two of this emotional ride. I'm sure Maas will more than deliver with the next book. I can't even say I have a firm grasp on what is coming next, but I don't care. I want to read it. I want to read it now.