Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult, Romance
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars)
This series has been trending so much lately in the book group that I avoided it like the plague for several months. MONTHS! The trending books I’ve read lately have been so disappointing that I just expected this book would be too. Plus, I have DNF-ed a couple of high fantasy series with a strong-woman-protagonist-falling-in-love-with-her-savior-prince plot no matter how much I tried to endure because they just didn’t sit right with me anymore. I was looking for romance but I was just cringing. So I avoided this because the plot seems similar. I WAS SO WRONG BECAUSE IT WAS SO MUCH MORE! Yes, the book sort of starts that way, but anyone who says this is simply just a retelling of Beauty and the Beast is wrong. Sure. those two basic plots might be the foundation of it all but the book is so much richer.
Plot
Feyre Archeron was hunting in the woods near the wall that separates the human world from the fae when she spotted a doe. A wolf happens to aim for the same deer so Feyre fires her arrows to kill it and preserve the only food she can bring back to her recently poor family. The next night a bigger creature demands revenge for his fellow kin’s death, the wolf turned out to be fae. In return for killing a fae life, she was brought to the fae world – Prythian – telling her that she will remain behind the wall for eternity for what she’s done.
As she discovers the world order and creatures behind the wall, she befriends the two High Faes in the estate – Lucien, the emissary, and Tamlin, the Spring Court’s ruler. She discovers that the ‘land is sick’ and there’s a whole lot of mystery going on with fae magic. First of all, every fae in the Spring Court wears a mask all the time, High Lord Tamlin seems to be occupied hunting creatures circling the estate that seems to be supposedly impenetrable, and she seems to be falling for the High Lord himself despite the human race hating faes for centuries. But this relationship would turn out to be more complicated than it seems, and it accidentally happens to be the key to breaking the curse that the fae world is encompassed by.
World and Character Building
Yes, the book comes with a detailed map at the beginning of the book. That always makes our heart flutter, right fantasy readers? 😂Well, aside from the map, the world introduction was very well-established.
The reveal of the world feels like it’s being peeled by layers. In the first few pages, we outright see the human lands from Feyre’s eyes left by the fae-human war centuries ago. We’re given some basic rules about how fae and humans happen to co-exist, some legends, the division of the classes, and the fanatics
As we cross to Prythian not a lot of characters and creatures are introduced, perfectly easing readers for what’s to come without bombarding us with information. As the story progress, additional characters, powers, and festivals come to light even though we’re supposed to be following Feyre and Tamlin’s romance. It’s hard not to be so curious about the world they live in when hints of curses and names are dropped here and there; just enough to pique interest.
It’s honestly so good that it made me want to read the next book right away. I just knew this book was just a hint of the world to come.
Then we have the characters, oh god, the characters. They were so consistent and beautifully described that this book is just like a movie playing in my head. Every snarky comment, every smirk, every smile, and impulse were so on the brand to them. What’s more amazing is that after reading this for the second time, after reading through four books and now having a different lens to see the characters, I saw the small hints of toxicity that would play bigger roles in the sequels. How I didn’t catch them the first time I read just meant that I was so taken by the rose-colored lenses I initially saw them through. Perhaps the most crudely written was the main villain herself since she was a little bit one-dimensional, but, I really didn’t mind since I was rooting so deeply for the good guys to win. Feyre has that teasing relationship with everyone around she feels comfortable with that it was fun to see the other characters from her perspective.
Romance
Yes, it’s a slow burn but the buildup was so worth it! I started to dislike the enemies-to-friends trope because they’re being done so roughly. One look, one instance… one anything is basically all it takes to flip that relationship which was highly unrealistic. However, in this book, the relationship started out rocky as they should be and the transition to them being friends and more developed naturally. Sure, there were a few instances where it was obviously there for the purpose of the plot (like when Feyre was told by both Tamlin and Lucien to stay inside during Calamnai but she still snuck out TWICE) but I couldn’t be mad for long because the hints of spiciness in the air was just so moving. I’ll include a couple of samples if you don’t mind spoiler below. Of course, I won’t include the spicy ones. 😏
Most importantly, this isn’t your typical helpless heroine saved by the prince trope. For one of the rare times in these books, she actually goes through hardship to save the relationship without the prince’s help; and not the other way around. Feyre became so important later in the series and unlike some quick, unearned reason that she’s special because of her blood or something, her character development and reputation were earned.
🛑🛑🛑 **Spoiler Alert** 🛑🛑🛑
(Scroll to Final Thoughts below to skip spoilers)
- Scenario 1: For Calamnai (Fire Night Festival), Tamlin needs to be consumed by magic and he will spend the night hunting a doe then having sexual congress with a maiden of the spirit’s choosing. For this reason, Feyre was not allowed to outside since Tamlin had a feeling that he will choose her. Feyre woke up in the middle of the night and wandered the corridor when Tamlin appeared.
- Tamlin: Going somewhere?
- Feyre: Midnight snack
- Tamlin: I smelled you. I searched for you, and you weren’t there.
- Feyre: Let go.
- Tamlin: You drove me mad. I searched for you, and you weren’t there. When I didn’t find you, it made me pick another. She asked me not to be gentle with her, either. I would have been gentle with you, though.”
- Scenario 2: Feyre wore a dress to dinner for the first time and when she entered the room, Tamlin stared at her and Lucien excused himself from the room. Feyre teased that Tamlin was so far away because the table was so long so Tamlin used his magic to make the room and the table smaller.
- Feyre: You could have just taken a closer seat
- Tamlin: And miss a chance to show off to a beatiful woman? Never.
… - Tamlin: You do look beautiful. I mean it.
When I first read this, I really hated Rhysand for what he put Feyre through and I wondered why he didn’t go down with the bad guys at the end. I rooted so bad for Feyre and Tamlin. I was even amazed that there was no outward hint at all that Rhysand was supposed to end up with Feyre. Of course, after reading the sequels, all their meetings made sense now. Even Tamlin’s soon-to-be consuming possessive nature was hinted at throughout the book. I really got a different experience reading this for the first time than the following ones. That should say a lot about the writing in this series.
Now? Of course, I fell badly for Rhysand too. But I still feel bad for Tamlin. He was a victim of several circumstances, and yes, he had choices and he did not handle his emotions well, but he was just not a good fit for Feyre and his priorities were not right. But ultimately, he was a good person and tried so hard to do the right thing at every turn. I still think he deserved better. Maybe not in the next book, but somewhere along the series. I want to see his life better.
🛑🛑🛑 **Spoiler End** 🛑🛑🛑
Final Thoughts
I love this book so much that I actually purchased the hardcover set after I read the ebooks. That’s how much I loved this. To my pleasant surprise, among the four books I’ve read in the series, this is actually one of the weaker ones in my opinion but it’s still worth all the stars! The slowness of it all had to happen to establish a good foundation for the world and what was to come. And believe me, there’s A LOT to come. Besides, even during my first read, this was a pleasant reading experience. I love that I have a different experience reading it for the first time and the rereads but both gave me happiness.
If you love well-established characters, relationships built on teasing, a world that gradually becomes bigger as you go, and building spicy romances, I would highly recommend this!
Favorite Quote(s):
Feyre: “Compared to you – to your borders and magic being weakened – I suppose my self-pity is absurd.”
Tamlin: “If it grieves you, then I don’t think it’s absurd at all.
― Feyre and Tamlin, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1)
The Stray Reader 
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