Sign in with Facebook
Emily May's Reviews > A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
by
by
2 1/2 stars. Maybe my rating comes as a surprise or even - if you care - a disappointment, but let me assure you: no one is more surprised or disappointed than I am.
I've had this book on my TBR ever since it appeared on Goodreads without a title, cover or description. I started reading it as soon as it became available and the array of positive reviews from my friends and strangers alike made me feel sure I would love it. But I didn't. It is possible I expected all the wrong things from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and maybe my review can prevent others from doing the same.
Here's what I expected: an intricate fantasy world, supernatural politics and alliances, fast-paced action, a sensual romance - perhaps similar to Cruel Beauty and other Beauty and the Beast retellings, and a flawed but likable heroine.
But this book is, if you ask me, nothing more or less than softcore erotica. Which is fine, if that's what you're looking for.
I personally thought that the fantasy aspect felt like trimmings around a story that was all about a romance between Feyre (the narrator) and Tamlin (a High Lord of the Fae). There are some titillating scenes where Tamlin bites Feyre's neck and they have sex - undoubtedly the best bits of the book and I won't pretend I didn't feel a little hot under the collar myself. But the "ancient wicked shadow" promised in the blurb is only really a source of more romantic angst for Feyre and Tamlin.
However, I *do* like a good romance as much as anyone, so there are other reasons this book didn't quite work for me. In order to express what I mean, I'm going to compare A Court of Thorns and Roses to Cruel Beauty, which is, in my opinion, a better book.
In CB, I felt the chemistry between Nyx and Ignifex as soon as their loaded banter started to fill the pages. They were sexy together, Ignifex was an evil ruler (which was a real problem for their relationship) with blood-red eyes, and the supernatural part of the book was creepy, weird and completely unique. Despite enjoying the actual non-PG scenes in A Court of Thorns and Roses, I never felt any real chemistry between Feyre and Tamlin or any realistic challenge to their relationship.
What makes Beauty and the Beast such a compelling romance? One that demands to be told over and over again in so many different ways? I'll tell you what it is: it's the obstacles, the challenges, the improbability... how can a young woman come to love an ugly beast? We ask. I'll prove it's possible! The author replies. That's why readers fall in love with the beast again and again, even when he is furry and has horns like the Disney version. I loved the Disney beast. (view spoiler)
Tamlin is not a beast.
“Even as he bit out the words, I couldn’t ignore the sheer male beauty of that strong jaw, the richness of his golden-tan skin.”
Oh my, how could a poor young woman ever love a pretty-faced, golden-haired, completely not evil Fae prince? How weird.
Maas is a good writer and the beginning - before Feyre is taken to the Fae world - made me believe a great book was on the way. When Maas writes action, she writes action really well. But there was far too little of it in this book. It came in behind the descriptions of beautiful Fae men and the Fae palace.
In short: It just wasn't nasty enough. In truth, this felt more like an extended Cinderella retelling than what it was supposed to be. A girl lives in poverty and looks after her rather annoying sisters until one day she is swept up by a prince who takes her to his beautiful palace (after about three chapters). I just find it hard to recommend this when I think Cruel Beauty is similar and yet so much better.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
I've had this book on my TBR ever since it appeared on Goodreads without a title, cover or description. I started reading it as soon as it became available and the array of positive reviews from my friends and strangers alike made me feel sure I would love it. But I didn't. It is possible I expected all the wrong things from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and maybe my review can prevent others from doing the same.
Here's what I expected: an intricate fantasy world, supernatural politics and alliances, fast-paced action, a sensual romance - perhaps similar to Cruel Beauty and other Beauty and the Beast retellings, and a flawed but likable heroine.
But this book is, if you ask me, nothing more or less than softcore erotica. Which is fine, if that's what you're looking for.
I personally thought that the fantasy aspect felt like trimmings around a story that was all about a romance between Feyre (the narrator) and Tamlin (a High Lord of the Fae). There are some titillating scenes where Tamlin bites Feyre's neck and they have sex - undoubtedly the best bits of the book and I won't pretend I didn't feel a little hot under the collar myself. But the "ancient wicked shadow" promised in the blurb is only really a source of more romantic angst for Feyre and Tamlin.
