A Court of Thorns and Roses (sampler) – Review

We need hope or else we cannot endure…

Sarah J. Maas is at it again with the first book in a new series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. I read a sampler of the 2015 release, and so far it’s amazing. (But do we expect any different?)

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.

The sampler includes the first four chapters of ACOTAR and we end right at the beginning of the plot action. Feyre is the youngest of three daughters, and she handles the bulk of the work. Even though ACOTAR has aspects of Beauty and the Beast I sensed a bit of a Cinderella dynamic between Feyre and her two sisters. Sarah J. Maas is giving us another strong heroine, but not like Celaena in the Throne of Glass series. Feyre’s strength comes from a determined spirit and a protective instinct.

As a fantasy novel, I’m interested in seeing the world-building the most. There’s a lot of faerie lore and it’s a world entirely different, so I’m waiting to see what constructions are waiting, especially in Prythian.

A Court of Thorns and Roses releases in May 2015.

Download the first four chapters on Amazon here