A Court of Thorns and Roses Triology Review!

Just a heads up, this review, while most of the fantasy-reading population has already read this triology, contains *spoilers*! So, keep that in mind if you have not read these books! Also, I am under the impression that these are the last books following Feyre personally, although Sarah J. Maas is writing more in this world. So, for the time being, I will be referring to it as a triology!

This is the first book series I have ever read by Sarah J. Maas, partly because the Throne of Glass series is so long, and I wasn't ready to get into it and partly because the plot line of this one seemed to intrigue me more (a dark Beauty and the Beast telling? Count me in!). This triology includes A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin. Let's break them down one by one.

A Court of Thorns and Roses:

I gave the first book in this triology a 3/5 stars in my monthly wrap up, and I stand by that decision. The first 200 pages were a struggle to get through, I wasn't really interested, but enough that I felt the need to finish it. The last 200 pages were what made it worth it. I think a main part of my problem was there was no part of me that liked Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court, so it was hard to fall in love with this character who Maas has set you up to fall for, just as Feyre (who's name is pronounced like Farrah, which don't even let me get into the names in this book, I'm ready to fight) did.

Feyre is a really strong, badass female character who is smart, witty, and kicks butt, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. Especially during the trials, where my favorite (and let's be real, everyone else's favorite) male character shows his true colors, Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. After saving Feyre in the forest during Calamai, you know that he is going to play a role, and goodness does he. His storyline is a lot more prominent in ACOMAF, but I think that he was one of the reasons (even though he's kind of awful at first) that I continued on with the series. Feyre is able to complete these lethal trials, ones that have been offered to her by Amarantha, through quick decisions, fierce prowess, and her love for Tamlin, ultimately freeing much of Prythian from Under the Mountain. Except that she get's killed, and because of Rhysand (you find out later) the seven High Lords come together to save her, and consequently make her fae. There are a lot of little detail that I could discuss about this book, but I felt like it was really setting up for the rest of the series. It demonstrated a love triangle, it showed off Feyre's fierce nature and her unfathomable will, but it also left many questions unanswered and relationships unexplored. This is one of the reasons (and I'm sure a tactic) that kept me reading this series. While, in a way, ACOTAR was tied up in a nice little bow, ending in a way that if I had been as uninterested as I was the first half, I would've felt fine with not continuing, Sarah J. Maas had got me hooked, so I carried on.

A Court of Mist and Fury:

This book begins with Feyre suffering with PTSD and haunting dreams of Under the Mountain, and Tamlin treating her like a lap dog. Not only is Feyre falling apart, she is supposed to be married to Tamlin in a month, and is so broken from the trials, she doesn't see that Tamlin's way of dealing with is, is lethal to her. And Ianthe, the priestess who you think is Feyre first real female friend, is a little iffy and narcissistic. Pretty much all around, Feyre is trapped and overwhelmed. So, when the wedding day comes, she tries to back out, pleading, crying out for help in head which is where Rhysand comes in. He comes to take Feyre up on her deal that she made Under the Mountain (Rhysand saved her life, but for a week every month, she has to go live with him in the Night Court). And part of you really wants him to not bring her back, but he does, because Rhysand is a decent fae, and Feyre gets grilled about his court, every time that she goes back there. Until Tamlin makes the decision to lock Feyre in his home, and she shatters. It's a dark scene, but one that makes you realize that even though Tamlin loves Feyre, he isn't good for her, he doesn't understand her. In comes Mor, Rhysand's cousin, to start a long list of saving Feyre. Now, the story gets good.

The rest of this book follows Rhysand and Feyre's many adventures, and her becoming apart of the Night Court. Of becoming close to Rhysand, who isn't as cruel and brutal as he made himself out to be during Amarantha's reign, and is actually a really dynamic and captivating character. Along with some others who are just as lovable, flawed, and fierce as Feyre. Mor, with her humor and brilliant Athena-like brains, Azriel, with his brooding silence and fierce protection of those he loves, Amren with her sharp tongue and otherworldly character, and Cassian with his class clown lovableness and fighting prowess. They mesh together to create such a collection of witty personalities, arguments, dinner party commentaries, and a family. Rhysand shows the Feyre Velaris, the City of Stars, and wins her over to join his court, and you get to see such a civil side of the world that in ACOTAR, you didn't get to see. It's wonderful, the balance between beauty, politics, oh, and war - did I mention that?

Yes, Amarantha's reign didn't stop there, the King of Hybern is out and wants to destroy the dividing wall, and take pretty much all of Prythian with it. Rhysand is doing everything he can to stop that because he's amazing. Okay, let's talk about Rhysand for a minute. There are a few problematic issues in these books, and I won't delve into them, but obviously it's fantasy, it's supposed to be fun and dramatic and unrealistic. But he's Feyre's mate you find out (because, obviously) after a slow as hell burning romance, and he doesn't tell her. No, the Suriel does, and it's a pretty intense couple of scenes.

