A couple of months ago, I wrote my first review of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I’ve now decided that I will write a series review for this amazing series. So if you’ve been following my blog for a while, the beginning of this review might seem familiar 😉

Attention: Although I will be reviewing multiple books in this post, you won’t risk seeing any spoilers because I will hide everything except the first book behind so that you can decide for yourself what you want to read.

Book 1: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A familiar re-telling

There is no lack of Beauty and the Beast retellings, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is arguably the most successful one.  The first chapter introduces us to Feyre, a human girl who tries desperately to support her family by hunting, even in the dead of winter. This is not without danger, seeing that the forest borders the faerie kingdom, Prythian. Although separated by an invisible wall, humans are never truly safe from the cruel faeries. So when Feyre happens upon one on her side of the wall, she decides to take no risk and kill him.

Soon enough, though, Feyre learns that you cannot go around killing off magical beings without having to answer for it. She’s presented with a choice: death or leaving her world behind for good. Joining Tamlin, one of the High Lords of the Fae, at his court, Feyre starts to slowly realise that something is awfully wrong in the magical kingdom. Something that might very well nip the blossoming romance between her and her captor in the bud…

Entertaining and enthralling

I’m no stranger to fairytale retellings, but I have to say I really appreciated this one. There are clear elements of the original Beauty and the Beast story, without having a déjà vu on every other page. Furthermore, I also really liked that other stories and characters are woven into it, like Tam Lin (from Scottish legendary ballads) and East of the Sun and West of the Moon (a Norwegian fairytale).

A Court of Thorns and Roses was not my favourite book in this series, though. Sarah J. Maas‘ writing is very fast-paced and quite easy to read but it took me some time to get used to it. It felt a bit amateurish, at first. It didn’t help that I wasn’t too fond of Feyre, either (Sorry, Feyre, I never became your biggest fan, even after having read all books). I know everyone seems to long for strong female main characters, but Feyre came across as a petulant teenager sometimes and that prevented me from truly connecting with her.

Nevertheless, the story really sucked me in as soon as Lucien appeared. He’s one of the courtiers at the Spring Court and I really appreciated his wit and banter (he’s cursed to wear a fox mask, that should say enough, no?). I was also intrigued by the Courts. There are four seasonal Courts (i.e. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) and three solar ones (i.e. Dawn, Day and Night). Tamlin is the lord of the Spring Court, your typical fairytale setting with a pretty mansion, gardens with roses etc. While lovely, I’m a night kind of person, so I was very much interested in learning more about the northmost territory of the Fae, the Night Court. I was not disappointed 😉

I finished this book in two days, because I could simply not put it away. Once I got into the story, I had to know the end. And then order the next book right away. Careful if you’re only now going to start part 1: addiction is highly likely!

I gave this book four gemstones out of five:

Book 2: A Court of Mist and Fury

Summary & Evaluation Attention: Spoilers! (click here)

As I was not blown away by part one, I expected to like part two of the series, but not much more than that. Hence my surprise when I read A Court of Mist and Fury and fell in love with it. Set in the aftermath of the events of book one, Feyre and Tamlin have to come to terms with the horrors they survived. Because of this, there’s a strong PTSD component to this book. But then, circumstances change and Feyre ends up in the Night Court with the mysteriously handsome Rhysand. I simply adored the Court of Dreams (which is a statement that will most likely hold for 95% of the ACOTAR fanbase, I suspect). Their interactions, their friendship, Velaris, it’s all so beautiful and magical. The presence of Rhys doesn’t hurt either of course. I had not expected this story to take the turns it did, and it really surprised me and made me fall in love with this series. While book one was a retelling of three stories, most noticeably Beauty and the Beast, book two brings to live a Greek myth: Hades & Persephone. Hades the God of the Underworld (a.k.a. Rhys) falls in love with the lovely Persephone (a.k.a. Feyre) and abducts her to his world to marry her. He then strikes a deal with Demeter and Zeus that will allow her to live partially on earth, partially in the underworld. When she returns to earth, springtime starts (hence Tamlin’s Spring Court); when she returns to Hades, winter will come.