However, I *do* like a good romance as much as anyone, so there are other reasons this book didn't quite work for me. In order to express what I mean, I'm going to compare A Court of Thorns and Roses to Cruel Beauty, which is, in my opinion, a better book.
In CB, I felt the chemistry between Nyx and Ignifex as soon as their loaded banter started to fill the pages. They were sexy together, Ignifex was an evil ruler (which was a real problem for their relationship) with blood-red eyes, and the supernatural part of the book was creepy, weird and completely unique. Despite enjoying the actual non-PG scenes in A Court of Thorns and Roses, I never felt any real chemistry between Feyre and Tamlin or any realistic challenge to their relationship.
What makes Beauty and the Beast such a compelling romance? One that demands to be told over and over again in so many different ways? I'll tell you what it is: it's the obstacles, the challenges, the improbability... how can a young woman come to love an ugly beast? We ask. I'll prove it's possible! The author replies. That's why readers fall in love with the beast again and again, even when he is furry and has horns like the Disney version. I loved the Disney beast. (view spoiler)
Tamlin is not a beast.
“Even as he bit out the words, I couldn’t ignore the sheer male beauty of that strong jaw, the richness of his golden-tan skin.”
Oh my, how could a poor young woman ever love a pretty-faced, golden-haired, completely not evil Fae prince? How weird.
Maas is a good writer and the beginning - before Feyre is taken to the Fae world - made me believe a great book was on the way. When Maas writes action, she writes action really well. But there was far too little of it in this book. It came in behind the descriptions of beautiful Fae men and the Fae palace.
In short: It just wasn't nasty enough. In truth, this felt more like an extended Cinderella retelling than what it was supposed to be. A girl lives in poverty and looks after her rather annoying sisters until one day she is swept up by a prince who takes her to his beautiful palace (after about three chapters). I just find it hard to recommend this when I think Cruel Beauty is similar and yet so much better.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
2240 likes · Like
∙
flag
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
September 2, 2013
– Shelved
May 5, 2015
–
Started Reading
May 9, 2015
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 248 (248 new)
message 1:
by
Ladli
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Feb 07, 2015 10:46AM
Looking forward to your review on this! =)
reply
|
flag
Ahhh me too!!!
I tried Sarah J. Maas's Assassin series, but didn't like the main character, plot, or writing so much. What changed with the author for this book?
This better be good! I'm relying on you Emily. :)
Just finished it and loved the hell out of it. Looking forward to seeing what you thought :D
Alicia ǂFlower Crown Princessǂ wrote: "I want to read this so badly! I didn't like Throne of Glass at all, but the premise sounds so awesome.Can't wait to hear what you think! :)"
So far, I think it's really good!
The hype for this book is scary. Can't wait to see your oppinion.
*opinion. Sorry. I write too fast.
I read about 1/4 of it...and it's as cute as Cruel beauty. I couldn't leave it till after 3 am. :p
"I personally thought that the fantasy aspect felt like trimmings around a story that was all about a romance between Feyre (the narrator) and Tamlin (a High Lord of the Fae)" THIS. this is when everything started to deflate for me. i'm glad i'm not alone.
I really hoped too that this one would be similar to Cruel Beauty (at least on the romance) and ended up disappointed.
I thought Cruel Beauty wasn't as well written but was more enjoyable. I am a huge Sarah J Maas fan but I was so disappointed in this book.
I haven't read a bad review (this is not necessarily a bad one) about this book until this one, and I was like, wait... does EVERYONE loves this? That's why I love reading your reviews and opinions. Now I'll have more perspective about it when I read it.
