Across social media, I keep seeing this title pop up: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Then, my editor recommended that I read the full series to help with some of the ideas I pitched for the sequel to Bondwitch. And when your editor tells you to read something, you read it. So, I moved it up to the top of my to-read list. I finished the first book and am halfway through the second, A Court of Mist and Fury.

ACOTAR was published in 2015, so I think it’s been out long enough that I can discuss it in depth without being accused of spoilers. However, if you haven’t read it and you care about going in blind, stop reading now. But I can promise, I will not give away a very important side plot, and I will not give away the end. 

The story begins with our human protagonist, Feyre, hunting in the woods. I actually got strong Hunger Games vibes in that first chapter. Feyre is the narrator, and she introduces her world to the reader while she hunts a doe. Feyre’s family is dirt poor, and her hunting is what feeds and clothes them. They live on the edge of the human world  and faerie world. Faeries are not small Tinker-Bell-and-friends creatures. They are powerful, dangerous and evil. The doe Feyre is hunting gets killed by a wolf. Feyre kills the wolf – with the understanding that it could be a faerie in disguise – skins it, and takes the deer’s body back home with the wolf’s skin.

The next night a beast breaks into Feyre’s house – the way Maas describes this beast made me imagine the zouwu from Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald. The beast can talk, and the wolf Feyre killed was a faerie. According to the beast, the treaty between faeries and humans allows faeries to exact revenge if a human kills a faerie. The faerie decides that Feyre will pay for the life she took by returning to his home with him and living the rest of her life in Prythian, the faerie land. 

At this point, the Beauty and the Beast parallels begin.

The Beast is a High Fae named Tamlin, he is the High Lord of the Spring Court. In his faerie form he is large and attractive, except a gold masquerade mask covers most of his face. In fact, all of his subjects wear masquerade masks. About fifty years before, they were cursed during a masquerade party and the masks were stuck on their faces. Although Tamlin may be the physical beast, Feyre is the one with a hardened heart that Tamlin and the other faeries will slowly soften during her stay. 

“Lumier and Cogsworth” are combined into one character named Lucien. He is Tamlin’s best friend and right hand man. He’s not particularly fond of Feyre, and leads her to believe he would prefer her dead. The two eventually grow on each other and develop a teasing friendship. 

“Mrs. Potts” is a faerie servant named Alis. She is assigned to be Feyre’s personal maid in helping her dress, do her hair, etc. Alis is not warm and welcoming. Feyre is a job to her, and making Feyre accept and follow faerie culture and fashion is her goal – at least from what Feyre can see. Alis’ “Chip” are her two orphaned nephews, but we don’t get to meet them, just learn about them. 

Other Easter Eggs include Feyre getting attacked  in the surrounding forest by some unsavory creatures, and Tamlin comes to her rescue. Another time, Tamlin returns to the castle in the middle of the night with a bleeding and injured hand. Feyre cleans it and patches it up for him. And last, Feyre loves to paint. Tamlin unlocks the art gallery in the castle for Feyre and gives her a room full of canvas, paints, and brushes. 

Feyre and Tamlin develop feelings for each other, and right when things are going well, their first large hurdle arrives. Rhysand is the High Lord of the Night Court. Tamlin and Lucien do not like him at all. Rhysand serves a woman named Amarantha that everyone seems to fear. Tamlin doesn’t believe that Rhysand will keep Feyre’s existence a secret, and sends Feyre back to the human world. The Beast lets Belle go. Tamlin tells Feyre he loves her, but she is so hurt he is sending her away that she refuses to say it back. 

While Feyre was away, Tamlin had imprinted false memories into her family’s minds and gifted them with a fortune. She struggles to fit in back home, and after a couple weeks finds herself traveling back to Prythian to demand Tamlin take her back. She arrives at a desolate and nearly destroyed castle. Alis is the only one left. She tells Feyre everything.

The Spring Court had been cursed fifty years ago by Amarantha as punishment for Tamlin refusing her advances. The way to break the curse was for a human woman to kill a faerie with hate in her heart and then fall in love with Tamlin and agree to marry him. Tamlin sent Feyre away three days before the deadline to break the curse. And as soon as that deadline was up, Amarantha dragged Tamlin and his court back to her own: Under the Mountain.  

And now, the Goblet of Fire begins.

Feyre travels to Under the Mountain where she is thrown in front of Amarantha and Tamlin. Feyre confesses her love to Tamlin. Amarantha offers Feyre a deal: beat three challenges, and Tamlin and his court will be freed. 

Much like young Harry, Feyre’s first challenge is to survive a dangerous flesh eating creature. She is dropped into a maze of tunnels belonging to a giant worm with razor sharp teeth. Unlike Harry, Feyre can’t just get by the giant worm. She has to kill the giant worm before it kills her. This challenge is where Feyre will prove to Amarantha’s court that humans can be strong and brave.  

Feyre’s second challenge also involves a riddle and saving someone she cares for. And no it’s not Tamlin. Amarantha wouldn’t risk her desired toy. Feyre and Lucien are stuck in a pit, metal bars separating them. A ceiling of spikes is slowly lowering toward them. Carved on the wall is a riddle. The answer to the riddle tells Feyre which of three levers to pull to stop the lowering of the spikes. There’s one major problem: Feyre is illiterate. An unexpected ally will help Feyre through this challenge.  

The third challenge doesn’t match Harry’s third task in the Triwizard tournament. And in fact, I’m not sure if I want to tell you what it is. What I will say is it is the most heart wrenching of everything that has happened so far and will lead to the grand finale. The ending was very unexpected for me and I’m still recovering from it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is one of the more interesting books I’ve read recently. If you want an emotional roller coaster set to a magical backdrop, this book is for you. I’m so glad my editor recommended it. 5 stars.