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A review by voxvenati
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book only gets a 2 because it was a blast to buddy read and pick apart. If I had read this on my own, I likely would have rated it lower.
First - the good. The writing style is simple and easy to get through, if a bit bland and “tell” over “show”. Lucien is the best character by far and did not get enough screen time in this. He is best boy. The concept of the seven courts is fun, if underdeveloped in this first installment.
The bad:
SJM didn’t do any research into hunting. Everything to do with hunting is laughably wrong. To call Feyre a “nineteen-year-old huntress” is too funny.
Feyre. There are so many problems with this protagonist. She’s rude, racist, stupid, impulsive, and has a short temper. What are her strengths? I’m still not sure.
There are plot inconsistencies everywhere. Throw a stone and you’ll hit a contradiction. Any fairytale allusions (Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lin, Cinderella) are grossly misused and completely irrelevant thematically. SJM missed the entire point of the original tales.
Some of the worst overused phrases or words: bleating, female/male/mate, “my bowels turned watery”, always something to do with bile or vomit.
There were a few elements that had potential, like SJM almost got it, but overall, this book is a mess from start to finish. If you like dissecting that sort of thing, or like to fix things in your head as you go, this is an excellent choice.
First - the good. The writing style is simple and easy to get through, if a bit bland and “tell” over “show”. Lucien is the best character by far and did not get enough screen time in this. He is best boy. The concept of the seven courts is fun, if underdeveloped in this first installment.
The bad:
SJM didn’t do any research into hunting. Everything to do with hunting is laughably wrong. To call Feyre a “nineteen-year-old huntress” is too funny.
Feyre. There are so many problems with this protagonist. She’s rude, racist, stupid, impulsive, and has a short temper. What are her strengths? I’m still not sure.
There are plot inconsistencies everywhere. Throw a stone and you’ll hit a contradiction. Any fairytale allusions (Beauty and the Beast, Tam Lin, Cinderella) are grossly misused and completely irrelevant thematically. SJM missed the entire point of the original tales.
Some of the worst overused phrases or words: bleating, female/male/mate, “my bowels turned watery”, always something to do with bile or vomit.
There were a few elements that had potential, like SJM almost got it, but overall, this book is a mess from start to finish. If you like dissecting that sort of thing, or like to fix things in your head as you go, this is an excellent choice.