Great review, Emily. The fact that I can't manage to be interested into any Cinderella retelling makes me a little wary of this one, because I expected a Beast, not a golden prince^^
Estefani wrote: "I haven't read a bad review (this is not necessarily a bad one) about this book until this one, and I was like, wait... does EVERYONE loves this? That's why I love reading your reviews and opinions..."I haven't seen a bad review either, which is why I'm so surprised. Really thought this was an obvious favourite for me :(
Alienor ☠ is stuck on the Jellicoe Road ☠ wrote: "Great review, Emily. The fact that I can't manage to be interested into any Cinderella retelling makes me a little wary of this one, because I expected a Beast, not a golden prince^^"Thank you!
How about that riddle though? xD Was it your first guess as well? Feyre could've seriously just answered it from the jump and avoided all that other mess leading up to the climax.
sunset shimmer wrote: "How about that riddle though? xD Was it your first guess as well? Feyre could've seriously just answered it from the jump and avoided all that other mess leading up to the climax."Yeah, it was completely obvious and kind of eye roll-worthy, in my opinion. That's what I mean about the whole plot being built up around their relationship :/ Glad you enjoyed it more, though.
You know, I was kind of expecting this rating. Based on what I read in other reviews, I could see it was not for you. Anyway, great review! And one question: Do you think this is NA or YA? I'm really confused about the target audience. I had it originaly shelved in NA, but then I changed it to YA and now I don't know.
Emily May wrote: "sunset shimmer wrote: "How about that riddle though? xD Was it your first guess as well? Feyre could've seriously just answered it from the jump and avoided all that other mess leading up to the cl..."I guess I enjoyed it because I liked their relationship, and sorta knew that it was going to be the main focus of the book going into it. Beauty and the Beast stories usually focus on the relationship. Still, this book ain't no Cruel Beauty, though. <3
Vane wrote: "You know, I was kind of expecting this rating. Based on what I read in other reviews, I could see it was not for you. Anyway, great review! And one question: Do you think this is NA or YA? I'm real..."Thank you. I must have been reading the wrong reviews because I was sure it sounded like something I would love... maybe my judgement was clouded by the comparisons with Cruel Beauty :)
I'd say NA based on the sexual content; it's definitely more graphic than your typical YA. Though I'm not really sure where the line is supposed to be drawn.
awww ... that's too bad .. I really want to read this book since it's Sarah J. Maas ... tsk tsk tsk maybe the 2nd book will get better ..
So you didn't like it because it wasn't "dirty" enough??
I think what (thankfully) helped me a lot going in is that I missed the memo that this was supposed to be inspired by Beauty and the Beast, so I went in thinking I was getting another YA romancey action tale (though I should say, I skimmed over the sex scenes because of that). From your review, I can definitely see why it worked for me and why it didn't work for you. It was interesting seeing your thoughts though! I've now been inspired to start reading Cruel Beauty. :D
Shannon wrote: "So you didn't like it because it wasn't "dirty" enough??"Not at all. As I said, that was the best thing about it!
Ina wrote: "I think what (thankfully) helped me a lot going in is that I missed the memo that this was supposed to be inspired by Beauty and the Beast, so I went in thinking I was getting another YA romancey a..."Hope you like Cruel Beauty!
I can see what you mean. I'm not sure how much my expectations affected my enjoyment of this, but I think they must have.
Oh, Emily, I have this book! I'm going to read it as soon as possible, but I'm torn between reading this and Black Iris. I know they're completely different, but which one do you recommend I pick first, since you've read both?
Vane wrote: "Oh, Emily, I have this book! I'm going to read it as soon as possible, but I'm torn between reading this and Black Iris. I know they're completely different, but which one do you recommend I pick ..."Well, I LOVED Black Iris... this one not so much. I'd say read Black Iris :)
Also, have you read Cruel Beauty? I cannot say 100% you would love it, but I really believe it's better than this one.
Oooh, okay. I'll read Black Iris as soon as I finish what I'm reading now. I'll let you know what I think. :)And no, I have not read that one. I always mean to read it, but I don't have enough time. I think I *might* like it (though not even I am sure) because I love Beauty and the Beast and sometimes I need a good romance. I guess I will try CB before this one. *sigh* Another book in to-read-soon shelf.
