Some spoilers for the first two books to follow. You have been warned.
Some book readers turn their noses up at book trends. Not me; I love them. I was there for the whole Team Edward v. Team Jacob thing (I was Team Jacob), I considered standing in line at midnight to get the final Harry Potter book (but didn’t), and I was reading It Ends With Us and Verity the moment interest started to spark for those books. It’s nice to be part of the conversation, and being adaptable means that I can adore the classics and enjoy some trashy quick reads – all at the same time.
This is how I stumbled upon A Court of Thorns and Roses, which was being raved about and recommended zealously. I wanted romantic angst, a strong female protagonist, and a world so vastly distinct that it provided escape from my own, and these books fit the bill.
Let me start by saying that the first book isn’t good on its own. If you’re going to start the series, you need to commit to reading at least the first two books, because the first book feels a tad hollow without the second. Let me explain.
In A Court of Thorns and Roses, we meet Feyre and her family. They used to be a wealthy family but due to some bad financial choices Feyre’s father made, they’re struggling to put food on the table. Feyre is forced to go hunting for their food because otherwise they would starve. While hunting, she finds herself having to shoot a wolf, which brings trouble to her doorstep as the wolf was really fae, and the High Lord of the spring court Tamlin comes demanding recompense for the life taken. Feyre has to go with Tamlin to his court in Prythian, and live there for the rest of her life as his captive/guest.
This is difficult for Feyre initially as she has to leave her family behind, and she’s worried about how they will survive without her. She’s also suspicious of Tamlin and his right hand man Lucien, and fears being murdered by them because of the life she took. Due to a curse, Feyre never gets to see Tamlin’s full face as a mask covers most of it. However, despite the mask, it’s blatant how breathtakingly beautiful the golden-haired Tamlin is – we’re told this fact over and over again. The book is meant to be a new take/twist on the beauty and the beast narrative, yet as readers we can’t quite buy into Tamlin being a beast. Yes he has claws because of his transformative powers, and he’s kind of silent and aloof at the beginning, but for the most part he’s protective of Feyre and everyone at his court looks at him favourably.
So while Feyre was falling in love with Tamlin, because why wouldn’t she? – the entire relationship feels a bit hollow and superficial as the male love interest isn’t particularly intriguing. They’re obviously attracted to each other, but the emotional connection is lacking. For Feyre, it felt like she was confusing the peace and security she got with Tamlin as love. Later on in the story, Feyre sacrifices so much because of this love for Tamlin. She puts her life on the line, she fights ferociously just for the opportunity to be with him again, but what does Tamlin do? Yes he is powerless because of the curse he’s under, yet he simply stands by and lets the woman he claims to love be tortured.
It was painful reading everything Feyre went through as a prisoner, especially since Tamlin didn’t risk anything to help her out even a little. Even Lucien sticks his neck out for Feyre, and suffers the consequences because of it. Sarah J. Maas does a fantastic job on Feyre’s character development, and the action scenes are well-paced and appropriately tense, but the romantic relationship wasn’t living up to my expectations, until Rhysand – high lord of the night court – comes along. He provokes Feyre constantly, their relationship is combative yet this fire is precisely what Feyre needs to keep going, to not give up. He is the reason she survives. But Feyre is so fixated on Tamlin that I didn’t see how something romantic with Rhysand could develop and make sense to the story.
And this is where Maas stuns and surprises, because A Court of Mist and Fury is a beautiful love story that gives us everything we could possibly want. The first book is a set-up for the second book as the real love story was always between Feyre and Rhysand – Tamlin is the complication/obstacle. When I first started the books, I thought things were building to a love triangle and that Rhysand was the second romantic lead, but that isn’t where Maas was leading us. Realising this as I read A Court of Mist and Fury was a rewarding revelation, and the romantic relationship feels so earned because of this whole journey we took with Feyre and Rhysand. On its own, A Court of Thorns and Roses is serviceable, competent, dare I say maybe even forgettable because of the shallow relationship between Tamlin and Feyre. But read together with A Court of Mist and Fury? Definitely the furthest thing from overrated.