I found that Rhysand and Feyre's romance was a lot more realistic. That they created a relationship on more than just first sights, one on trust, respect, and mutual admiration, something that was not present in Tamlin's relationship with Feyre. Tamlin, at first, was a very slowly built character, and a lot of his personality wasn't presented in the first novel in more than a basic manner. In fact, I thought that Lucien was a more dynamic character than Tamlin. However, the second book seems to remedy that for Tamlin because he gets a lot more background information. Rhysand, however, was constantly growing, evolving into a more round and completed character - one that was flawed and broken in some ways, but was aware and strategic, interesting and brash, strong and wonderful. I mean, Rhysand was easily one of my top three favorite characters in the book. I mean, look at this mug (clicking the picture will lead you to this artist's shop!):

I would buy that mug (it is by The Bookish Dreams on Society6).

Anyways, ACOMAF is an emotional rollercoaster that is building up for the epic finale. It includes a huge advance in political intrigue, a whole new cast of characters who work together in a really enjoyable dynamic, and a good romance. What else could you ask for? I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars.

A Court of Wings and Ruin:

This book killed my soul. If ACOMAF was an emotional rollercoaster, than this was an emotional wrecking ball, one that swung with no remorse, and Sarah J. Maas did an amazing job wielding it. I gave this book a 4/5 stars, and feel like this was a really good ending for this trio.

Sarah J. Maas is an excellent action writer, her battle scenes read like blockbusters, and I found that I was captured by every second of everyone. I found that, in my opinion, there was a really nice balance between intensity from politics to the battlefield and the family aspect that you fell in love with in ACOMAF. But, war is coming, so this book is mainly centered around the erupting conflicts surround the king of Hybern. And furthermore, the conflicts that had arose at the end of book two. Feyre is now back at the Spring Court pretending she had been kidnapped by Rhysand, Nesta and Elain are now fae, Lucien is Elain's mate, and Tamlin traded his court to Hybern in order to get Feyre back. Yes, things are going down the hole fast.

I definitely was intruiged in how Maas decided to end the second book, and I though that she used an interesting tactic to keep the storyline fresh and new, but I must say that seeing Feyre back at the Spring Court was one of my least favorite parts of this book. While it shows off Feyre's smarts, her talent at long cons, it also is extremely frustrating. It is definitely engrossing to watch Lucian and Feyre become closer, though. While it is obvious that Lucien remains loyal to Tamlin, there is certain warmth that comes from the relationship that Lucien and Feyre share. This friendship continues to build throughout the book in way that is amusing and believable.

I thought that Maas did a good job of portraying real elements when Lucien and Feyre make there escape. There is definitely something to be said about Feyre's loyalty and her brutalizing Ianthe, but I also think it's definitely a marker for watching Feyre's growth by this third installment. I think that Maas also did a good job with keeping some of Feyre's wounds open, or prone to being reopened. It is one of my pet peeves when someone goes through something horrible, and has side effects like PTSD, claustrophobia, anxiety, or anything else, and then two chapters later, it's never mentioned again. In this story, I felt like there was always something that drew Feyre back to her roots, back to her problems, made her deal with them like a normal human being, or at least experience them with emotions that were real. Something that I found really relatable in this series is that they were humans even if they were fae.

This book is mainly battles and politics. Just the constant ebb and flow of Hybern against Prythian, but it didn't get boring. There was still adventures and sacrifices - which leads me into my probably most unpopular opinion of this book: Amren should've stayed dead. We all know that at this story she uses Feyre to awaken the Cauldron, so she can climb inside and come back out as whatever she used to be. But, after demolishing thousands, she dies . . .

Rhysand then dies in an attempt to help Feyre destroy the Cauldron, and it's an epic and emotional death, one that I cried through, and was shocked at, but then, Feyre forces the High Lords to help resurrect him. And to me, I thought good, everyone loves Rhysand, I'm glad you brought him back, but I'm also glad that this wasn't a everyone lives and it all ends happy situation. I thought that it was a good balance. And then, Amren comes back and happily ever after. Don't get me wrong, I love Amren. She had a fierce and blunt personality and was fun to read about, but I felt like she gave a big sacrifice to save her friends, and that would be a great way to go. I'm not unhappy that Amren lived, just wished that there was a little more balance in the way things turned out.

Overall, I loved this series. It was fun, it was epic, it was romantic, and it was big-screen worthy. I'm glad I chose these as my introduction to Maas and hope to continue with her work. I will always love Rhysand, will probably reread at least the last two soon, and will be constantly thinking about what other surprises Maas will bring our way in the Prythian realm.

"To the stars who listen and to the dreams that are answered." - Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

#ReviewsbyAnnalise