I really enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses, sad that you didn't like it :( I love Cruel Beauty!(I read Cruel Beauty because of your review) indeed it is better than ACOTAR... I'm going to start Crimson Bound soon ;)
Thanks for your thoughtful review!!
I completely agree... I was also so disappointed with the book, more specifically the lack of action in the book until maybe the last quarter.
Randi wrote: "I really enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses, sad that you didn't like it :( I love Cruel Beauty!(I read Cruel Beauty because of your review) indeed it is better than ACOTAR... I'm going to start C..."Me too :( But YAY for Crimson Bound - I loved that one too! :)
Abi wrote: "I completely agree... I was also so disappointed with the book, more specifically the lack of action in the book until maybe the last quarter."It's good to see that I'm not alone. All the reviews that have been popping up in my feed have been 4 or 5 stars.
I'm kind of glad someone else didn't like this much because all I saw were 4 or 5 star reviews and I definitely didn't feel like ACOTAR lived up to those ratings. I just expected a lot more from it and in the end I was really disappointed.
I was disappointed with that romance too! But, and this is just curiosity, don¡t you think that the second part of the book, Under The Mountain, was better? For me, personally, it saved the book. Just curious :)
Cmc wrote: "I was disappointed with that romance too! But, and this is just curiosity, don¡t you think that the second part of the book, Under The Mountain, was better? For me, personally, it saved the book. ..."
I can see why it would, but I think I just didn't care enough for the characters by that point :( I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it more, though!
Okay I am disappointed. I was really looking forward to this book. There is a chance I may love it more but I won't take a risk and just go for the paperback version. Honest and nice review Emily!
Sakina wrote: "Okay I am disappointed. I was really looking forward to this book. There is a chance I may love it more but I won't take a risk and just go for the paperback version. Honest and nice review Emily!"Thank you, Sakina. I really hope you like it more :)
Agreed. Having read the sampler I expected far better things from this book, but in the end it was just insufferably cheesy, and Feyre lost all of the ballsy attitude I had appreciated in the earlier chapters. Shame, really.
Hope you like Cruel Beauty! I can see what you mean. I'm not sure how much my expectations affected my enjoyment of this, but I think they must have.
I think the only place where you went "wrong" is that you thought you were getting Beauty and the Beast with a twist and not constant emphasis on the romance. Which would be a fair expectation for this novel, imo. But I went in expecting a ton of romance with a side of plot/Actual Things Happening, and that's what I got. (I know that Maas is a good writer, but whenever I see books about faeries, my "don't trust this!" radar goes off. I've been burnt too many times)
Argh. I'm actually reading this one right now and i'm neither feeling the story nor the characters. I'm still hoping it will change soon...
You write beautiful reveiws. I wanted to read the book from the first time it came on Good reads. Now...I am not so sure.
So I'm not the only one with a thing for the fox!
I'm actually the complete opposite: I *disliked* Cruel Beauty and didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters. I thought Tamlin and Feyre had better chemistry here, and I liked the world building better. And like with the Thrones series, I feel the books will change direction with each one. Funny how reading the same book can evoke such opposite feelings!
I'm reading this at the moment and enjoying it so far, but it's really good to see a completely different review and take on this book as all the reviews I have seen are praising and adoring ACOTAR. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's really refreshing to see a different perspective. :)Good and insightful review as always Emily! :)
I personally didn't enjoy Cruel Beauty at all. I didn't even finish it. I couldn't connect with the characters. I couldn't get into the world that the author created. I was very disappointed with this retelling. :/
"Oh my, how could a poor young woman ever love a pretty-faced, golden-haired, completely not evil Fae prince? How weird." You just completely summed up my issue with this being sold as a Beauty and the Beast retelling perfectly!
I recently picked up Cruel Beauty when it was on sale cheap, in part based on your review. Based on this review, I think it was fortunate that I didn't buy A Court of Thorn and Roses when it popped up cheap. I found Throne of Glass mildly entertaining, but a bit overrated, so possibly Maas isn't for me.
