I recently found myself falling down the rabbit hole that is #booktok (decided to make my own account, too, if any of you would like to follow!). The book series I saw mentioned over and over again was none other than the ACOTAR series– otherwise known as A Court of Thorns and Roses.
This series is a faerie romantasy with strong women, sexy men, and a magical world warring for power and peace- what is there not to love, right? I, personally, am a sucker for most romantasy book series- having fallen in love with them back in the days of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries.
So, of course, I jumped right into these books with high hopes and my expectations soaring through the roof.
In this A Court of Thorns and Roses book review, I will be sharing my honest opinions- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book One) Book Review
A Court of Thorns and Roses was honestly really good… until I read the rest of the series. The rest was so amazing that it left me feeling like this one was just… average. It did not captivate me quite like the rest of the series.
That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a beautifully written book, because I truly do believe that SJM can do no wrong with how amazing her writing is. It just isn’t anywhere close to being the best book in the series, in my opinion.
As a mater of fact, I admittedly almost put the book down. Fortunately, I am practically incapable of overcoming my curiosity (I don’t think I have ever DNF’d a book) and trudged on, despite struggling to really get into the story.
This is because the first book involves ALOT of world building and character introductions, which left most of the characters hard to connect with- but was crucial to building the overall story of the series.
After the first part of the book, though, the series really picks up. I really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast- esque love story this book features, and the budding friendship between Lucien and Feyre offered some glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel.
What really hooked me, though, was the last third of the book. Wow. I was captivated by the story when we met our Big Bad Wolf. Sarah J. Maas created an absolutely fascinating villain and an even better character developing storyline for our heroin.
The introduction of the cunning, sexy, and morally gray Rhys certainly didn’t hurt, either.
So, overall I would give this book a rating of 4/5. The beginning is slow, but it is completely necessary. Don’t put the book down just yet if you are struggling to get through the world building. It will all make sense later- just trust me on that.
A Court of Mist and Fury (Book Two) Book Review
A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF) is a fan favorite- and for good reason. I must warn you, though- this book is a spicy one. I went into this book excited, but not obsessed just yet.
There I was, just peacefully catching up on the character’s lives after the trials they faced in ACOTAR, and then BAM! l SJM just completely set the whole world the first book built on fire!
This book has a bit of everything- slow burn romance, stories of friendship and family, violence and action, and PLENTY of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I liked ACOTAR, really. But ACOMAF is the book that really solidified my love for the series and placed Sarah J. Maas at the top of my auto-buy authors list.
A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book Three) Book Review
This one, right here, is tied for being my favorite in the series. I was already in love with our main group of characters and the place they called home. I was already anticipating the battles they were preparing for in ACOMAF.
I was already in love with this book before I even started it. Now, these books are hundreds of pages long, and once I got to the second half of ACOTAR, I devoured all three of these in the first TWO WEEKS of starting them.
However, I absolutely devoured ACOWAR in just two days- I just could not put it down. One of my favorite things about this book is the fact that we get to know our side characters a bit better. The first two books really honed in on our main characters, but this one allowed us all to fall in love with the other characters (I’m an Azriel girl myself).
The book was an emotional roller coaster, twisting and turning and tugging on my heart strings more times than I’d like to admit. I completed it a hot, emotional mess in search of the next book.
A Court of Frost and Starlight (Book Four) Book Review
Okay, I really hate to say this, but I could’ve done without A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOFAS). Yes, it was great getting to know all of our characters even better. Yes, I loved seeing my faves getting a peaceful, happy holiday.
However, this book really just read like a filler episode- Christmas style. It was a nice reprieve from all the hardship and killing our characters had to face, but I was definitely missing the drama.
It’s a cute, quick read that some people will love and others… not so much.
A Court of Silver Flame (Book Five) Book Review
This might be a controversial opinion, but I think that ACOSF ties with ACOWAR as my favorite book in the series. I never, in a million years, thought that SJM could convince me that Nesta was a character worthy of a redemption arc.
But, alas, she’s convinced me. This book is a wonderful book with a great enemies-to-lovers storyline (it’s most definitely the spiciest book of the series, too- so you can decide what you want to do with that).
I think Cassian is a really sweet character that I enjoyed getting to know better, and I really cannot wait to get to know Azriel better, too.
However, I have to say that my favorite part about this book is the love story between the Valkyries. I loved seeing the girls form a sisterhood despite the thorniness the world they lived in forced them all to hold.
This series is a great read- possibly one of my favorites of all time? But, then again, I haven’t even begun to read Sarah J. Maas’ other iconic book series, so I guess we’ll save that decision for another time.
