Confessions of a Book Stalker

Plot Summary

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Please Note: There is drugging, kidnapping, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, sex scenes in this book, not suitable for readers under the age 18.

Spoilers: Please note that my review will contain spoilers!

My Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses, a Beauty and the Beast retelling, is set in a time where humans and fae live apart, separated by a wall raised after the Treaty. No human dares to enter the world of the fae for they will never return.

Feyre Archeron is one of three sisters and she spends her days hunting in order to provide for her family. With her mother deceased and her father injured in the legs, after a debt don’t being paid, the hard task of bringing food home or chopping wood falls to Feyre. Elain, the younger sister, is too delicate and innocent to learn such traits and Nesta, the older one, simply doesn’t want to do them.

It’s at one of these hunting trips that Feyre spots a giant wolf in the woods, hunting her prey. Without thinking twice, Feyre kills the beast and takes it home.

“A life for a life–but what if the life offered as payment meant losing three others?”

That night, a huge beast breaks into Feyre’s home asking who dared to kill his friend in the woods. It is then that Feyre realizes the creature she killed was in fact fae. Now she must pay the price of that crime: she can either die or be forever trapped in the fae world. She is then taken to the Spring Court by her captive, who she now realizes is a beautiful man, always wearing a make covering parto of his face, named Tamlin. At Spring Court she smeets Tamlin’s loyal bodyguard: Lucien, who seems to dislike her a lot. She wonders why they always wear masks and eventually she asks them where Spring Court subjects are: they tell her of a blythe that is spreading across Prythian, all the fault of Amarantha, an evil queen that cursed them all.

Eventually her feelings for Tamlin start to develop but she tries to keep her distance. One night, during the Calanmai, a ritual the high lord must perform in order to maintain the powers of the land, Feyre is pursued by three fae men who try to take away from the ritual to harm her. She is saved by a fae who she thinks is the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Even though he saved her, Feyre is intimated by the man and tries to figure whose court he belongs to. Eventually she finds that the man is Amarantha’s lover, the High Lord of the Night Court, who threatens Tamlin with Feyre’s safety.

“Because all the monsters have been let out of their cages tonight, no matter what court they belong to. So I may roam wherever I wish until the dawn.”

Fearing for Feyre’s life, Tamlin sends Feyre away but when he’s made captive by Amarantha and taken away, Feyre will do everything in her power to save him.

This Beauty and the Beast retelling hit the head on the nail. Sarah J Maas has a way of writing stories that absorbs you completely. I kept seeing these series on Bookstagram and it was because of these series that I am now a huge fan of Fantasy books. This book is classified as YA although, in my opinion, it should be more New Adult so I will classify it as that. Tamlin in this book was a great character, mysterious, powerful and charming and I loved the chemistry between him and Feyre. By the end of the book, there were some things about Tamlin that disappointed me a bit. I started this book not liking Lucien, and I always thought he was going to hurt Feyre eventually but I was clearly mistaken. Love the banter between the two. I have mixed feelings about Rhysand. I was immediately drawn to him since I have a thing for dark and mysterious characters but some scenes with him and Feyre left me with a bittersweet taste. I think there is so much more about Rhysand that still needs to come to light and he has a much more deep personality than what he transpires at first.

“It took me a long while to realize that Rhysand, whether he knew it or not, had effectively kept me from shattering completely.”

This is a story worth reading and it leaves the reader eager to read the sequel. 

Highlight Moments

– Lucien and Feyre banter

– Tamlin and Feyre dancing

– Feyre consoling the dying fae

– The calanmai

–  Rhysand’s first appearance

– Feyre’s trials

– Rhysand bargaining with Feyre to save her from the infection

– The ‘Cinderella’ scene in Rhysand’s room

– Rhysand helping Feyre through the tattoo

– Amarantha’s fall

– The mysterious shocked look of Rhysand towards Feyre before he fled

Quotes

“I love you,’ he whispered, and kissed my brow. ‘Thorns and all.”

“Do you ever stop being so serious and dull?” “Do you ever stop being such a prick?” I snapped back. Dead—really, truly, I should have been dead for that. But Lucien grinned at me. “Much better.”

“I would have been gentle with you, though.” I shuddered as I closed my eyes. Every inch of my body went taut as his words echoed through me. “I would have had you moaning my name throughout it all. And I would have taken a very, very long time, Feyre.”

“Why?” I asked. He knew what I meant, and shrugged. “Because when the legends get written, I didn’t want to be remembered for standing on the sidelines. I want my future offspring to know that I was there, and that I fought against her at the end, even if I couldn’t do anything useful.” I blinked, this time not at the brightness of the sun. “Because,” he went on, his eyes locked with mine, “I didn’t want you to fight alone. Or die alone.”