ACOTAR FINALLY

Finally, I have gotten around to reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) and wow do I have a few words to write. If any of you guys out there read my first writing on the first two books of the The Throne of Glass series, you know I am incredibly fond of Sarah J. Maas and her books. Since I wrote that post I have read the third and fourth book entirely and am well into the 5th book, which I am enjoying immensely. Back to ACOTAR, my first impression is: yes, just yes. I absolutely LOVE Beauty and the Beast (totally pumped for the movie to come out in March), and immediately upon hearing that it was supposedly an adult rendition of the tale I just had to read it. 

When I first purchased the book I read through a few of the reviews just because I wanted to know what I was getting into before reading it. Very rarely do I go into a book not knowing anything about it. So I was warned of the sexual content, racy nature especially, and possible gore, which actually excited me more than I am willing to admit. First things first, the sexual content caught me way off guard when I read through those bits and here is why. Almost the entire first half of the book is just building the relationship between Tamlin and Feyre. Though there was an incredible amount of sexual tension, nothing actually ever happened, aside from them ferociously staring at each other, until they kissed at the summer solstice and even that was fairly innocent. Then Rhysand. He probes Feyre with his mental powers and embarrasses her by telling Tam all the contents of her mind regarding him. There is an extremely embarrassing sexual reference here that made me red in the face just to read, partly out of second-hand embarrassment for her and just the words themselves. SO just a warning be on the lookout because it goes from 0 to 100 fairly quickly. 

Second. All sexual things aside, I found that I really enjoyed reading it in first person narrative form. After reading so much of the third person Maas uses in Throne of Glass it was a welcomed changed, though it did take some adjusting to. Feyre is just as interesting as Celaena and every bit as brooding and stubborn. She made for a strong feminine character which I greatly appreciated. She definitely didn't play damsel in distress, not for one bit. My other favorite character was Lucien, partially because I absolutely love foxes and he reminded me so much of one with his sly nature and snarky remarks. He was definitely comic relief in this dark fantasy and though he seemed arrogant and haughty he comes through at the most important moments, which counts for something in my book. I also loved the scar and lost eye; I felt like it provided something interesting to imagine. I also really found myself interested by the dynamic of Feyre's family, just because of the different personalities each person as given, with Nesta (one of her sisters) being almost the most practical in my opinion. 

Ok so here come the things that I didn't care for. The whole mask thing I found more odd than mysterious. And then the explanation that it was supposed to make it harder for a human to fall in love with Tamlin was even worse because honestly from Feyre's descriptions, even with the mask on he was drop dead gorgeous which rendered Alis' explanation totally useless and seeminly thron in there just for an extra excuse to have the mask stuck on. And the mask was only covering half his face so everything else she could see. Another thing, wouldn't it kind of get in the way when they were...um...well you know. So, yeah, the whole mask thing kind of made me think too much as the story progressed. Anyways, I also didn't like how Tamlin was so handsome, part of me wanted him to be stuck in his beast form rather than just have some silly mask stuck on his face, another part of me was glad that he was handsome just so I could imagine him, but that's just my hopeless romantic part I suppose. BUT the thing I hated the most was the fact that it did go 0 to 100 so quickly. All of a sudden Feyre goes from hating Tamlin so much that she wants to kill him, to the point that she loves him so much she wants to die for him. It literally happens in the span of a few pages. 

Honestly though, these few things didn't ruin the book that much for me because I still find myself really wanting to read the next one. I found the book extremely enjoyable, the most important thing just not taking it to seriously, because it is a fantasy and a story that would never be true. The ending was fantastic and not at all what I had guessed though I knew the answer to Amaranth's riddle the second I read it just from the scenario it was given in. I mean come on Feyre was doing it all out of love, of course that would be the answer. The three challenges were a stroke of genius in my opinion and so was the reference to Cinderella (the real one not Disney). I caught it immediately and was so happy because I am totally a fairy tale fanatic. 

My final impression: Really dark, creative, different, but still with that fairly happy ending that most fairy tales have. Definite must read for those who really enjoy Maas's other work and who enjoy a semi morbid book with a healthy dose of sexual tension. 4 out of 5 stars. 

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Au Revoir, 

NM Black :)