Absolutely my favourite of the first 3,5 novels: 5 gemstones out of 5.

Book 3: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Summary & Evaluation (click here)

War is approaching fast and threatens to destroy everything that is dear to Feyre. Can she figure out which High Lords to trust and which have hidden agendas? I quite liked this third part too! I wasn’t as blown away by it as I was by the second instalment, but still, it was impossible to put it down.

Therefore, another 5 gemstones out of 5.

Book 3,5: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Summary & Evaluation (click here)

Do you know those Christmas specials that are often included in British TV shows? That’s what this book reminded me of. It’s a sweet tale that ties up some things that were left open-ended at the end of the original trilogy. I read that many fans were not convinced by this novel, but I had no problems with it whatsoever. It’s fast and cute, and I would definitely not recommend skipping this one before going to A Court of Silver Flames.

Once again: 5 gemstones out of 5.

Book 4: A Court of Silver Flames

Summary & Evaluation (click here)

Like most readers, I wasn’t sure what to think about a book that wasn’t focused on Feyre and Rhys. Unlike most, however, I didn’t have a specific issue with Nesta. Did I like her? No, not really. But most fans seem ready to tear her eyes out so I would consider myself rather mild towards her. And guess what? This book quickly became my second favourite one. I simply adore Cassian and Azriel, and I loved their relationships with Nesta and Gwen. I also loved the friendship that blossoms between the Valkyrie. Please don’t skip this book simply because you don’t like Nesta, you’ll regret it (and miss some of the best smut this series has to offer).

Once again: 5 gemstones out of 5.

Age Category: New Adult

Representation:  Homosexual and bisexual supporting characters, PTSD

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Warnings for drugging, emotional abuse, violence and manipulation

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: A Court of Mist and Fury Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: A Court of Wings and Ruin Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: A Court of Frost and Starlight Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: A Court of Silver Flames Paperback edition

Amazon.nl: Boxset Paperback edition

I know that some people are hesitant to start book four in the series because they do not like the fact that it shifts away from Feyre and is told from the point of view of Nesta and Cassian. I, however, would recommend everyone to read A Court of Silver Flames. I might even label this my favourite novel of the series (although it’s difficult to choose between this one and A Court of Mist and Fury). Nesta might not be your favourite character now, but I assure you that you will change your mind in the course of this book! Plus, you can never have enough Cassian, now, can you 😉

Similar to this

If you are as much into Beauty and the Beast retellings as I am, I highly recommend A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, one of my all-time favourite versions. You can read my full review here.

I’ve also enjoyed Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston. Strangely enough, I have not been able to find any online “proof” that this story was also based – although less clearly – on Beauty and the Beast, the entire book just screamed “Belle” at me. Not my favourite read of all time maybe, but definitely worth checking out and proud to have it in my collection. My review can be read here.

For the Fae lovers, I would highly recommend The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black. It blew my mind. It’s about a human girl who’s trying to find her place in the faerie world in which she grew up. How she does it? By playing dangerous political games at court, of course! And then there’s Prince Cardan, as wicked as he is gorgeous and who happens to be her archenemy. Curious? Read the spoiler-free series review I wrote about it!

I haven’t read it yet, but I’m told that A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova is a perfect stand-alone novel for fans of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. In this story, a human girl is traditionally chosen to become the Human Queen of the Faerie Kingdom. Her husband to be, the Elf King, takes her with him to his dangerous realm and she has to learn to navigate a world that was never meant for a human.

Finally, if you are into Sarah J Maas’ style, I’m told that From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout is similar in some aspects. This series tells the story about a fallen kingdom and a maiden chosen from birth to usher in a new era. This book is definitely high on my TBR list!